Browsing Category wildcard
Wildcard (week 51):
Grand Corps Malade – Pas Essentiel
Grand Corps Malade’s lyrics aren’t socially critical per se, but Fabien Marsaud (his real name) wears his heart on his sleeve. His April single Effets Secondaires (‘side effects’) for instance, was a COVID charity track. Applauding the real heroes of the Corona crisis, the healthcare workers, all proceeds were donated to two French hospitals.
The same crisis was the inspiration for GCM’s new single, but this time, he points the camera at the cultural sector. In his home country France, like in most of the rest of the world, theatres and venues are closed. Not only out of fear of being potential virus ‘super spreaders’, but also because the governments label them ‘not essential’. GCM opposes that view. In a French newspaper, he calls it cruel and unfair. “It made me want to speak up about all of those things that may seem non essential, but in the end make life worth living.” Elsewhere, he calls the song ‘an ode to freedom’.
GCM wrote the track only at the end of November, with Swiss DJ/producer Quentin Mosimann. It contains a repetitive chorus that sticks in your brain. But even more clever is the incorporation of the whistle from Break Machine’s 1984 hit Street Dance.
Two weeks ago, An Open Letter To Creatives by The Lottery Winners was the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. Grand Corps Malade’s new single is an equally heart-felt track, but about the cultural sector. I couldn’t agree more with the message of this song. That’s why Pas Essentiel is this week’s Wildcard!
Recommended as well:
Grand Corps Malade – Effets Secondaires
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 50):
Holy Holy (feat. Queen P) – Port Rd
If you like high-energy tracks, you can’t miss this one. Port Rd is Aussie duo Holy Holy’s first new music since their 2019 album My Own Pool of Light. This new single is a collaboration with South Sudan-born Melbourne-based rapper Queen P (real name: Piath Mathiang). It combines woozy, smouldering verses and big anthemic choruses.
On top of that, the track features a choir of sorts, made up of vocals submitted by fans. And it doesn’t stop there, for the accompanying video contains over 300 snippets sent in by devotees, responding to the track’s themes of collective shift.
Inspired by a quote from author Arundhati Roy about the coronavirus pandemic, Port Rd focuses on the terrifying-yet-exciting nature of change and what awaits on the other side.
This week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard is for Holy Holy (feat. Queen P)!
Recommended as well:
Holy Holy – Faces
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 49):
The Lottery Winners – An Open Letter To Creatives
Now this is a lovely gesture! And a necessary one, for creatives are among the people who are hit hardest by the global COVID-19 measurements. Not only are they prevented from performing and exploiting their arts, but the public is prevented from enjoying those arts as well. Nobody wins…
That’s why The Lottery Winners wrote an open letter. Initially, it was meant to be a ‘note to self’, but eventually they decided to put it out as a motivational message to all musicians, artists, writers and creatives. Main statement: remain, don’t retrain.
Just like Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen) by Baz Luhrmann, it contains some wonderful, powerful and encouraging thoughts. For instance: ‘Get enough sleep. Sometimes you need a nap. Don’t feel guilty if you’re feeling exhausted. Some of the best ideas in the world happened in dreams. So dream’. Or: ‘You don’t have to work for free. Your time is valuable. You are valuable. You can’t pay your bills with exposure. Don’t undervalue your art’.
In all the supportive lyrics, there’s room for some British humour too: ‘Stop comparing yourself to your heroes. There will only ever be one Bowie, one Tarantino, one Hirst, one Hendrix, one Hitchcock, one Mercury, one Wilde, one Winehouse, one Wonder, two Gallaghers, one Joplin, one Simone, and there will only ever be one you’.
But all in all, it’s a serious note, calling for creatives to be good to themselves, put value in their art, set realistic expectations, use their precious time and, above all, don’t give up when the going gets tough. And these are tough times, as we all know, with loss of income due to the pandemic, and lacking government support for skilled creatives.
On the other hand, The Lottery Winners notice: ‘Imagine a world without songs, without films, without books, without ever feeling the hairs on your neck stand up, without ever seeing goosebumps on your arm. That’s a world without people, like you. So no matter what you do: remain, don’t retrain’.
This week, An Open Letter To Creatives is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. I hope this wonderful and heart-felt song will inspire and motivate creatives to continue their great, fulfilling, healing and even life-saving art. Without you, there would be no Carte Blanche Music. Thank you!
Recommended as well:
The Lottery Winners – Little Things
The Lottery Winners – That’s Not Entertainment
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 48):
Monowhales – BL/FF (Fake Friends)
Canadian indie-rock band Monowhales recorded their debut album with JUNO Award nominated producer Ryan Worsley. So far, only two tracks have been released ahead of it: RWLYD (Really Wanna Let You Down) and All Or Nothing. Or, to be precise, they just added a third one to the list: BL/FF (Fake Friends) is the Toronto trio’s new single. An ode to online dating, this is another great, bold and bouncing pop-rock track that begs to be played live.
About the song, vocalist Sally Shaar says: “BL/FF (Fake Friends)” gases you up for a hook-up. Memories flood into your head about that damn person that’s hard to get over because the tension is just too fun to avoid. Imagine a late night, your phone dings and you get that far too familiar message. So, you jump in your car at 3am and turn this song up surrounded by streetlights and heavy feelings of lust on your way to some spicy sleepover.”
No word yet about the release of their album, alas. Judging by the sound of the singles, it will be epic. For now, all we can do is wait for another of their colourful video’s. While you’re at it, listen to BL/FF (Fake Friends) on repeat. It’s the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard and will feature here prominently for a week!
Recommended as well:
Monowhales – All Or Nothing
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 47):
Joel Culpepper – WAR
Now this is a sound we haven’t heard in the charts for way too long: funky soul. Hopefully, Joel Culpepper can undo that injustice. The south-east London native just announced his debut album, with the rather brilliant title Sgt. Culpepper, for next year.
The long-player is preceded by a double A-sided single: Return/WAR. As is so often the case, the AA-side is my favourite. WAR is an upbeat track in the best James Brown tradition. For the youngsters among you, who may think: James who? Think Learnalilgivinandlovin by Gotye.
Addressing social and political undertones, WAR details Culpepper’s frustration with the hostile environment towards marginalised groups, expressing that ‘enough is enough’. WAR is an acronym for Without Any Restraint. The track was co-written by two musical heavy-weights. Jimmy Hogarth (who worked with Amy Winehouse, Sia, Tom Grennan, Paolo Nutini, Duffy, and many more) and Shawn Lee (a very prolific artist who worked with the likes of Lana Del Rey, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, and is half of Young Gun Silver Fox).
Joel Culpepper. What is it good for? WAR! It’s 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 46):
Keleketla! – International Love Affair
Keleketla! is an expansive collaborative project, initiated by Coldcut. It started as a musical meeting ground between the Ninja Tune cofounders and a cadre of South African musicians. This included the raw, South African-accented jazz styles of Sibusile Xaba, and rapper Yugen Blakrok. From those initial sessions, the project grew bigger and bigger. Other artists that joined the group were the late Afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen, esteemed percussionist Thabang Tabane, legendary LA spoken word pioneers The Watts Prophets, West Papuan activist Benny Wenda and many more.
They draw from a multitude of musical styles, most notably jazz, soul and African music, accumulating into world music of the purest kind. Recording sessions took place both in South Africa and London.
International Love Affair is Keleketla!’s new single. A track with a title as multicultural as the project itself. And as you might have expected, it grooves like a mean machine!
This week, International Love Affair is the 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 44):
Rooue – What You Want
Roísín & Louisa O’Connor are twin sisters. They were born in London, but have been living in Dublin, Ireland since their pre-teens. As a pop duo, Ro and Lou call themselves Rooue (see what they did there? 😉 ).
Their beautifully blending, slightly distorted harmonies are a signature part of their sound. The razor sharp and up-to-date production does the rest. What You Want is only their debut single. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Nao, Banks, Lennon Stella and Christina Aguilera, it combines electronic dark pop with a hint of old-school R&B. In a way, it reminds me a bit of another recent debut single: Loud Boy by Archie X.
Speaking on the single, Rooue says: “What You Want is about how we as women within the music industry and within everyday life have felt the pressures to conform within societies expectations. The story line stems from our experience studying in music college. On one hand being forced to be authentic, yet being criticised when not fulfilling their mould whilst reaching our authentic sound.”
With What You Want, the twins clearly and convincingly found their own voice and style. With this very promising debut, Rooue secure this week’s 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 43):
Abbie Ozard – True Romance
If you like artists like Lauran Hibberd and whenyoung (I happen to love them!), do listen to Abbie Ozard as well. After years of writing and playing music in and outside of school, she won a song-writing competition in her hometown. Subsequently, the now Manchester-based artist began to independently release music in 2018. Gradually, she developed her own gritty, ‘80s and ‘90s inspired indie-pop style, with the help of co-producer Rich Turvey (Oscar Lang, Vistas, Blossoms).
True Romance, named after the Quentin Tarantino-written movie from 1993, is Abbie Ozard’s new single. An escapist, upbeat track with guitars, drums and bass equally prominent in the mix.
Just like its predecessor TV Kween, it’s a song that’s romanticising what is actually happening. She explains: “Growing up and living in a small town has made me dream of better things, and being a better person outside the bubble that I live in at the moment. I feel like I’m constantly having some form of identity crisis. I watched True Romance and thought ‘fuck, i just want to be Alabama in this film’ and live this mad life with a cool leopard print coat on and a pink Cadillac. Hopefully one day I’ll be happy with everything that’s going on and the way I am, but for now I’m just gonna carry on wishing I was in True Romance.”
This week, True Romance by Abbie Ozard is the 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 42):
Palace Winter (feat. Penny Police) – Richard (Says Yes)
Palace Winter, led by Australian songwriter Carl Coleman and Danish songwriter/producer Caspar Hesselager, are working towards their third album. The record – titled …Keep Dreaming, Buddy – will be out on 23 October. It has been preceded by four singles, including this new one.
The duo were inspired to write the upbeat Richard (Says Yes) when watching a Jimi Hendrix documentary in which Little Richard was featured. Coleman explains: “Little Richard came on and we were both just floored by how f***in’ alive and funny and inspiring he was. So, he kind of became this little team mascot for us. Like, just do it ALL! ‘Put some sugar on it, man! MORE!’ So this song is exactly that. Richard says yes to f***in’ EVERYTHING!”
This resulted in a larger-than-life song that sounds like nothing can bring it down. It features the vocals of Penny Police (a.k.a Marie Fjeldsted), along with an uplifting saxophone part, courtesy of Ned Ferm (MØ, Yusef Lateef). Little Richard may have passed away after the song was recorded, but Richard (Says Yes) still carries the late pioneer of rock ‘n’ roll’s unstoppable energy.
This monumental track is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Recommended as well:
Palace Winter – Empire
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Wildcard (week 41):
Little Quirks – Florence’s Town
What sparks the magic that often happens when family members sing together? Is it the genes that make their voices blend so beautifully? Anyhow, Little Quirks are another fine example of my ‘theory’. The trio was formed in 2015 by Australian teenage sisters Abbey and Mia Toole, and their cousin Jaymi Toole. While singing in blissful harmony, Mia drums, Jaymi plays mandolin and Abbey guitar.
Little Quirks started by busking at farmers markets. It didn’t take long though, before they took the stage, supporting (upcoming) local heroes like Alex The Astronaut, Jack River, and Xavier Rudd. Soon, they developed themselves a sound that sits comfortably between those three acts, but is still very much their own. Or think of as them a folky version of The Cranberries, if you’re looking for further reference.
After Corona wiped their agendas clean, the girls recorded their upcoming 4th EP in their home studio. Finally, Nashville mix wizard Ryan Hewitt (The Lumineers, Vance Joy) sprinkled his magic dust over the songs. Florence’s Town is the first single to be released off the project. Abbey Toole describes it as an ‘anthem of empowerment’. She explains: “In a world where unfortunately everything and everyone can be judged, I wanted it to be an anthem of empowerment for everyone feeling like they don’t fit into the social ‘norm’.”
This week, Florence’s Town by Little Quirks is the 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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
