Browsing Category wildcard
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 18):
Wildcard (week 18):
Florence & The Machine – Free
Intriguing. That is, in one word, what I think of Florence & The Machine’s music. Ever since they came to the scene, at the end of the ‘00s, I’ve been intrigued by them. Take the band name, for instance. It’s a reference to the band’s two main members: singer Florence Welch and keyboardist Isabella ‘Machine’ Summers.
The band’s 2009 debut album Lungs (possibly referring to Welch’s massive voice), was an instant hit. It peaked at #1 in Great Britain and #2 in Ireland. This year, they’re about to release their fifth album. Titled Dance Fever, it’s scheduled for release on 13 May. The preceding singles King, Heaven Is Here and My Love were very promising already. But the fourth, Free, tops them all. It’s probably their most up-tempo and uplifting tune so far. And it’s danceable, that’s for sure. Remixes are undoubtedly on their way.
This week, Free by Florence & The Machine is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It’ll feature prominently at the top of this blog for seven full days!
Recommended as well:
Patricia
Follow Florence & The Machine on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 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):
Wildcard (week 17):
Donohue – Solo
Thomas O’Donoghue, Donohue for short, is an 18 year old artist. The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist was born in Ireland, but currently lives in Manchester. Solo is only his debut single, but a very confident one. For someone his age, it’s a mature mix of funk, R&B and bravado.
The track’s title couldn’t be more appropriate. Donohue wrote the song, played all the instruments and produced it himself. His vocal style sits somewhere between rapping and singing, while the speedy bass licks and the gritty guitar solo are all his as well. Influences appear to range from Prince to Bruno Mars. Could this become 2022’s Uptown Funk?
Anyway, Solo by Donohue is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It’ll feature prominently at the to of this blog for a full seven days.
Follow Donohue on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 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):
Wildcard (week 16):
Angèle – Libre
Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Angèle’s debut album Brol was great and I wrote about many of its singles. It turned her into a pop princess, and her sophomore long-player Nonante-cinq will only enhance that status. I’m curious what would happen if she’d switch to lyrics in English…
The album’s second track is my favourite song on it. Libre deals with emancipation in the broadest sense. This includes claiming her position and taking revenge of the ones who hurt her. Musically, it’s a seemingly carefree and danceable tune, with a prominent bass line that resembles Tame Impala’s The Less I Know The Better.
As proposed last December, it’s Angèle’s new single! Even better: Libre is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so it’ll feature prominently at the top of this blog for a whole week!
Recommended as well:
Balance Ton Quoi
Tout Oublier (feat. Roméo Elvis)
Je Veux Tes Yeux
La Loi De Murphy
Follow Angèle on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 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):
Wildcard (week 15):
Lauran Hibberd feat. DJ Lethal – Still Running (5K)
I consider myself a fan of Lauran Hibberd’s. Her songs are fresh, tongue-in-cheek, hard-hitting and accessible at the same time. Slacker pop for the 2020’s. After two EP’s, she’s currently recording her debut album. It’s called Garageband Superstar and will be out on 19 August. Write that date down, peeps. The title may seem to be a tad premature, but she’s sure to live up to it.
The first single off the long-player, Still Running (5K), is out now. It’s once again produced to perfection by Suzy Shinn (Weezer, Panic! At The Disco, Fall Out Boy, Dua Lipa). The hip hop inspired scratches were added by Limp Bizkit’s DJ Lethal.
Of the meaning behind the track, Lauran explains: “Still Running (5K) explores my self-destructive ideals. In a world where everyone’s life looks better online, and everyone’s thighs don’t touch except in real life, it explains what it feels like to start believing what you read. It’s dangerous to compare your life to others, and it’s somewhat humorous that this is what we let ourselves become.”
Still Running (5K) by Lauran Hibberd feat. DJ Lethal is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week!
Recommended as well:
Bleugh
Boy Bye
Bang Bang Bang
Sweat Patch
Hoochie
Follow Lauran Hibberd on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Follow DJ Lethal on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 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 14):
Wildcard (week 14):
Get Well Soon – My Home Is My Heart
Konstantin Gropper used to be drawn to pessimists and naysayers, to anyone from Thomas Bernhard to Kurt Cobain. However, during lockdown (of all times) the 39-year-old German song-writer suddenly realized he’s an optimist. “Eventually I had to give in and admit to myself that I simply needed to believe in some sort of ‘happy end’ for all this”, he explains.
This new-found optimism can be heard on his Get Well Soon project’s new album Amen. Although it sounds as melancholic as ever, it has a lighter tone than its predecessors. The record explores social questions Gropper stumbled upon while self-reflecting in isolation. The pros and cons of individualism, the good and bad that unites us and separates us, and the search for happiness and hope.
His recently discovered optimism can also be found in some of the song titles. I Love Humans, Our Best Hope, Golden Days and My Home Is My Heart, for instance. The latter is Get Well Soon’s new single. It’s driven by a pounding drum backed by a tambourine, but the most striking element is the house-like piano melody. A theatrical song that Arcade Fire fans will certainly embrace, just like we at Carte Blanche Music HQ do.
This week My Home Is My Heart by Get Well Soon will feature prominently at the top of the blog as our Wildcard!
Follow Get Well Soon on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 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 13):
Wildcard (week 13):
Placebo – The Prodigal
Placebo are back with the eighth, and most accessible sounding album yet. Their first studio album in eight years’ time, Never Let Me Go was recorded between 2019 and 2021. It was preceded by the tracks Beautiful James, Surrounded By Spies, Try Better Next Time and ‘the fourth and final single’ Happy Birthday In The Sky. ‘Fourth and final single’? Does that mean that The Prodigal, which could grow into Placebo’s Bittersweet Symphony, would not be released commercially? Luckily, it doesn’t. Thanks to some attentive (and influential) music lovers, the record company just decided to make it the album’s fifth single as yet.
The Prodigal opens with a catchy string arrangement, which Placebo did not sample from a classic Rolling Stones track. Let’s just hope representatives of Queen & David Bowie won’t claim the strings halfway the song resemble the grande finale of Under Pressure.
All in all, The Prodigal is a wonderful, radio friendly single. Its orchestral backdrop and beautiful backing vocals give extra depth to the recognizable Placebo sound. As the album’s fifth single, it may seem to be the end of the campaign, but its only just beginning. This week, the band start a headline tour that’ll bring them all over Europe. Make sure not to miss it.
This week, Placebo’s The Prodigal will feature at the top of the Carte Blanche Music blog as our new Wildcard.
Recommended as well:
Beautiful James
Placebo – Life’s What You Make It
Follow Placebo on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 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 12):
Wildcard (week 12):
Estella Dawn – Buzzcut
New Zealand-born, US-based Estella Dawn McGee is an independent songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. After releasing 20 tracks in the past four years, she’ll put out her first full-length album this spring. It’ll contain 14 brand-new tunes and the first single off it is out now.
Buzzcut is a sophisticated, self-produced modern pop song with touches of neo-soul. The delicately swinging musical backdrop is very well executed. The real treat however is Dawn’s voice, which is front and center in the mix. She has a large range, which is fully deployed throughout the song. By layering the vocals they even gain eloquence.
Lyrically, Buzzcut holds an empowering message. She explains: “This song is about holding your shape when embarking on a new relationship, an encouragement to stay true to your own authentic flare. To have someone be so enthralled with you that they would adjust themselves to better suit what they thought you wanted.”
If you like Dua Lipa (count me in!), you’ll love Estella Dawn.
Buzzcut is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means it’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Estella Dawn on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 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 11):
Wildcard (week 11):
Haley Ganis – Just Pretty
Haley Ganis grew up in New York, where she graduated from AMDA (The American Musical and Dramatic Academy). A month after, she landed her first role in the independent film ‘Cathy Coppola’. More roles followed, but Ganis currently focuses on her career as a singer and songwriter, based in Nashville. She specialises in bittersweet, honest and nostalgic perspectives on life. If you like renforshort, Julia Michaels, beabadoobee and Olivia Rodrigo, be sure to get to know Haley Ganis as well.
Later this year, the rising indie-pop artist will release a new EP. Just Pretty is the first single to be released ahead of it. A great song with an accessible pop-punk inspired sound.
“I am so incredibly proud of the journey this song has taken”, says Haley. “What started out as a ballad, eventually made its way to a kickass anthem that I’m obsessed with. I couldn’t have done it without my producer, Dylan Maloney, and all of the amazingly talented musicians who played on this track for me.”
Here at Carte Blanche Music we’re obsessed with Just Pretty by Haley Ganis as well. It’s our new Wildcard, so it’ll feature at the top of the blog for a whole week!
Follow Haley Ganis on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 10):
Wildcard (week 10):
Iris Gold – Crushed Velvet
I don’t have to tell you that nowadays, the amount of new artists and tracks is huge. On the one hand that’s great; if you’re open-minded and not afraid to listen to totally unknown acts or songs, you might very well stumble upon a new personal favourite. On the other hand, it’s easier than ever to overlook a great act or fantastic song. In that respect, I ask myself how it’s possible I didn’t come across the brilliant Iris Gold before?
Iris’ career finally took off in 2015, after a long and not too successful run-up. She was offered record deals, but she didn’t sign when she felt she had to make too many compromises. Which was almost every time. Free from restraints and restrictions, she made a debut album that was truly her own. This record, Planet Cool, was a tribute to diversity and to staying true to yourself, no matter the cost.
Since some time, Iris Gold collaborates with David A. Stewart, of Eurythmics fame. He co-wrote and produced her new single Crushed Velvet. Sounding like a hard-hitting version of Funky Town, it’s a song Lenny Kravitz would kill for.
The singer says about her new single: “The world can be crazy sometimes and sometimes all the time. With this song i guess i can offer you 2 min. of escape to a carefree purple planet. A headbangers ball for ya’ll.”
As far as I’m concerned, Gold will strike platinum with this one. Just like her latest single Piece Of Mine two months ago, Crushed Velvet is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means it’ll feature at the top of the blog for a full seven days.
Recommended as well:
Piece Of Mine
Follow Iris Gold on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 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 9):
Wildcard (week 9):
Two Year Vacation – Chasing The Morning
Two Year Vacation are a quintet from Gothenburg, Sweden’s second city, known for its rain, headwind and greyness. Their music however is the exact opposite. Influenced by everyone from ABBA to Fatboy Slim through early Daft Punk, MGMT, Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend and Peter Björn & John, they produce rhythmic radio-friendly indie pop. Or, as the Swedish press called it, ‘tropical kraut-pop’.
The band spent the summer of 2021 in the legendary ‘Silence Studios’. A well-chosen name for a place deep in the Swedish wilderness, far away from everything. They passed the time BBQing, recording, swimming in the lake and having the best of times. It may not have been a ‘two year vacation’, but it sure felt like it. The five musicians managed to catch the atmosphere on tape, as we will be able to hear on their upcoming EP High Hopes/Low Expectations.
Chasing The Morning is the first single to be released ahead of it. Sound-wise, it paints a decent picture of the fun experience. It’s a feel-good sing-along song with rhythmic beats and tasty melodies. A great start of a new era for the band. And to make it even better, Chasing The Morning by Two Year Vacation is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means it’ll feature at the top of this blog for a full week.
Recommended as well:
Stop Making Sense
I Forgot Your Name (But I Like You)
Follow Two Year Vacation on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 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.
