Browsing Category wildcard
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 24):
indie | pop
Wildcard (week 24):
Jonas Brøg (feat. Lilian Vieira) – I’m Your Nr. 1 [Brazilian Version]
It’s heart-warming to see people claw their way back after hard times. Especially when they’re your friends. Full disclosure: Jonas Brøg is a good friend of mine. A sweet and wonderful chap. He’s had his share of hardship in the past years, but he fully embraced his music (and not in the least his family) to recover from the darkness.
It’s been too long since we last spoke, but his music spoke for him. It was great to ‘hear’ him see the light at the end of the tunnel and walk towards it. If his new single is something to go by, he left the tunnel behind him. I’m as happy for Jonas as the song is in itself.
I’m Your Nr. 1 sounds like a ray of sunshine over a recently re-opened terrace. That already goes for the solo version, but the Brazilian Version is even more summer-y. It features additional vocals in Portuguese, and a guest appearance by Zuco 103 singer Lilian Vieira.
Jonas is throwing a party, and he invites you to come dance with him. Welcome back my friend, meet you there! Or here, for I’m Your Nr. 1 by Jonas Brøg is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard and will feature here prominently for a whole week.
Recommended as well:
My Father’s Hand (feat. London Community Gospel Choir)
That Feeling
All Across The Sky
I Think Of You I Cry (feat. Laura Mathilde)
Follow Jonas Brøg on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
Follow Lilian Vieira on Facebook | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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, wildcardWildcard (week 23):
hip hop | indie | pop | soul
Wildcard (week 23):
Dylan Cartlidge – Hang My Head
North Yorkshire artist Dylan Cartlidge didn’t have the easiest of youths. In 2018, he appeared on the BBC documentary The Mighty Redcar, which followed people’s struggles in a town that has faced its fair share of hardship. This documentary proved a turning point for Cartlidge. The years since then have been nothing short of amazing for him. His music grabbed the attention of the likes of NME and BBC Radio One. Also, he performed at festivals like Glastonbury and SXSW.
9 July, he’ll release his debut album Hope Above Adversity, which has been his long-time motto. He created the record with world-class producers and engineers such as Eg White, James Dring, Dan Parry and Edmund Irwin-Singer from Glass Animals.
Hang My Head is the album’s new single. Although the song has come from a place of pain, it’s a euphoric feel-good track. It opens and closes with a catchy whistle. In between, we hear a groovy bass, upbeat drums, an uplifting choir and motivational lyrics about positivity and self-reflection. Cartlidge’s voice is stirring throughout. To me, the song sounds like a perfect mix of Around Town by The Kooks and Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ Sacrilege.
Speaking on his new single, he says: “Hang My Head is a track about when you take a wrong turn or make a bad choice and feel like you’ve let yourself and others down. It’s then also about learning from your mistakes, growing from within and trying to get yourself back out the front door, knowing that you are doing yourself, your work and your family justice.”
This week, Hang You Head by Dylan Cartlidge is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. As such it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a full seven days.
Follow Dylan Cartlidge on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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, wildcardWildcard (week 22):
pop
Wildcard (week 22):
Dua Lipa – Love Again
When the pandemic started, 15 months ago, many artists were afraid to release their new material. They put a lot of effort and money into it, and would obviously like to recoup that. You can hardly blame them from postponing their music.
But you can applaud the ones who decided to go ahead with their plans. Who had the guts and self-confidence to put out their albums anyway, helping their fans get through the misery in the process. Dua Lipa was the first ‘AA artist’ to do so, and guess what? It made her a ‘triple-A artist’. Her album Future Nostalgia was an ‘all killers, no fillers’ affair, and just what the world needed at the time.
Within a year after its release, she even put out a star-studded DJ Mix of the record (Club Future Nostalgia) and an expanded version (The Moonlight Edition) with 8 more bonus tracks. Also, she staged a massively successful live stream concert, and every one of her (rare) TV performances is unique. Rumour has it she’s currently shopping for a larger house, to have enough room for all the awards she won last year. A power woman and a true example for fans and other artists alike.
One of my favourite songs on Future Nostalgia has always been Love Again. A great pop track, based on a sample from My Woman by Lew Stone & The Monseigneur Band (1932). The same sample that was made famous by White Town, who used it 65 years later in their smash hit Your Woman. The overall mint production with added strings makes Love Again a great, sophisticated tune. Sure to be liked by people of all ages. It’s the 11th(!) and last single to be lifted off The Moonlight Edition of Future Nostalgia, but destined for the charts once again. And rightly so!
This week, Love Again by Dua Lipa is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so it’ll feature at the top of the blog for a whole week. Not because she needs it, but because she deserves it.
Follow Dua Lipa on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Recommended as well:
Physical
Don’t Start Now
Swan Song
Bad Together / Genesis
Thinking ‘bout You
In the Wildcards 2021 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.
album track, wildcardWildcard (week 21):
indie | pop
Wildcard (week 21):
Stefanie Heinzmann – Labyrinth
32-year-old Swiss singer and songwriter Stefanie Heinzmann has had quite a diverse career so far. She started as singer in rock band BigFisch, but went on to win a German TV talent show in 2008. This brought her national stardom. In the years that followed, she won many hearts with a soulful repertoire. Throughout the years however, her music has become more and more poppy.
This has resulted in a very contemporary sound on her new, sixth album Labyrinth. The record was preceded by four singles, but the best track has yet to be released as such. I’d like to suggest the opening song and title track of the album for Heinzmann’s next single.
Labyrinth is a powerful, upbeat and tight tune in the best synth-pop tradition. With its funky guitars and catchy backing vocals, it contains hints of Gossip. But this could have been a great Alice Merton track as well. I bet that’s the influence of co-writer Michelle Leonhard, who penned songs for Merton before.
Labyrinth by Stefanie Heinzmann is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week!
Recommended as well:
Stefanie Heinzmann – You Get Me
Follow Stefanie Heinzmann on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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, wildcardWildcard (week 20):
indie | jazz | pop | soul
Wildcard (week 20):
Haerts – Days Go By
Singer Nini Fabi and multi-instrumentalist Benny Gebert are originally from Munich. They met in high school and became a couple, both romantically and musically. The two have been living in the United States for years now. First in New York, but they recently relocated to California. Originally, their band Haerts was a quartet, but in 2021, Fabi and Gebert are the two remaining core members. However, the band can grow out to a six-piece when playing live.
Dream Nation, out this week, is the outfit’s third album. Once again a collection of gorgeous, ethereal alt-pop music, with clear nods to the ‘60s and ‘70s. Take new single Days Go By, for instance. A lovely retro pop song with jazz and soul influences. It’s got an exotic touch, thanks to tropical drums, a prominent flute and even a lovely house piano. It reminds me of The Brand New Heavies, which is never a bad thing!
Haerts’ new single Days Go By is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week!
Recommended as well:
Haerts – No Love For The Wild
Follow Haerts on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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, wildcardpop | rock
Wildcard (week 19): Niko Rubio – You Could Be The One
Following her first single I Dreamt About You Last Night (2019), things got quiet around Niko Rubio. But now she’s back with what a press statement calls her ‘debut single’. In other words: forget about the other one, the future starts here.
Danielle Rubio, better known as Niko, is an emerging singer, songwriter and guitarist from the South Bay of Los Angeles. The 20-year-old began her love affair with music when she was just a kid. In her early teens, she listened to artists like the XX, Bob Dylan and Shakira. Later on, she added Vampire Weekend, Lana Del Rey, Erykah Badu and Twenty One Pilots to her tastes. Growing up in Mexican culture, Niko liked the mariachi and banda music her grandparents played at home as well.
This diverse set of influences translates into her own eclectic style. Take her new single You Could Be The One, for instance. A kicky pop-rock track with a shimmering chorus, accentuated with pulsating guitars, groovy percussion and Rubio’s soulful vocals. It’s the first song from her forthcoming debut EP, due out this Summer.
This week, You Could Be The One by Niko Rubio is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. As such, you’ll find it at the top of the blog for a full week.
Follow Niko Rubio on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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, wildcardWildcard (week 18):
electronic | indie | pop | tropical
Wildcard (week 18):
Clypso – On Our Way
Clypso is a Sydney-based producer and vocalist, whose music is as colourful as her outfits. Expect a mix of hyperactive beats, gnarly basslines and tropical inspired electronica. Prepare yourself for some African influences as well. She describes her sound as ‘troppo chilli flakes’ herself.
On Our Way is Clypso’s first new track of 2021. It’s a real sunny one, with production duties performed by Pnau’s Peter Mayes. In a press statement, the singer says about the track: “On Our Way is about setting off together on a love or buddy journey. An uplifting and joyful tune about being a steady rock of support till the end no matter what life throws at you. I think I channelled my inner Bruno Mars–John Legend on this one. So yeah, it’d be cool to see someone dance down the aisle to this one!”
Do you like feel-good songs with ’80s pop energy, bursting with big vocals, bright percussion and catchy lyrics? Then On Our Way is the one for you!
This week, it’s the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Clypso on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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, wildcardWildcard (week 17):
folk | indie | pop
Wildcard (week 17):
Lissie – Hey Boy
We all know about Prince’s world famous vault, where he presumably stacked even more music than he officially put out. Obviously, more artists (probably most of them) sometimes record material they eventually don’t release. I presume when a recording is shelved, there’s a good reason to do so. Because it’s crap, for instance. All too often, these sessions end up on box sets, ‘Deluxe Editions’, ‘Expanded Versions’ or ‘Anniversary Editions’. Such a shame…
That being said, there may also be other reasons to hold a release. When a track doesn’t fit the sound or feel of the other songs that make up an album, for instance. However, in some cases it’s impossible to imagine why a song wasn’t issued before. Lissie’s ‘new’ single Hey Boy is such a track…
The American singer-songwriter rediscovered the song when she went through her archives recently. She browsed her old recordings on behalf of two upcoming projects: the Anniversary Edition (whaaa!!) of her 2010 breakthrough album Catching A Tiger (which will be out 25 June) and Watch Over Me (Early Works 2002-2009), an album compiling nine highlights from her formative years as a songwriter (out 23 July). Both will feature lots of cult fan favourites and previously unreleased material.
The latter album is now previewed by the previously unreleased song Hey Boy. It’s a raw and rootsy folk-rocker with an intense and bluesy vocal performance. The track, written circa 2003, finds Lissie criticising the sexism and misogyny that she faced as a young female artist.
She recalls: “When I was in college, I was out seeing live music almost every night. I would play open mics and eventually get to open up for touring acts that passed through town. There was a crew of musician guys who always seemed to mock me and my lyrics, trashed my posters around town and who insinuated that the only reason I was getting opportunities was because I was a silly young woman who was a flirt. That strangely felt like a normal thing to have to deal with then, so I just shrugged it off and kept going. (…) It seems like this is now changing for the better.”
This week, Hey Boy by Lissie is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. Deservedly, this finally unearthed gem will feature prominently at the top of this blog for a whole week.
Recommended as well:
Lissie – Love Blows
Lissie – Best Days
Follow Lissie on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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, wildcardWildcard (week 16):
pop
Wildcard (week 16):
Marina – Purge The Poison
After three albums, Marina Diamandis shortened her professional name from Marina & The Diamonds to Marina. The double album Love + Fear, a collection of two mini-albums, was the first she released under the new moniker. Now, a second full album is on its way. Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land will be out on 11 June. Funnily, there’s no word on a vinyl version, but the record will be put out in three cassette versions, each with a different colour: clear green, metallic blue and gold.
Following last year’s track Man’s World, Purge The Poison is the second single off the upcoming long-player. Personally, I think it’s one of Marina’s best songs to date. It’s lengthy lyrics are a critical summary of recent history, starring climate change, COVID-19, #metoo, equity, diversity and inclusion, and other ‘highlights’. Musically, it’s a punchy, up-beat track, that will hopefully re-open music directors’ ears.
This week, Purge The Poison by Marina is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Follow Marina on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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, wildcardWildcard (week 15):
electronic | indie | pop
Wildcard (week 15):
Yelle – Noir
Yelle is a French electro-pop group around front woman and namesake Yelle (Julie Budet) and Grandmarnier (Jean-François Perrier). The original name of the band, Yel, was an acronym of ‘You Enjoy Life’. When there appeared to be a Belgian act with the same name, they feminised their name to Yelle. Halfway the ‘00s, they scored a Top 5 hit with their debut single Je Veux Te Voir (Dans Un Film Pornografique!). Follow-up single A Cause Des Garçons was almost as successful.
15 years later, the group has four albums to their name. The most recent one, L’ère Du Verseau, came out in September 2020. Noir is one of the best tracks on it. Early this year, car brand Kia used it in a TV campaign for the Black Edition of its Sportage model, which ignited huge interest in the track. Now it has been released as Yelle’s official new single. Budet explains it’s an ode to post-pandemic life: “I strongly hope that this song will make you want to dance, to party, to stay out late, just at a moment when all of this is forbidden…”
A great punchy electro tune, Noir is cool in every sense of the word. This is well-reflected in the song’s super stylish music video, which celebrates the dynamic versatility of an all-black wardrobe. ‘Comment t’habilles-tu ce soir? / Moi je m’habille en noir’ (‘What are you wearing tonight? / Me, I’m wearing black‘.)
Noir by Yelle is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so it’ll feature prominently at the top of the page for a full seven days!
Recommended as well:
Yelle – Ici Et Maintenant (Here And Now)
Follow Yelle on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 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.
