Browsing Category wildcard
Wildcard (week 39):
Georgia – Never Let You Go
I can’t wait for the new year, for it’s sure to start with a bang. On 10 January 2020, Georgia will release her second album Seeking Thrills. Each new single off it is better than the one before. The best so far, About Work The Dancefloor, was a Carte Blanche Music Wildcard in April.
Now, Georgia repeats that feat with her brand-new single Never Let You Go. A Robyn-esque song with a ludicrous catchiness, that was entirely played by the talented London artist and producer. Easily one of the best pop songs of the year so far, this is the one that should propel her onto radio playlists around the globe. If not, music directors should be fired and replaced by people with ears.
As a stamp of approval, let me remind you one last time that Georgia is the daughter of Leftfield’s Neil Barnes. But soon, he’ll be referred to as the father of Georgia. Never Let You Go is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. The repeat button was invented for this kind of songs.
Recommended as well:
Georgia About Work The Dancefloor
Georgia – Started Out
Georgia – Feel It
In the Wildcards 2019 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 38):
Mélodie Lauret – 23h28
19. This girl is only 19 years old. And what a talent! To me, 23h28 by Mélodie Lauret may be one of the debuts of the year.
Her very first single is a musical coming out in more ways than one, and it’s utterly beautiful. If you speak French, the powerful lyrics will move you, whether you listen to them deliberately or not. Lauret doesn’t really sing the song, she speaks the words. A bit like Grand Corps Malade, whom I’m fond of as well. If you don’t speak French, there is enough to like in the overall melody. Or Mélodie, if you like. Slow beats, a sparse but effective bassline, eerie backing vocals… this is a real treat.
23h28 is a song in the best French ‘chanson’ tradition. Already picked up by a major record label, Mélodie Lauret is certainly one to watch. Her debut single is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 37):
Devon – I Don’t Want 2 B Ur Friend
Devon Cassells is a 20-year-old producer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. He is inspired by artists ranging from Michael Jackson and Beck to The Neighbourhood and Twenty One Pilots. Having played the guitar in numerous bands since he was 10, he nowadays writes, records and produces his music himself.
Following his debut single Weirdo (2017), and the tracks Day Dreaming and Plastic Statues (2018), he just put out his fourth song. I Don’t Want 2 B Ur Friend is an up-tempo slice of indie pop-rock. Short (just over 2 minutes), but snappy, with a catchy chorus and an ever-flowing energy. It doesn’t happen very often I wish a song would last longer.
This week, I Don’t Want 2 B Ur Friend by Devon is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 36):
Agat – I’ve Done It Again
Not much is known about Tel Aviv, Israel-based four-piece Agat. The band consists of Agat Schwarz (vocals, keys), Gal Oved (keys), Nir Horowitz (bass) and Tamuz Dolev (drums).
I’ve Done It Again is only their first single. Yet, it already has a unique sound, involving both electronic sounds and live instruments. Think trip hop à la Portishead, with the same dark undertones, but fresher. Agat’s intimate vocals float over industrial bass sounds, fuzzy guitars, spooky strings and experimental beats, resulting in an eerie atmosphere.
The band’s Horowitz-produced debut album will be out in December. In the meantime, fans of Billie Eilish – and who isn’t, nowadays? – should really check this dark fairy-tale.
I’ve Done It Again by Agat is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard! It may not grab you the first time around, but it will grow on you. Slowly and surely, just like the song itself.
In the Wildcards 2019 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 35):
Lush Puppy – Ms. Grey
And now for something completely different… Please meet new Netherlands-based duo Lush Puppy. Singer Roos studied at the Rock Academy in the Dutch city of Tilburg. Italian-born Gabriel is well-known in the EDM scene as half of DJ duo Gabriel & Castellon. They collaborated with Sam Feldt, Robin S., Todd Terry and others. From that perspective, Lush Puppy seems far beyond his comfort zone. In truth, however, it’s actually where he and Roos both feel they can strut their stuff.
Ms. Grey is only Lush Puppy’s second single, after debuting with Wear Me Out. Just like Confidence Man a few years ago, they combine disco, funk and pop. It’s catchy and accessible, but with an alternative edge. And please, take a few minutes to listen to the hilarious lyrics.
Honey, take the trash outside!
This week, Ms. Grey by Lush Puppy will feature here prominently as the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard.
In the Wildcards 2019 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 34):
Nicolah – Holiday
Nicolah is a Cumbrian singer-songwriter, based in London. Her music is a sum of fresh life experiences about faith, sexuality, and culture. She explains: “I often see life from 2 sides of the same coin, and I battle with these sides in my head. What I have to come back to is hope.”
Her new single Holiday is the third release in a 3-track series, developing the concepts of reflection, refraction and dispersion. It was preceded by Waiting On You and Out Of The Pie. Inspired by everyone from Bruce Hornsby and Paramore to The Beatles, to me, Holiday sounds like a great mix of Jade Bird and early Melissa Etheridge. A song with ‘summer smash’ written all over it.
For starters, Holiday by Nicolah is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means it will feature here prominently for a whole week!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 33):
Terouz – Outstanding
Born in Cairo, professional illustrator/singer-songwriter Karim Terouz moved to Montreal in 2008. With his brassy, folk/rock quintet The Rising Few, he released two albums. Then, after losing his father, he decided to re-emerge under the guise of Terouz.
His debut single Outstanding is a great piece of pop noir. Driven by muscular, groovy bass lines, and with Karim’s Bowie-esque vocals throughout. “It’s like Cohen on a treadmill”, the Egyptian/Canadian artist summarizes.
Terouz calls his first single ‘an ode to my journey of renewal’ and ‘an empowering Rocky-esque anthem’. He explains: “Last year felt like a never ending s#%t storm. With the shadow of my father’s passing laying over me, my musical aspirations were hitting a wall with my band and I was pretty close to pulling the plug on it all. I stopped everything to take care of myself. I dove deep into writing, belted out (in despair!) improvised vocal lines to recorded melodies while running up and down the Mont Royal… every day, like an obsessed work-out maniac. I focused on getting clear.”
This song is, indeed, Outstanding. And I’d like to make it stand out even a little bit more, by featuring it here prominently for a whole week. Outstanding by Terouz is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 32):
The Howl & The Hum – Human Contact
The inspirations of The Howl & The Hum range from Leonard Cohen and Phoebe Bridgers to Lizzo and Kendrick Lamar, and they have also been likened to Massive Attack, Radiohead and Alt-J. To be honest, I hear neither of these influences shine through in their own music, and that is meant to be a compliment. The Howl & The Hum created their own style, while playing live, a lot.
Hot on the heels of recent single Hall Of Fame, the band unleash the furious follow-up track Human Contact. A damn tight piece of music! “Human Contact is a fast-paced miserable disco touching on mental health and what it means to be alone in a digital age,” frontman Sam Griffiths explains. “The lyric deals with the idea of alienation vs. technology. When there’s so much communication going on around us at all times, can we ever feel a true connection?”
A great song with an important message. Does is get any better? Yes it does. Human Contact by The Howl & The Hum is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 31):
Tape Toy – Sad Girl
Two years ago, Roos van Tuil (vocals, guitar), Wesley Fransen (guitar, vocals), Maurice van de Graaf (bass) and Marc van Dongen (drums) were put together by their teacher at the Amsterdam school of music. The assignment: “Just show us what you’ve got.” Well, they did.
The quartet clicked and the school project turned into a real band, with quite a bunch of catchy, up-beat songs in their bag. All of them guitar-driven, with great synth melodies and smart lyrics. Tape Toy call their music ‘bubble-grunge’. Within a year after forming, the band amassed an agenda full of festival gigs, and recently supported Skunk Anansie.
Sad Girl is the band’s most recent single. It was released alongside new track 020, which is the area code of their hometown Amsterdam. Following the funky opening riff, dreamy verses alternate with energetic choruses. Near the end, trippy synths build up to the ‘grande finale’, where the huge singalong chorus shines one more time.
This whole week, Sad Girl by Tape Toy will shine at the top of the Carte Blanche Music blog as the new Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 30):
Baker Grace – Sad Summer
How is your summer, so far? Is it a time of joy where you go to the beach, hang out with friends, travel or just have a jubilant time in the sun? Or is it less exciting, and is that only made worse by what we see on social media? If you’re in the latter group, Baker Grace is with you.
The 18-year-old New Jersey pop songstress wrote a song that speaks to the introvert in all of us. “Sad Summer is an anthem for the people who need a break from social media”, she shares. “The pressure to be happy all the time, to look good all the time, and to always be doing something cool.”
The intro sounds like the theme song of an ‘80s TV series. Then, Baker starts singing in a staccato style, reminiscent of Lizzo’s performance in Juice. Next, she comes up with a hook that’s unlikely to leave your brain anytime soon: “Gonna be a sad sad summer, such a bummer / I could be falling in love but baby I don’t give a fuck.”
Eventually, Sad Summer is the ultimate anti-summer anthem. A colourful tune for the introverted Instagram generation of today. Also, it is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard! So maybe it isn’t such a sad summer for Baker Grace, after all.
In the Wildcards 2019 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.
