Browsing Category wildcard
Wildcard (week 28):
Grace Farriss – All The People
Grace Farriss has lived on an artistic and musical diet all of her life. She grew up in the UK and Australia, as the daughter of Andrew Farriss, the main composer/songwriter for INXS. Growing up, she was always encouraged to play the piano and guitar. Eventually, she became a poet, singer, songwriter, composer, producer, painter, artist, author and environmentalist.
In 2017, she wrote All The People, which celebrates the interconnection between the diverse cultures that shape the world. The song has just been released as her debut single. It’s a ‘70s-inspired funky disco track, driven by a tight drum, horn and bass groove. Think of it as a more organic version of Lola’s Theme by The Shapeshifters. And the guitar that drops in after 1 minute reminds me of the opening riff of Sausolito Summernight by Diesel. What a great way to start a career!
Farriss is set to release her debut album Grace later this year, featuring performances from some of the world’s greatest musicians. The ‘thank you’ section in the booklet will include The Section Quartet, Matt Johnson (Jeff Buckley) on drums, Joey Waronker (Beck) on drums, Abe Rounds (Andrew Bird, Meshell Ndegeocello) on drums, Benji Lysaght (Adele, Father John Misty) on guitar, Ralph Carney (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, The B-52’s) on saxophone, John Kirby (Solange) on keys, and Todd M. Simon (Angel City All-Star Brass Band) on horns.
Grace Farriss’ very first single All The People is this week’s new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 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.
Wildcard (week 27):
Noga Erez – No News On TV
Noga Erez is one of Israel’s few breakthrough indie stars and one of the country’s most hyped artists. Combining electronic and pop music, she works in collaboration with her partner and co-writer, composer and producer Ori Rousso.
Currently writing and producing her sophomore album, the Tel-Aviv based artist just released its second single. No News On TV is an up-beat bop the pair wrote during the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s Erez’s warning against apathy and giving into paralysis and fear, especially now when there is so much to care about.
She says about it: “This song was written during a period where I had more time than I’ve had in a decade. I was able to sit down and work my ass off on new music without any emails disturbing the silence. No notifications, nothing. I wanted to write a song that talked about that. I felt a deep need to imagine what it would be like to live in a world with no politics, money, grit, racism, or violence.” In summary, she calls it ‘an escape song’.
The summery track is held together by a catchy bass line that runs throughout the song, combined with electronic elements. Hearing this single reminded me of the first time I heard Imani Coppola’s single Legend Of A Cowgirl, back in 1997. It’s got the same kind of youthful naivety and joyful freshness to it. Also, Erez has a comparable vocal style, somewhere halfway singing and rapping, which is very endearing.
No News On TV by Noga Erez is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 playlist you’ll find all of this year’s 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 26)
Baxtr – Bloom
In the 30 years I’ve made radio shows, each of my programmes consisted for at least 50% of female voices. I didn’t even select them on purpose. Much of my favourite music appeared to be sung by women, simple as that. I’m very happy female artists gain more ground on festivals and radio playlists nowadays. There’s so much talent out there!
Take brand-new, all-female alt-pop trio Baxtr from London for instance. Floss Mackintosh (vocals, guitar), Bash Powers (guitar, keys, backing vocals) and Keiko Jackson (drums, backing vocals) have been close friends of 10 years. They shared the vision of being in a band together for a long time, and finally made it real.
To me, Bloom is one of the best debut singles of the past years. A euphoric banger, inspired by ‘80s pop songs, with added guitars and hooks of the catchiest kind. Shamelessly danceable, flamboyant, and empowering guitar pop in the best Haim tradition.
‘Your summer is coming soon’, they sing, and I’m sure that goes for the Baxtr girls themselves as well. About to ‘bloom’ in no-time, the band gave their career a hell of a kickstart with this first single. To ensure this gem won’t be overlooked, Bloom by Baxtr will appear here prominently for a full week as the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 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.
Wildcard (week 25):
Hoshi feat. Corine – Larmes De Croco
In the last few years, two female artists rose to the top of the French charts from out of nowhere. Both of them featured multiple times on Carte Blanche Music: Hoshi (Mathide Gerner) and Corine (Aurore Imbert).
So far, these two phenomena each operated in their own genres, but things have changed. Hoshi just released her sophomore album Sommeil Levant, which is more produced than her debut Il Suffit D’y Croire. It contains more synths, which pulls its sound more towards Corine’s disco-pop.
Hoshi and Corine fans will be delighted to hear the album contains a duet between their favourites. Unsurprisingly, this collaboration between two of France’s biggest contemporary talents sounds exactly the way you hoped. A full on electro-pop song, Larmes De Croco (‘crocodile tears’) is the best possible mix of Hoshi’s and Corine’s musical universes. Four minutes of fun!
Although it’s not a single (yet), it’s the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Recommended as well:
Hoshi – Amour Censure
Hoshi – Je Vous Trouve Un Charme Fou
In the Wildcards 2020 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.
Wildcard (week 24):
Julie Bergan – Commando
As a daughter of two music teachers, it came as no surprise Norway’s Julie Bergan pursued a music career herself. In 2018, she featured on Alan Walker’s global smash Ignite. Yet, her solo career has so far been mostly successful in the Scandinavian countries. Massively successful, that is. She already amassed 450 million streams on Spotify alone from a catalogue including two domestic #1 singles. Her debut album Turn On The Lights went 2x Platinum, while she collected several prestigious awards.
Without a doubt, Bergan’s new single will be the launch pad for well-deserved worldwide success. Commando is a great party anthem with a monster of a beat, acoustic guitars and samples aplenty. It sounds like an updated version of the Max Martin sound that made Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears world stars.
As of today, Julie Bergan takes command of Carte Blanche Music. Her bouncing single Commando is the new Wildcard, which means it will feature here prominently for a full week.
In the Wildcards 2020 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.
Wildcard (week 23):
Certain Animals – TV
Thijs van Leeuwen (vocals, guitars), Niels-Jan van Dijk (bass, vocals) and Kees Braam (drums, vocals) are Certain Animals. The trio, fans of The Beatles, Beach Boys, Neil Young, Crosby, Stills & Nash and ELO, are real DIY enthusiasts. While busy touring, they managed to build their own recording studio in Rotterdam. That’s where they write, produce and mix all of their songs themselves. Watch out for their debut album Songs To Make You Move, out on 25 September.
Until then, the band release a single a month. TV is the sixth single to be released ahead of the long-player. It opens with a phaser-turned drum fill, followed by a fuzzy double guitar harmony. The rhythm section consists of congas, bongos and a grunting bass. A melodic rock track filled with vocal harmonies, that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in the ‘70s. Apart from the influences mentioned above, Joe Jackson, Focus and Queen shine through in it as well.
This week, TV by Certain Animals is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 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.
Wildcard (week 22):
Håkan Hellström – Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda
Long after Phil Collins, Don Henley, Sheila E. and several others, singing drummers are back again. Georgia is my favourite of the current bunch, but I just discovered Håkan Hellström as well. He recorded several albums as a drummer and bass player with acts like Broder Daniel and Honey Is Cool, before completely focusing on his solo career. He is very successful in his homeland Sweden. All but one of his ten albums so far reached #1.
Last week Hellström released his new album Rampljus Vol. 1, another chart topper. Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda, his new single, shot straight into the Swedish Top 10. I don’t know if it’s meant to be, but the track sounds like a pop quiz. How many historical references do you spot?
The song starts with a version of the ‘ging, gi-gi-gi-gi-ging’ part in Marlena Shaw’s Woman Of The Ghetto (the live version of which was famously sampled in Blue Boy’s Remember Me). The percussion must have been inspired by The Rolling Stones’ Sympathy For The Devil, Baba O’Riley by The Who is incorporated and Bruce Springsteen’s Jungleland springs to mind as well. With so many great influences, what could possibly go wrong? Well, nothing. Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda is both classic and timeless. Well done by Håkan Hellström and (Caesars and Teddybears frontman) Joakim Ahlund, who co-wrote and produced the song.
An edited version with English lyrics could very well become a hit outside of Sweden as well. But why wait? This week, Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda by Håkan Hellström will feature prominently at the top of the Carte Blanche Music blog as our new Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2020 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.
Wildcard (week 21):
Gizmo Varillas – Born Again
Since releasing his debut album El Dorado in early 2017, Spanish singer-songwriter Gizmo Varillas received praise from Yoko Ono, opened up for Jack Savoretti and was added to George Ezra’s Spotify playlist. Varillas’ mix of folky pop, tropical instrumentation, and Latin and Afrobeat rhythms make for an overall happy sound. But don’t be mistaken, in some cases this contrasts with sad lyrics.
His new single however, has a message of hope. In Gizmo’s own words, Born Again is ‘about personal transformation, changing from within and giving yourself the chance to start over’. “Even if we reach our lowest point, we can always rise up again. And in many ways, it’s about never giving up and empowering yourself to go on.”
Born Again is the third single off Varillas’ upcoming album Out Of The Darkness (out on 5 June). It’s also featured in the BBC’s brand-new series ‘Alabama’. The song’s chorus has a slight resemblance with XXL by Mylène Farmer, of whom I’m a big fan as well.
This week, Born Again by Gizmo Varillas is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. As a result, it’ll feature prominently at the top of this blog for a whole week.
Recommended as well:
Gizmo Varillas – Losing You
In the Wildcards 2020 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.
Wildcard (week 20):
Bloxx – Lie Out Loud
British band Bloxx consists of singer/songwriter Fee Booth, Paul Rau (bass) and Taz Sidhu (lead guitar). Within four years since their first release, they already put out more than a dozen songs. More than enough for The Wombats, Sundara Karma and Pale Waves to ask them to come on tour with them. Doubtlessly, this makes them the most successful band from Uxbridge in recent memory.
All of these accomplishments are only stepping stones for more to come. New single Lie Out Loud sounds like the missing piece in forcing Bloxx’s break-through. It’s energetic, fresh and a little bold. Even better: the chorus has ‘Dua Lipa on speed’ written all over it. What more do you need?
Lie Out Loud 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 19):
Shade – Morningmaker
Shade may be from Canada, but they were raised on a diet of Brit rock and grunge. While they don’t intend to hide that, they inject their influences with a fresh dose of 21st-century swagger.
The five-piece band just released their debut album Combat Rave. A record full of hooks, energy and ambition. It includes all of the band’s singles so far: Controller, She Told Me (both 2018), this year’s Brain Suck, Drive Me Wild and Combat Rave, plus five new tracks. One of those is Shade’s new single Morningmaker. Their best track so far, it sounds like a slightly polished version of Oasis. Meanwhile, the reverb on the guitar reminds of The Smiths’ How Soon Is Now? References they shouldn’t be ashamed of, I’d say.
They say about the song: “We’re all still trying to figure out exactly who/what the ‘Morningmaker’ is but we’ll leave it up to the audience to make up their own minds. Making coffee in the morning, Morningmaker. Catch the bus on time, Morningmaker. Getting that pay cheque early, Morningmaker. The Morningmaker is anything and all that’s just right, perhaps. The universe lining up. You can really only tell after four minutes and 13 seconds.
Let me explain what Morningmaker is: it’s the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. In that capacity, it’ll feature here prominently for a who week. Not in the shade, but in the spotlights!
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.
