Browsing Category wildcard
Wildcard (week 14):
Roquemore – Blame
Nicolas Carette was the lead singer of Canadian band The Vasts. The past tense in this sentence does not apply to the frontman, he’s still very much alive. The band however has been disbanded. Carette will from now on be known as Roquemore.
On its Facebook page, Roquemore is described as ‘a beat-driven, baroque-orchestral rock project’. It was ‘born of a desire to recklessly reframe personal turmoil and world events’. Alrighty then… WTF?!?
I guess the best you can do is listen to Roquemore’s debut single, which is plain wonderful. Entitled Blame, it sounds like a cross of early Arcade Fire and Massive Attack. Expect tragic string arrangements, compact grooves and tormented vocals, but boy, what a beauty. Blame was engineered by Jean Massicotte, who worked with Bran Van 3000 and Patrick Watson before.
I truly can’t wait for more! Until then, Blame by Roquemore is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard.
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 13):
The Spitfires – (Just Won’t) Keep Me Down
Nothing is as effective in beating negativity – even in these trying times – as a ska song. This great new single by The Spitfires, for instance. Even the title, (Just Won’t) Keep Me Down, sounds like a message of hope (and a middle finger to COVID-19). It’s a powerful, infectious, brass-infused stomper of a song.
Frontman Billy Sullivan, bassist Sam Long, and drummer Matt Johnson formed The Spitfires five years ago. When playing live, the three-piece is augmented by three more musicians. Listening to their music, it isn’t hard to imagine their concerts being one big party.
The band recently signed to the legendary Acid Jazz Records label and just announced their upcoming album. Life Worth Living is set to be released on 5 June. It was produced by Simon Dine, who was behind the desk for several Paul Weller albums.
(Just Won’t) Keep Me Down, The Spitfires’ new single, is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 12):
Hollie Col – She Knows
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Australia is a country with an incredible number of talented artists. That’s why I recommend as many of them as possible here at Carte Blanche Music. Here’s another one.
Have you heard of Hollie Col already? She’s a 24-year-old Australian singer-songwriter, who has been playing live a lot lately. Both in her home country, where she did two consecutive sold out headline tours, and in Europe. As a consequence, her devoted fanbase is steadily growing. If you weren’t familiar with her yet, allow me to introduce you…
She Knows is Hollie’s new single. Clearly, she’s heavily inspired by classic song-writing, but she gives it a modern spin. Produced by award-winning Steve Schram (San Cisco, The Cat Empire), it’s a joyous piece of summer pop. The track has an upbeat arrangement and an infectious vocal hook, which she sings with a youthful enthusiasm. Her lyrics are intelligent and insightful.
On the single, Hollie says: ”She Knows is a letter to the person who has the one you love. It’s bittersweet, bright and loud. It screams ‘you’ll never know her like I do, and she knows it‘.”
Well, I know one thing: this great song is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 11):
Bée – Nothing Alike
Bée (pronounced as Bae) is short for Brechtje Kooreneef, a name that will surely turn heads for readers in the Netherlands. Indeed, she’s the daughter of Han Kooreneef, a very successful songwriter and composer for some of the biggest Dutch acts. Marco Borsato, Guus Meeuwis, Ruth Jacott, Volumia!, Paul de Leeuw and many more owe him a lot.
Having spent many hours of her childhood in music studios with her father, she started making music herself at a young age. This is now starting to pay off. Just 19 years old, Nothing Alike is only Bée’s second single, and I think it’s great. The song was produced by Jake Gosling. He worked with everyone from Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga and James Bay, to One Direction, Major Lazer and Paloma Faith.
Nothing Alike is based around a playful instrumentation, a percussive backbeat, ear-warming vocals, and relatable lyrics. Musically, the keywords are: feel-good, youthful, smooth, fresh, intriguing, colourful, and catchy. I’m convinced Bée is a talent of international class.
Discover her here this week, as Nothing Alike is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 10):
Ren – I Drive Me Mad
After last year’s singles Waves and Mind Games, 17-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter Ren is gearing up for her debut EP. Entitled Teenage Angst, it will drop on 13 March. The EP will include the previously released songs IDC and New Way. A third track has just been revealed.
On I Drive Me Mad, Lauren Isenberg (Ren’s real name) wears her heart on her sleeve. Talking about the new tune, she says: “It’s really a look inside my brain and the anxiety and panic I deal with nearly everyday. I wrote this song after having a really bad panic attack and it made it so honest and easy to write. It’s the first song I’m putting out that I feel like has a really important relatable message.”
The verses of the track slowly build in pace, followed by fierce, guitar-driven choruses. “The production of the song is supposed to depict the feeling of anxiety”, Ren explains.
This week, I Drive Me Mad is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Recommended as well:
Ren – New Way
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 9):
Sports Team – Here’s The Thing
With the handful of singles Sports Team released since 2017, they created their own hype and amassed a large and loyal following. Their wild live shows, packed with energy, humour and nonchalance, sell out rapidly. All of this resulted in a steadily growing anticipation for the band’s debut album. Well, the fans don’t have to wait much longer. The London-based six-piece just announced their first long-player Deep Down Happy will come out on 3 April.
The album is preceded by another new track, Here’s The Thing, which is probably their best yet. On it, Sports Team frontman Alex Rice makes fun of politics, without exaggerating. With his youthful enthusiasm, he gets away with anything, anyway 😉. It’s an authentic, up-beat rock stomper that is bound to be a live favourite, just like the band itself.
But first of all, Here’s The Thing is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Recommended as well:
Sports Team – M5
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 8):
The Magic Gang – Think
Last week, I recommended Think by The Magic Gang. Now, it gets the highest degree of promotion on this blog. As the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, it’ll feature here prominently for a whole week!
So, what’s the story again?
Brighton quartet The Magic Gang consists of Angus Taylor (bass/vocals), Jack Kaye (vocals/guitar), Kristian Smith (vocals/guitar), and Paeris Giles (drums). They cite Weezer as a major influence, but their new single Think sounds nothing like that. It’s a Northern soul pastiche with ‘Style Council’ written all over it. And I happen to love the Style Council!
Think is a big, sunshine-soaked banger, full of soaring horns, and uplifting melodies. It’s the first taste of The Magic Gang’s highly anticipated second album, due out later this year. Asked what to expect of it, Taylor revealed: “There’s still those big almost road-rock tunes, but there’s disco elements, Northern soul tinges, hip-hop influences. As songwriters, we don’t rely on being a guitar band; we’ve got more than that to us.”
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 7):
Egoism – You You
Let me introduce you to yet another promising upcoming band from down under. Sydney indie-pop duo Egoism is the result of the teenage friendship and shared musical inspirations between Scout Eastment and Olive Rush.
Only an EP and three singles into an already impressive career, artistically, the band just released their best song yet. You You may seem like a contradictory title for a band named Egoism, but it works out perfectly fine. The same goes for its combination of dreamy vocals and hazy guitar riffs.
The track opens with Scout’s angelic vocals, which remind of The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan. Olive joins in later, as they sing about the toxicity of relationships. Each of the two dissect their experiences as they exchange vocal parts. Eastment explains: “There was someone in my life causing me a lot of pain and I wrote this when I was finally trying to get away. It’s crazy how hard it is to let go, especially when you still really care for the other person. I kind of find it hard to leave anything and not feel responsible. Olive was going through something really similar at the time, so we were able to really come together and help each other through writing this song.”
You You is a classic indie-pop track with a catchy chorus, plenty of power-riffs and pop sensibilities. A first taste of Egoism’s long awaited second EP On Our Minds, it’s this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 6):
Dua Lipa – Physical
Dua Lipa’s career started as a Human League song: she was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar. But soon, she switched to music. Be The One was only her second single. When I first played it in my then radio show Carte Blanche, I called her ‘an artist with the potential to become the new Madonna’. Bold statement. And little did I know about the way her career would unfold. Not to mention the speed of it. Just four years later, she’s one of the most popular acts around. A multi-talented artist, who can be found in the charts, on red carpets, in commercials, on high-profile TV shows and award galas.
3 April, almost three years after her self-titled debut album, Dua Lipa’s sophomore long-player Future Nostalgia will come out. It’s heavily influenced by disco, as the first single Don’t Start Now already proved. Both radio and consumers embraced the new sound, resulting in another Top 10 hit. The second official single Physical is sure to repeat (or better) that result. It’s hotter than hell, so to speak. Additionally, in true Madonna style, it’s got a great and colourful video to complete the picture. And here is the icing on the cake: Physical by Dua Lipa is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Recommended as well:
Don’t Start Now
Swan Song
Bad Together / Genesis
Thinking ‘bout You
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
Wildcard (week 5):
Alex The Astronaut – I Think You’re Great
A talented soccer player, Alexandra Lynn moved from Sydney to New York on a soccer scholarship in 2017. She studied Math and Physics at Long Island University, while turning her experiences into folk-inflected pop songs. Under the name Alex The Astronaut she released her first EP To Whom It May Concern. Follow-up single Not Worth Hiding was a frank letter to her 16-year-old self about gender and sexuality. It became an unofficial anthem of the Australian gay marriage referendum.
Her new single I Think You’re Great was produced by Sam Cromack and Daniel Hanson of Ball Park Music. It’s a shout out to a cherished friendship and a recognition of the need to check in on each other, opening up conversations and supporting friends through thick and thin. In the accompanying video, Alex waits tables serving demanding customers at a busy diner. When her shift finally ends, she heads home for a night of wine and board games with friends.
Mid-March, Alex The Astronaut will appear at US showcase festival SXSW. This will be followed by dates with label mates Jack River and Didirri in Los Angeles, Brooklyn NY, and Toronto. But this week already, her new single is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. I think it’s great!
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards so far.
Music industry watcher and journalist. Worked at a CD club, a record store chain and was editor in chief of an entertainment trade magazine. Has been in the radio business since 1987, producing and presenting shows. Was music director of several stations. Also, he developed the European Border Breakers Chart, Music Moves Europe Talent Chart and ESNS Chart.
