Browsing Category single track
Hifi Sean feat. Crystal Waters – Testify
If ‘danceable gospel blues’ is not a genre, Hifi Sean just invented it. Hifi who? Hifi Sean. His real name is Sean Dickson and you may or may not know him as the frontman of The Soup Dragons (whose Rolling Stones cover I’m Free is still a classic in my book). With The High Fidelity he released the even more enjoyable Scream If You Want To Go Faster, co-produced by Arthur Baker.
And now Hifi Sean is back with yet another banger: Testify, that vaguely resembles Fatboy Slim’s Praise You. The singer on the track is Crystal Waters, who scored 90’s hits in her own right, such as Gypsy Woman (She’s Homeless) and 100% Pure Love.
Testify is one of the tracks on Hifi Sean’s new solo album Ft.. This is short for ‘featuring’, since the album contains collaborations with Yoko Ono, Bootsy Collins, Fred Schneider (The B-52’s), Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub) and many more.
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.
British Sea Power – Bad Bohemian
If you don’t know British Sea Power yet, songs like Carrion, Please Stand Up and Waving Flags are a good introduction. Pretty bombastic, eh? I love it. If you liked it too, you can read on.
The good news is: British Sea Power are back. On 31 March they release their new album Let The Dancers Inherit The Party and for those who can’t wait, they just dropped the first single Bad Bohemian. It’s instantly recognisable. Not only because of BSP’s own distinct sound, but also because of the hints of The Cure and New Order that shimmer through. I’m glad the wait is over!
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.
Thanks (feat. Sam Sparro) – Your Man
Thanks are a Danish production duo with a special liking for disco. On their SoundCloud-page they published several mixtapes and songs of their own this year. On their new single Your Man they join forces with Australian singer-songwriter Sam Sparro (although uncredited), best known for his 2008 hit Black And Gold.
Thanks say about the collaboration: “We’ve always been big fans of Sam and have been dreaming to work with him on a Thanks track. We love a lot of the same music: Prince, disco, funk, French house… and it’s super exciting for us to be able to put out this track together.”
This is what it sounds like when doves cry:
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.
Twin Peaks – Disappear
A band that names itself after the utterly brilliant TV series ‘Twin Peaks’ can’t be bad. Bold statement, maybe, but these lads prove me right.
Twin Peaks (the band, obviously) are from Chicago and their Facebook bio doesn’t leave you guessing about their intentions: ‘We like to rock and most certainly love to roll’. Yeah baby! If you don’t believe them, go find out for yourself, they’ll be all over Europe the coming weeks.
Last spring, Twin Peaks released their latest album Down In Heaven. A special version of it came packed with a 7” vinyl single, featuring two songs that are not on the album. This package was available at independent record stores only.
I presume the last copy had just been sold, for only now, over half a year later, the band has been pleased to give it to the masses. In other words: the tracks have finally been made available to a streaming service near you.
The record has a double A side, one of them being I Don’t Want To Miss You. Personally, I’m especially fond of the other track, Disappear, which appears below:
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.
Wildcard (week 1):
Sophie Ellis-Bextor – Wild Forever
Please let me introduce the first ever Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This is my ‘track of the week’, which may be a single track or an album track (for what’s the difference, nowadays?). A new Wildcard will be announced each Wednesday (Wildcard Wednesday, anyone?).
Talking about being appropriate… This week I chose Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Wild Forever to be the Wildcard, already the standout track off her album Familia. It was produced by Ed Harcourt, who also produced her previous album, Wanderlust. This couple of cd’s shows a mature side of the singer, who is best known for ultimate pop songs like Murder On The Dancefloor and Spiller’s Groovejet, an instrumental that she added vocals to.
Familia already spawned the singles Come With Us and Crystallise, that should’ve been bigger hits. Hopefully Wild Forever will prove the third time’s lucky.
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.
La Oreja De Van Gogh – Diciembre
Picture this scene: it’s 1998 and I’m in a restaurant, somewhere in Spain. It was a pretty nice place and the food was alright, but the music was great. The waiter told me they were playing the debut album of this band La Oreja De Van Gogh. Of course, I had liked a Spanish summer hit or two in the past, but this was the first time for me to instantly become fan of a Spanish band.
Soon I lost myself in Spanish pop/rock and many more bands would follow. So much so, that I became a self-pronounced advocate of new Spanish pop/rock via my radio shows. In each two hour long show I played four current songs from the country. I called this platform the ‘Arena del Pop’ (after a lyric in La Oreja De Van Gogh’s song Pop; only much later it appeared I had mistaken the actual lyric “eres la reina del pop” for “eres l’arena del pop”, but that’s a different story…).
What’s the point of this flashback? Well, it serves as a personal introduction to LODVG’s new single, Diciembre. They could have released it last month, of course, but perhaps that would have been too obvious. Or probably they thought: “Mañana…” 😉 . Anyway, this is the lyric video:
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.
Young Gun Silver Fox – Lolita
It’s about time Young Gun Silver Fox got their well-deserved break-through. The band consists of ‘young gun’ Andy Platts (of Mamas Gun fame) and producer/multi-instrumentalist Shawn ‘silver fox’ Lee. They make classic melodic soulful pop, drenched in sunny harmonies.
Listen to their album West End Coast (the title combines ‘West End’, the London district where Lee has his studio, with ‘West Coast’, which is an obvious influence for the duo) and you know how that sounds. Or just start your journey with their brand new single, that is not on the album. The follow-up to You Can Feel It, Emilia, Long Way Back and See Me Slumber is entitled Lolita.
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.
Mist – Hey [Little Canyon Session]
Rick Treffers is a Dutch songwriter, singer, guitarist and producer, releasing albums since 1995. His main vehicle is Mist, originally a band consisting of Dutch musicians, but since he relocated to Spain in 2011, Rick surrounds himself with Spanish band members. His songs are full of intimacy and melancholy. Though I love this sound, I’m especially fond of his tracks that are a little bit more upbeat and that contain a spark of hope. Blame my radio past for that… 😉 .
One of my favourite tracks on Mist’s latest album The Loop Of Love, entitled Hey, has just been re-recorded with the Spanish band, live in the Little Canyon Studios in Valencia. Next month, this version will appear on their next album Underwater, a collection of outtakes from The Loop Of Love, duets, covers, B sides, remixes, you name it…
During this re-recording not only the tape recorder was rolling, but some cameras as well, so you can see the result for yourself:
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.
Giant Rooks – New Estate
New music from Germany, where Giant Rooks are quickly making inroads. The band consists of four guys from the town of Hamm, who just finished school. They only came together in 2014 and started making art pop, as they call it, delivering their first EP The Times Are Bursting The Lines at the end of 2015. The fairy-like track Småland in particular gained them a large audience, as you will see if you attend their gig at Eurosonic Noorderslag next week.
One week later, on 20 January, they release their second EP New Estate (digitally as well as on vinyl). The title track is out now as a warming-up.
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.
Lucy Spraggan – Modern Day Frankenstein
Ever since her single Last Night (Beer Fear), where she sounded like a folky Lily Allen, I have a weak spot for Lucy Spraggan. The track originally appeared on her self-released album Top Room At The Zoo (2011) and would have become a huge hit in August 2012 after she played it in her auditions for The X Factor. But… the talent show requested the British chart compiler to keep the song off the charts. It is maliciously suggested that the track formed a threat to a single by Little Mix, who would later win the competition (Lucy had to quit her run due to illness). Over a year later Last Night (Beer Fear) was re-released in a new version that appeared on her second album Join The Club.
At the end of this month Lucy asks you to join the club once again, when she releases her fourth album I Hope You Don’t Mind Me Writing. Modern Day Frankenstein is the first single and this is the video (caution: blurred middle finger at [0’28]; don’t say I didn’t warn you…).
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.
