Browsing Category wildcard
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.
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 14):
Who – Hey! Get Out The Way
When I spotted a track with the title Hey! Get Out The Way in the Danish New Music Friday playlist, I presumed it would be a cover of The Cardigans’ Hey! Get Out Of My Way. It isn’t, however. That said, it’s very hard to fine out what it actually is. I mean, calling your project Who isn’t going to make it easy to find any info via Google, is it? Furthermore, a Spotify bio is lacking as well. The only thing I know for sure, is that Hey! Get Out The Way is Who’s debut single. And a damn fine one as well.
The rest remains pretty much a mystery, and it might even be meant to be. One can only guess it’s a Danish project, as it appeared in the Danish NMF playlist. This guess appears to be confirmed by the fact the track was co-written by Nabiha Bensouda. She’s a very fine (Danish) artist in her own right. I’m especially fond of her early singles, like Deep Sleep and Never Played The Bass from circa 10 years ago.
Anyway, ‘who’ever Who is or are, Hey! Get Out The Way is a great debut, that echoes Lizzo’s Good As Hell. What’s not to like about that? If you like a good pop-r&b-soul crossover, this one’s for you. The single is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, which means it’ll feature prominently at the top of this blog for a whole week!
Follow Who on Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 13):
RoseeLu – Playing Alone
RoseeLu has always done things her way and has always been a loner. In other words: the 19-year-old Danish newcomer is a girl with character. Rosa Frydensbjerg (her real name) grew up to the sound of her dad’s piano, and wrote her first melodies in kindergarten. Eventually, she decided to follow her own dream and ambition to become a full-time musician. She quit high-school, left home and moved to Copenhagen at the age of just 17.
Destined for big things, she already released three tracks in 2020. But with this new autobiographical single, Playing Alone, her break-through is inevitable. It’s a very confident track, which clashes grungy guitars with contemporary beats. The sound of the alternative ‘90s meets raw, modern R&B and widescreen pop.
RoseeLu explains: ”Even though it sounds cliché, I really hope to inspire anyone who listens to embrace their inner child and cherish it. Playing Alone is my appeal to those who thinks kids are wrong if they – like me – are not into commercial toys and football trading cards, but are totally fine contemplating with themselves in their own company – which is OK and super healthy.”
To me, Playing Alone is the best new single of this week, which makes it the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means, it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week!
Follow RoseeLu on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 12):
Telenova – Bones
You may not have heard about Telenova before, but you’re not to blame. The trio only just released their debut single. How about a little introduction, then?
Telenova is front woman Angeline Armstrong, and producer/multi-instrumentalists Edward Quinn and Joshua Moriarty. Three seasoned musicians, who were in notable Aussie acts Beachwood, Slum Sociable and Miami Horror before. Comes pretty close to a super group from down under, doesn’t it? The trio first met at a songwriting camp in early 2020, curated by Death Cab for Cutie’s Chris Walla. Bringing together their respective music worlds, they immediately connected. This resulted in a refreshing and distinctive sound. A symphonic fusion of classy indie-rock with a splash of modern disco.
Their own description is: ‘cinema for your ears’. A further explanation reads: ‘a silver screen dreamscape of ‘70s chords, haunting melodies, cinematic song-writing and nostalgic trip-hop beats’.
In a press release, Armstrong said the genesis of first single Bones stemmed from the percussive intro, sounding like ‘rattling bones’. “It reminded me of this feeling I’ve had of being so trapped inside my own head, my own skin and bones. We started to envision this elaborate narrative of melancholia and longing, a girl trapped in her own bones… her own disillusionment.”
Telenova’s debut single Bones will feature prominently at the top of this blog for a full seven days. It’s this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Follow Telenova on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 11):
Hawke – Pinch Me (Am I Dreaming?)
Hawke are a young Dublin act, consisting of friends Richie Power (vocals/keyboards) and Eoghan MacMahon (vocals/guitar). They formed the band in the shadow of the world-famous Guinness Brewery (in the south of the city). Cheers to that! The duo is currently based in London, by the way.
After recording initial home demos in Richie’s bedroom, they decided to send their demo-tape to a hit-list of the industry’s top producers. Within days, the cunning plan paid off and Richie & Eoghan found themselves recording their newly-written songs during precious studio time at both Abbey Road and Metropolis Studios in the capital.
Hawke have used their lockdown time wisely, spending much of 2020 furiously writing and recording songs. These will form the basis of another cunning plan: they’ll release twelve new singles throughout 2021. One each month.
Pinch Me (Am I Dreaming?) is the second of this bunch. An anthemic track that displays the duo’s fondness for rousing ‘90s indie-rock (particularly their love of The Verve, Coldplay and Oasis). Produced by Jamie McIntyre (a member of highly tipped The Covasettes), it was mastered by Carlos Bricio of the Abbey Road Institute, London.
Pinch Me (Am I Dreaming?) by Hawke is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. As such, it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Hawke on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 10):
Monowhales – He Said/She Said (I Wait)
Toronto-based Monowhales are a rock band ready to break into the mainstream. That was already clear by the sound of their past singles, which featured in these columns before. But if you have 45 minutes to spare, treat yourself to this recent live concert as well. And on top of all that, the trio (finally!) released their mini album Daytona Bleach last week. It features Monowhales’ four most recent singles and three new songs.
He Said/She Said (I Wait) is a track in the latter category. It appears the band are in a constant battle with themselves to make each next song even catchier than the one before. Yet, the songs have things in common as well: they’re all very well written, and combine glossy synth rock with shiny choruses. He Said/She Said (I Wait) for instance sounds like No Doubt performing Smells Like Teen Spirit. Radio-friendly, danceable rock that’s both alternative and fresh.
The new Monowhales single 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:
Out With The Old
BL/FF (Fake Friends)
All Or Nothing
Follow Monowhales on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 9):
Kalie Shorr – Amy
Kalie Shorr’s career is off to a fabulous start. She was named ‘CMT Next Woman Of Country’ and a ‘Top 10 Country Artist To Watch In 2018’. A year later, her debut album Open Book even became the #7 best album of 2019 according to The New York Times.
The Portland, Maine singer-songwriter just started the next chapter of her success story. Amy is her first all-new track of 2021. Gone are the country roots. Instead, she embraces a grungy sound. But that only emerged secondarily. Initially, Kalie Shorr posted a 30 second video of the song played on an acoustic guitar on TikTok. It was watched over 2 million times, and one of its viewers was renowned producer Butch Walker (Avril Lavigne, Taylor Swift, Green Day). He offered to produce the final version, which ended up a rock song in the best ‘90s tradition. To me, it sounds like a cross between Cornershop’s Brimful Of Asha and Sinéad O’Connor’s Mandinka (the latter being from 1987, obviously, but you get the point).
Amy is an honest and brutal song. Based on feelings of both hurt and anger, it contains great one liners like ‘He wasn’t over me when you were under him’. It’s the first track released from Shorr’s forthcoming EP, set for release later this year.
This week, Kalie Shorr’s Amy is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Follow Kalie Shorr on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 8):
MBG – This Time
MBG is short for Music Box Girl, the artist name of Carolina ‘Leena’ Rodriguez from Ontario, Canada. A toy keyboard sparked her interest in music at the age of 15. It was the first instrument she mastered, learning songs by ear. She also self-taught herself other instruments such as the drums, guitar, and bass. Since her family couldn’t afford music lessons – let alone the instruments themselves – she commuted to the local music store every day after school, where she practiced until closing time.
In 2021, after years of self-education, Leena is a skilled multi-instrumentalist who excels in the genres of jazz, r&b, blues and classic rock. She is part of a band project called the Common Chase, a four-piece where she mostly plays the bass and sings background vocals. But above all, she’s an up and coming solo artist using the MBG moniker. As a one-woman rock band, Leena writes, records, performs and produces her music in her home studio.
Following her 2019 debut EP Have A Alright Day, she put out a single in 2020. New track This Time is her first release of 2021. A great alt-rock track with an accessible melody, drenched in guitars.
This Time by MBG is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. As such, it’ll feature prominently at the top of this blog for a whole week.
Follow MBG on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 7):
Drew Sycamore – 45 Fahrenheit Girl
Drew Sycamore’s is a Danish singer-songwriter with Welsh roots. Her voice lies somewhere between Miley Cyrus and Dua Lipa. Musically, she fishes in the same pond as well. Expect tight, ‘90s inspired pop music with a disco twist.
45 Fahrenheit Girl (which is only 7 degrees Celsius, by the way) is a very strong pop song that’s only 2,5 minutes long. It’s got big shoes to fill, for her latest two singles Take It Back and I Wanna Be Dancing both reached the summit of the Danish airplay charts. Luckily, it totally lives up to the expectations.
The song has a classic theme, but with a ‘different’ angle. 45 Fahrenheit Girl describes a relationship between a woman and a vampire. The vampire is dead and the woman is alive, which presents her with a huge dilemma; should she have the vampire kill her so that they can live together forever?
This week, 45 Fahrenheit Girl by Drew Sycamore is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard.
Follow Drew Sycamore on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 6):
Almost Monday – Live Forever
Only a year ago, San Diego trio Almost Monday’s career took off to a flying start. In 2020, Dawson Daugherty (vocals), Cole Clisby (guitar) and Luke Fabry (bass) released four tracks. All of them drenched in sunshine, with funky basslines, ecstatic choruses, and danceable grooves. They were crafted with producers Mark Needham (The Killers, Fleetwood Mac) and Simon Oscroft (The Naked & Famous, Dreamers). Together, those songs formed their debut EP Don’t Say You’re Ordinary, which racked up 23 million audio and video streams. Countless garage jams, small-scale DIY gigs, and innumerable writing sessions paid off.
Not wasting any time, Almost Monday release their first single of the new year. Live Forever (not the Oasis song), is another uplifting feel-good tune with a catchy chorus. It’s a reminder for us to boldly live in the moment, especially in these crazy times. A very promising start of what should be their break-through year.
As a push in the right direction, Live Forever by Almost Monday is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. As such, it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Almost Monday on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2021 playlist you’ll 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
