Browsing Category single track
single track
Foxe – Honeytop
Foxe (pronounced as fox) are a young band, fresh out of University. In their short career, Antonia (bass), George (guitar) and Mat (drums) already supported The Magic Gang and Rat Boy.
Their biography claims they play ‘loud guitar based indie/pop music with choruses so catchy they haunt you while you sleep’, but I think their music is best described by the titles of their two singles to date: Bubblegum and Honeytop. If you like bands such as The 1975 and Pale Waves, you really need to discover Foxe. Do it here, and do it now…
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.
single track
Not.Your.Regular.Boy. – Crazyland
Ferry de Ruiter from Amsterdam is not your regular boy. I repeat: Not.Your.Regular.Boy.
He was the first person in the world to ever appear in ‘The Voice’ in full drag, winning the Rainbow Award for Best Media Moment. Subsequently, he declined a place in the TV talent show’s finale, refusing to sign a contract that would make him lose control of his image, songs and life. Instead, he decided to go it alone.
As Not.Your.Regular.Boy., he recorded a bunch of tracks that are being described as a mix of Muse, MGMT, The White Lies, Empire Of The Sun and Passion Pit. Crazyland is his first single!
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.
single track
Laish – Dance To The Rhythm
Laish is the musical project of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Danny Green. Yorkshire born, but currently based in London, he has had an impressive independent career, performing both solo and with a full band.
Last Friday, Laish released his fourth album Time Elastic. Following up on the album’s title track, Dance To The Rhythm is the second single off it. A joyful affair, released just in time to accompany the sunshine that’s been announced.
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.
single track
Dead Sea – Know Where
Google ‘Dead Sea’ and you’ll probably stumble upon photos of a large pool of super-salty water. That, obviously, is not the Dead Sea I’m referring to here…
Dead Sea is also a French four-piece that operates at the crossroads of (danceable) pop and rock. Think shoegaze-inspired pop with a pounding rhythm. They released their first two singles 8.50 and Lotion at the end of 2017 and their third is called Know Where. Clocking in at just under 5 minutes it may be a little too long for the radio, but there are tricks to overcome that problem 😉 . On the dance floor, however, Know Where has a hypnotic effect.
On 4 May, Dead Sea release their 4-track debut EP Colorate.
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.
single track
Kelemen Kabátban – Úton
Kelemen Kabátban is a Hungarian band with seven members: Boldi Horváth, Gáspár ‘JumoDaddy’ Horváth, M-Papa, Miklós Kiszin, Gábor Gajdacs, Róbert Nagy and Tamás Szabó. They got together in 2013 and played many club and festivals since then, both in Hungary and abroad.
The secret of Kelemen Kabátban’s success lies in its catch combination of musical styles. In Úton, the funky guitar and bass are the driving forces, complemented by a keyboard melody that’s as simple as it is epic.
Excuse me for not understanding the lyrics, but luckily the track has a lyric video, so we can still sing along 😉 . I think an English version of this song could do very well internationally!
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.
single track
The Dark Light – She Likes It
The Dark Light may be based in London, but it’s a truly European project, with members from Italy (guitarists Marco Simoncelli and Roberto Cicorella), Great Britain (singer-songwriter Gerard Edwards and bass player Sonny Moylan), and Germany (drummer Henning Brand).
In February, I recommended the band’s first single It’s Alright, and last week, their debut album Keep Off The Grass came out. Passionate, classic rock ‘n’ roll, recorded in an astonishing 16 days and mastered by John Webber (David Bowie, George Michael, The The). It also features second single She Likes It. Well, I like it too and so do you, I hope!
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.
single track
The Academic – Fake ID
Irish band The Academic was formed in 2013 by Craig Fitzgerald (lead vocalist and guitarist), Dean Gavin (drums), and brothers Matt and Stephen Murtagh (guitar and bass, respectively). I played their early singles Northern Boy and Mixtape 2003 in the late Carte Blanche radio show in May 2016 and August 2016, but the band garnered more media interest a year later, after Bear Claws came out.
Most of these singles appear on the band’s debut album Tales From The Back Seat. My favourite track off the album though, is the über catchy Fake ID, that features in the Carte Blanche Music playlist since the record come out, last January. Now, it’s The Academic’s new single!
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.
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 15):
Wildcard (week 15):
Stars – Ship To Shore
Stars are a Canadian theatrical pop/rock band, which is active since the year 2000. Only last October they released their ninth album There Is No Love In Fluorescent Light, but Ship To Shore is a brand new track.
It’s a classic case of things being not always what they seem. Ship To Shore sounds like a light-hearted – even happy – summer ditty with its danceable disco-ish musical backdrop. Man, how I love those bold ’80s drums and synths!
But this electro-pop mask hides the true meaning of the song: it a remembrance of singer Amy Millan’s late friend, John Bil. A discrepancy that’s beautifully captured in lines like ‘You played me The Cure / Friday I’m In Love / It’s so good it hurts’.
This week, Stars’ Ship To Shore is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. All 15 of them (so far) can be found in the Wildcards 2018 playlist on 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.
single track
Jessie Clement – Something Different
Raised in a musical family, Jessie Clement began her singing career as a studio singer when she was only 9 years old, and wrote her first song at age 10.
She’s currently finishing her third album and this is the first single. Something Different has a simple, but addictive melody. It sounds innocent and timeless, reminding me of Sara Bareilles. Other, less obvious influences on her writing and singing include James Taylor, Coldplay, and Adele.
Something Different comes with a colourful black and white video.
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.
single track
Freak Power – Hear My Call
Allow me a flashback to the early 90s of the last century. Norman Cook (ex-Housemartins, ex-Beats International, later to be known as Fatboy Slim) formed Freak Power with horn player Ashley Slater. They scored a huge pan-European hit with Turn On, Tune In, Cop Out in 1994, and… well, that was about it, basically.
If you thought we’d ever hear from them again, please raise your hand. It appears you were right. Freak Power just released their first new music since 1999. Norman Cook is no longer involved, but Ashley Slater is back on board. Also part of this new line-up, among others: original bass player Dale Davis (Amy Winehouse, Paul Young, Tina Turner), Tony Remy (Herbie Hancock, Annie Lennox) on guitar and Kate Cameron on backing vocals.
Much may have changed in the last 20 years, but the sound of the new Freak Power is remarkably consistent with the ’90s version. Acid house bassline: check. Big synths: check. Soulful sing-along chorus: check. Let’s see if we can eventually tick the check box ‘hit’ as well…
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.
