Browsing Category single track
single track
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.
single trackYoung Gun Silver Fox – Lolita
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.
single track
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.
single track
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.
single track
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.
single track
Christon feat. Maxime Barlag – Perfect World
If you never heard of Christon Kloosterboer before, you’re not to blame (yet). He’s a Dutch singer-songwriter who had his share of success in the Netherlands with his band Rigby. While the band is in hibernation, Christon lends his composing talents to befriended artists and EDM producers, as well as writing music for commercials and tv series. In the meantime he started a solo career.
Last year he recorded his solo debut album Towns & Cities, due for release later this spring, in Nashville, USA and Hannover, Germany. The first six songs off the album will be released digitally tomorrow on the EP Towns (suggesting another EP called Cities will follow later). This first EP will feature the singles SOS Warning, Bonfire and Icarus as well as three album tracks. One of them, Perfect World (not a single, but a New Year present), features Maxime Barlag, the front woman of Mister & Mississippi (a band certainly worth checking as well!).
This is the clip in full effect. I love it!
(update 15 January: because of the positive reception, it has been decided Perfect World will be released as a proper single after all)
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.
cover, single track
Halestorm – I Hate Myself For Loving You
The very first vinyl 7” I bought was I Love Rock ‘n Roll by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts. I was 13 then. Six years later, in 1988, they scored another hit with I Hate Myself For Loving You.
Fast forward to this century. Elizabeth ‘Lzzy’ Hale and her band Halestorm alternate their original hits with EP’s full of covers. They released ReAniMate: The CoVeRs eP in 2011, Volume 2.0 in 2013 and Volume 3.0 will see the light on 6 January 2017. Two of the tracks are online already: their interpretation of Whitesnake’s Still Of The Night and a faithful cover of I Hate Myself For Loving You, that you can hear below.
This is Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ 1988 original (spot the differences, if any):
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, wildcard
Deacon Blue – Gone
I’ve been making radio shows for nearly 30 years and Carte Blanche Music is the follow-up to that adventure. Deacon Blue’s career has followed the exact same lines as my radio career. Their first single in the Netherlands, Dignity, was ‘record of the week’ (‘Remschijf’ at the time, ‘Wildcard’ nowadays) in my second radio show, dated 21 June 1987. Also, Deacon Blue has been away for a few years, like I have, but came back strongly (which I won’t claim for myself 😉 ).
In 2016 the band released their album Believers and Gone was my favourite album track. After I announced my retirement from radio, that track appeared to me to be the ideal final song, given its title and lyrics. (Of course I could also have played their Fellow Hoodlums track Closing Time, but Carte Blanche Radio was about new music only, just like this blog).
When I learned, two weeks ago, that Gone was about to become Deacon Blue’s new single, I made up my mind… This song would be the perfect way to close the circle! It became my last ‘record of the week’ and the very last record on my last show. Case closed 😉 .
And now it only seems appropriate to open this blog by drawing your attention to this great pop track. Sophisticated pop, to be exact. The genre they handled so well throughout their career and which I love so much. This is the ‘live’ 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.
