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album track
indie | pop
Japanese Breakfast – Paprika
Michelle Zauner (a.k.a. Japanese Breakfast) just released her third album Jubilee. It’s lovely! I was immediately grabbed by the opening track, the rather bombastic – and brilliantly titled – Paprika. To me, it’s the best song on the album. I love its marching band feel, and the strings and horn parts in the chorus. It’s both weird and wonderful.
In an interview with Stereogum, Zauner explains how the album, and this song in particular, came about. She explains: “My biggest fear for this record was that I didn’t want to be the kind of artist that pivots to pop in this very obvious way. I think that as you grow as an indie musician, the logical step is to enter into that world and play bigger venues and have more mainstream music or whatever. So I was really inspired by the greats… like Kate Bush. I think it’s really amazing that she’s someone who has such massive appeal but is, like, the biggest freak and has the most surreal, bizarre lyrics and has this really strange, proggy instrumentation. So I was really influenced by Kate Bush on this record and leaned towards surreal lyrics a little bit more on Paprika.”
About the song title she says: “I called it Paprika because it reminded me of this Susumu Hirasawa song called Parade that’s in the movie Paprika. There’s a big marching band and it’s this really psychotic parade dream sequence, and so that’s why I called it Paprika.”
It may sound like a strange choice, but I think this would make a great single!
Recommended as well:
Japanese Breakfast – Be Sweet
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For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album track, wildcardWildcard (week 21):
indie | pop
Wildcard (week 21):
Stefanie Heinzmann – Labyrinth
32-year-old Swiss singer and songwriter Stefanie Heinzmann has had quite a diverse career so far. She started as singer in rock band BigFisch, but went on to win a German TV talent show in 2008. This brought her national stardom. In the years that followed, she won many hearts with a soulful repertoire. Throughout the years however, her music has become more and more poppy.
This has resulted in a very contemporary sound on her new, sixth album Labyrinth. The record was preceded by four singles, but the best track has yet to be released as such. I’d like to suggest the opening song and title track of the album for Heinzmann’s next single.
Labyrinth is a powerful, upbeat and tight tune in the best synth-pop tradition. With its funky guitars and catchy backing vocals, it contains hints of Gossip. But this could have been a great Alice Merton track as well. I bet that’s the influence of co-writer Michelle Leonhard, who penned songs for Merton before.
Labyrinth by Stefanie Heinzmann is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week!
Recommended as well:
Stefanie Heinzmann – You Get Me
Follow Stefanie Heinzmann on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album trackindie | pop | rock
Linn Koch-Emmery – Dirty Words
Scandinavia is well-known as ‘pop heaven’, but they also have artists who like to throw in a guitar or two. Stockholm-based Linn Koch-Emmery is one of them. A consequence of her German and British roots perhaps? Oh well, let’s not search for answers, but just enjoy her fresh indie-rock songs with killer choruses.
Koch-Emmery may be releasing music since 2016, she’s only just put out her debut album Being The Girl. An 11-track long-player that already includes four great singles. More will probably follow, for it holds other great songs. One of the best in my opinion is called Dirty Words, although it isn’t explicit at all. It’s got hints of early ‘90s New Order, and lyrically it features dark humour and a sense of self-distance.
Dirty Words would make a strong fifth single, as far as I’m concerned.
Recommended as well:
Linn Koch-Emmery – Hologram Love
Follow Linn Koch-Emmery on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album trackdance | electronic | indie | pop
morgxn – Losing Myself
Nashville-born Morgan Karr already sung in a gospel choir at the age of 6. As a 9-year-old, he took singing and piano lessons and started writing his own songs. Then he went to New York, where he ended up in the theatre world. In 2015, he contributed vocals to two Tiësto tracks. This was the start of him refocussing on his music.
Now based in Los Angeles, Morgan goes by the stage name of morgxn. These last five years, he released quite a few really good electronic pop songs. Some of them rightly featured here on Carte Blanche Music.
Meridian: vol. 1 is morgxn’s latest project. It’s a 5-track EP, including his recent singles How Do You Hold What Hurts and Porcelain. However, opening track Losing Myself is by far my favourite. A great and infectious tune with a walking bass line and some nifty guitar strumming. Not only a fun song to dance to, but also one that’ll sound great on the radio.
Recommended as well:
Smallpools x morgxn – Slowdown
morgxn & Nicholas Petricca – Blue
morgxn & Walk The Moon – Home
Follow morgxn on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album trackelectronic | indie | pop
Fear Of Tigers – Boy Talk
After recommending Fear Of Tigers’ track Tiger Blood, I was extra curious for their same-titled full-length album. Well, if you liked the single the way I did, you surely won’t be disappointed. There is a reason the album title ends with an exclamation mark. Tiger Blood! is a collection of ten full-on, no holds barred bangers. Three of them were released as singles before, but the remaining seven are just as strong.
Boy Talk is my personal favourite. With a duration of only 2’18, it’s short and snappy. But above all, it’s a beat-driven, synth-heavy pop-dance tune of the epic kind. If you like Eric Prydz, for instance, look no further for your new favourite song.
Recommended as well:
Fear Of Tigers – Tiger Blood
Follow Fear Of Tigers on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album trackindie | pop | rock
The Blue Stones – One By One
The Blue Stones are a Canadian band, formed by Tarek Jafar and Justin Tessier. In the year of their tenth anniversary, they release their second full-length album Hidden Gems. But despite this title, half of its ten tracks had surfaced before. Four had been released as singles in the last year and a half, and appeared on their recent live EP Live On Display. A fifth, Spirit, was put forward in February, along with the announcement of the album.
I’d like to introduce you to my favourite ‘deep cut’ (album track) though. Based on a brooding groove, it’s a softer song than you might expect from this rock duo. It’s very much a The Blue Stones track, it only channels blues rock, hip-hop, soul and funk differently from other songs of theirs. In that respect, Hidden Gems is a more varied album than their earlier output. This is probably a result of Paul Meany’s involvement. He produced Twenty One Pilots’ album Trench before. One By One is a good example of The Blue Stones’ new musical course.
Follow The Blue Stones on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album trackindie | pop
Lucy Spraggan – Heartbreak Suites
If you follow Lucy Spraggan’s socials, you see a woman full of self-confidence. Funny, one day vulnerable, the other day strong, but always 100% authentic. Proud of her body, and perhaps even prouder of her new, sixth album Choices. Rightly so, for she worked hard on both of them 😉. In this piece I’ll stick with the album though. A great pop record, and her highest charting one. It entered the UK Album Top 100 at #5 last week, without the help of a major label.
Choices contains 13 tracks, six of which have been released as singles before. The songs tell Spraggan’s story of the past years, which makes this her most personal album, so far. Heartbreak Suites is my favourite non-single track. To me, it stands out because of its infectious backing vocals, relatable lyrics and overall catchy production.
Listening to a ‘60s compilation album inspired her to make a tune with that sound. A job well done, for even though ooh sha la la’s are absent from the song, you can hear them in the back of your head. Heartbreak Suites may sound joyful, but she wrote it around the time her marriage sadly stranded, when she often stayed in hotels in order to flee from reality. Spraggan co-wrote the track with her long-time collaborator Joe Hammill. He also worked with quite a few Belgian artists, like Alice On The Roof, Tessa Dixson and Blanche.
Recommended as well:
Animal
Today Was A Good Day
Modern Day Frankenstein
Follow Lucy Spraggan on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album trackpop
Calogero – Vidéo
Calogero, a son of Italian parents, is one of the biggest French artists of the moment. His career started at the age of 15, when he formed the band Les Charts with his brother and a childhood friend. Calogero was the lead singer and songwriter of the trio.
By the end of the century, he started a solo career. He co-wrote songs with already popular artists like Zazie and Pascal Obispo, and released his solo debut. His sophomore self-titled album sold 1,4 million copies in France alone, a success he repeated with his third long-player 3. This album contained his largest international hit Face À La Mer, a duet with Passi.
Centre Ville is Calogero’s eighth studio album to date. The songs were written during the first lockdown. Vidéo is my favourite deep cut on the record. A trademark up-tempo Calogero song with a walking bassline, an ‘80s-inspired rhythm, punctuated by strings and a highly memorable chorus. Destined to become a hit, once released as a single!
Recommended as well:
La Rumeur
On Se Sait Par Coeur
1987
La Vraie Vie
Je Joue De La Musique
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album trackpop
Rea Garvey – Just A Minute
In 1998, Rea Garvey moved from his home country Ireland to Germany. He had a demo CD in his pocket, but no band to record the songs with, or play live shows. Via an ad in a local paper, he found his band mates and formed Reamonn. This is an Irish form of the name Raymond, Rea’s real first name. Their 2000 debut single Supergirl was an immediate Top 5 hit, both in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. It went Top 10 in Switzerland. In 2010, after five successful studio albums, the band called it quits and Garvey went solo.
Since then, he released five studio albums as a solo artist well. His fifth, Hy Brasil, has just come out. As we have come to expect, it’s a collection of well-crafted pop songs. The record opens very strong, with the singles Talk To Your Body and Hey Hey Hey. These two are followed by a track that sounds like a future single. Just A Minute is a radio-friendly song with a pleasant tempo and simple, but uplifting violin parts.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
album trackelectronic | indie | pop
A Is For Arrows – Every Now And Then
Although singer Alessia Balasbas is their figurehead, Toronto electronic-pop duo A Is For Arrows is in fact a duo. Eric Robbs is her counterpart, in more ways than one. They couldn’t be more different from each other, but their bond over music led to the creation of their debut EP Roses. The two, both multi-instrumentalists, met in 2009, through their parents. Since then, they created an alt-pop sound that blends contemporary beats, soft synths and heartfelt lyrics. Bound to be liked by fans of artists like No Doubt, Charli XCX and The 1975.
A Is For Arrows’ EP Roses compiles the five singles the Canadian duo released in the last year. Additionally, it features two new songs: Every Now And Then, and All The Stars. The former is my favourite. Its soft verses contrast wonderfully with its upbeat chorus. All of the tracks were delicately produced by Joel Stouffer, who worked with bülow, Dragonette and others before.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
I’m a music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Have been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, I developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
