Browsing Category soundtrack
single track, soundtrack, wildcard
Wildcard (week 49):
Wildcard (week 49):
King Princess – Fantastic (from ‘Arcane League Of Legends’)
American singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist King Princess, born Mikaela Straus, is having a monumental 2024. Not as much for the quantity of her output, but certainly for the quality of it. Just like her Steely Dan cover Dirty Work earlier this year, her new single Fantastic is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. The track is featured in the final act of ‘Arcane League Of Legends: Season 2’.
Arcane is one of Netflix’s most successful animated series ever. The Emmy-winning series is based on the iconic video game League Of Legends. Season 1’s soundtrack has amassed over 5,6 billion global streams since its release in November 2021 and maintains over 12 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone. The soundtrack to Season 2 builds on this phenomenal success, with 22 original compositions that were crafted for pivotal moments in this season’s episodes. Featured artists include Twenty One Pilots; Stray Kids; Young Miko and Tom Morello; Mike Shinoda and Emily Armstrong of Linkin Park; Ashnikko; Freya Ridings; Imagine Dragons feat. JID; Royal & The Serpent; Stromae and Pomme.
The best track of them all however, is King Princess’ Fantastic. A melancholic song with atmospheric synth production and soulful vocals, totally delivering on its title.
Fantastic by King Princess is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.
More King Princess @ Carte Blanche Music
Follow her on Facebook | Instagram | X | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2024 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.
single track, soundtrack, wildcard
Wildcard (week 27):
Wildcard (week 27):
mxmtoon – Post-Post Apocalyptic Dance Party
Seven years ago, mxmtoon started self-releasing song in secret. Dreamy pop songs with introverted lyrics, often with a ukulele at its core. These bedroom pop songs gained the Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter (real name: Maia) a huge worldwide audience.
In recent years however, starting with her 2022 album Rising, she made a shift to a more bombastic energy. Both the title and music of her new single refer to that new sound. Post-Post Apocalyptic Dance Party has a hyperpop kind of feel. It brings the good vibes to the game ‘LEGO Horizon Adventures’, PlayStation’s fun take on end of the world.
In an interview with Rolling Stone she reveals how the song came to be. “They sent me a bunch of keywords of what they were looking for. I had no idea at that point what the project was. So I wrote a song based off of the information that they shared with me. And I remember reading the brief and being like, “This sounds a lot like ‘Horizon Zero Dawn’, but weirdly, there’s some LEGO terminology in here.” And I remember being like, “That’s cool if they ended up doing that, then it ended up being exactly what I had anticipated!”
Post-Post Apocalyptic Dance Party by mxmtoon is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This implies that it will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.
More mxmtoon @ Carte Blanche Music
Follow mxmtoon on Facebook | Instagram | X | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2024 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.
cover, single track, soundtrack, wildcard
Wildcard (week 19):
Wildcard (week 19):
King Princess – Dirty Work
Some artists’ repertoire is better left untouched. Steely Dan is one of them. Their music is perfect, so why bother trying to make it even better?
However, no rules without exceptions. Enter American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist King Princess (real name: Mikaela Mullaney Straus). She just released her own, show-stopping version of The Dan’s Dirty Work. It stays pretty true to the original, but her voice sounds a bit more tragic than David Palmer’s. All in all, it does full justice to the legacy of the song that was one of the highlights op Steely Dan’s 1972 album Can’t Buy A Thrill. A classic long-player, which also features their hits Reelin’ In The Years and Do It Again.
King Princess recorded her version for Season 3 of TV series ‘Hacks’. Hannah Einbinder, who stars in the series, is a good friend of Straus’ and asked her to record the track. It appears at the end of Episode 2, which was aired only last week. Being all about toxic relationships, Dirty Work goes well with the theme of the series.
While working on her third studio album, King Princess is also about to make her acting debut. She’s set to play in Season 2 of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’, alongside Nicole Kidman, Christine Baranski, Dolly De Leon, Murray Bartlett, and Annie Murphy.
Dirty Work by King Princess is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This implies that it will be prominently displayed at the top of the blog for an entire week.
Follow King Princess on Facebook | Instagram | X | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2024 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.
single track, soundtrack, wildcard
Wildcard (week 7):
Wildcard (week 7):
Gabrielle Aplin – Be Yourself
English singer-songwriter Gabrielle Aplin rose to prominence early in her career, when she was asked to record a cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s The Power Of Love. It was the soundtrack of department store John Lewis’s annual Christmas commercial and went on to top the UK Singles Chart. The one-off single was soon followed by her debut album English Rain, which became a hit as well.
Aplin started 2023 with a bang, putting out her fourth album Phosphorescent. Less than a month after that, she’s already come up with two brand-new tracks: Side By Side and Be Yourself. Both were written and recorded for the computer-animated fantasy comedy film ‘The Amazing Maurice’.
In an interview with Atwood Magazine, she says about the project: “I am big into music and film. I love it. It was really lovely to work to a brief. (…) As a fan, it was a really wonderful experience. It’s a really wholesome film about literally being yourself and community, and how your individuality is your superpower. I loved writing that. I love putting bits of the script into the song. It was a really wonderful thing to do and a really wholesome experience.”
Be Yourself is Aplin’s new single. A joyful, up-tempo song with a lively beat and an infectious guitar riff. The uplifting lyrics reflect the film’s main theme.
Be Yourself by Gabrielle Aplin is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll be featured prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow her on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2023 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.
single track, soundtrack
RAGAZZAcd (feat. Giungla) – Lucida
RAGAZZAcd (feat. Giungla) – Lucida
*SONG SNACK*
Alessandro Baronciani drew a comic and recorded a CD as its soundtrack. This is the third single.
Follow RAGAZZAcd on Instagram | Spotify
Follow Giungla 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.
single track, soundtrack
Hoshi – Nouvelle Ère
Hoshi – Nouvelle Ère
*SONG SNACK*
Hi-NRG track by Hoshi, the singing voice of Uta in the French version of ‘One Piece Film – Red’.
Recommended as well:
Et Même Après Je T’aimerai
Larmes De Croco (feat. Corine)
Amour Censure
Je Vous Trouve Un Charme Fou
Follow Hoshi 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.
single track, soundtrack
Christon – The Story About A Boy Who Jumped Off A Cliff And Landed Softly
Christon – The Story About A Boy Who Jumped Off A Cliff And Landed Softly
It’s been some time since Christon released music under his own name. He hasn’t exactly sat still though, writing and producing for other artists. International ones like Aloe Blacc, Ziggy Marley, Lost Frequencies and Mathieu Koss, as well as Dutch colleagues such as Guus Meeuwis, Ronnie Flex and Ellen ten Damme. Also, he’s currently presenting the TV programme ‘De Troubadours’, in which he writes a song in a day with fellow artists, based on their personal stories. And then of course, there are his other musical projects with names like Sir Notch and North [Sic].
Christon’s new single is called The Story About A Boy Who Jumped Off A Cliff And Landed Softly. This stripped down track is the title song of ‘De Jongen Die Van De Klif Sprong En Zacht Terechtkwam’, the debut novel of Dutch journalist Stefan Raatgever. This book deals with the coming of age and coming out of a 19-year-old boy. The book cover contains a sticker with the Spotify code of the song.
Raatgever interviewed Christon multiple times during his career as part of the band XYP, as front man of Rigby and as a solo artist. He became a fan and asked the singer to write a theme song for his book. This challenge was accepted.
“To me, Christon is one of the best songwriters in the Netherlands”, Raatgever explains. “He often deploys his talents for others, but I’m happy he sang this song himself. I’m proud of the beautiful way he put the theme of my first book to music. It’s a wonderful, Johnny Cash-like track.”
Christon, who already produced a soundtrack to his own debut thriller, ‘Adam’, adds he tried to stick as much to Raatgever’s story as possible. “I recorded this song in an intimate, acoustic setting. It incorporates both the struggle and the acceptance of the main character.”
Recommended as well:
Closer To A New Day
Younger Than Before
Where Do We Go From Here
Perfect World (feat. Maxime Barlag)
Follow Christon 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.
single track, soundtrack
Montaigne – My Life Is Better With You
Montaigne – My Life Is Better With You
*SONG SNACK*
Recommended as well:
Technicolour
Ready
Follow Montaigne 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.
single track, soundtrack
Don Diablo – Invincible
Dance is one of the Netherlands’ biggest export products. Dutch dance comes in a wide variety, ranging from epic enough for festivals to poppy enough for radio. Progressive and mellow, and everything in between.
Everyone knows Tiësto, Armin (those guys don’t even need a last name) and Martin Garrix, and Don Diablo is another one of the country’s top DJ/producers. Invincible is his new single. It’s the theme song for the AFK Arena game. For this track, he returned to his electro-based roots and created a high energy anthem with two faces. With this track, built around vocoded vocals and futuristic beats, Don Diablo gives Daft Punk a run for their money.
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.
re-release, single track, soundtrack
Lizzo – Good As Hell
Lizzo is becoming more and more of a phenomenon. Correction: Lizzo is a phenomenon. To such an extent, that even her older songs belatedly prove to be hits. Melissa Jefferson (the 31-year-old American singer and rapper’s real name) is currently #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 with Truth Hurts, a song originally released in 2016. But another song from that same year is doing great as well.
Following her performance at the MTV Music Video Awards, Good As Hell is climbing up the Billboard charts. It was originally recorded for the soundtrack of the movie ‘Barbershop: The Next Cut’, and served as the lead single from her debut EP Coconut Oil. Do yourself a favour and also check the track Worship off that EP.
Despite not being on Lizzo’s recent album Cuz I Love You (not even on the Deluxe Edition), Good As Hell is about to be re-released worldwide as her new single. A great choice, for the tune totally lives up to its title.
Recommended as well:
Lizzo (feat. Gucci Mane) – Exactly How I Feel
Lizzo – Juice
Lizzo – Boys
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.
