Browsing Category wildcard
Wildcard (week 52):
Barry Moore – The Tide
Some tracks that you already liked, still get better and better with each listen. One such example is The Tide by Barry Moore, an Irish singer, songwriter and musician. After spending his youth in San Francisco, he is now back in Europe. However, it’s not Ireland, but France where he starts his musical career. He got signed by Spookland Records; only their second signing after Jain.
Following his great debut single Hey Now (from the EP Lost Boys), The Tide is his new single. Definitely one to check for Twenty One Pilots fans. Expect Barry Moore to fly as high as they do when he puts out his debut album in 2020.
Ahead of that, I’d like to draw some more attention to this great new track. This last week of the year, it’s the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. Let’s turn The Tide into a tidal wave!
Recommended as well:
Barry Moore – Hey Now
In the Wildcards 2019 playlist you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcards.
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 51):
beabadoobee – She Plays Bass
There’s nothing wrong with Bea Kristi’s real name. But her artist name beabadoobee is genuinely swinging. So far, the 19-year-old London singer-songwriter’s musical style has mostly been pigeon-holed as ‘bedroom pop’. A description that relates more to technical issues than to content, in my opinion. Nevertheless, more and more artists pop up in this category. Time for beabadoobee to move on…
You’re right when you presume her single She Plays Bass to feature a dominant bass line. This, along with a shift towards ’90s indie-rock, gives the song a nostalgic, New Order kind of vibe. However, according to a press release, it was inspired by Sleater-Kinney and The Breeders. No complaints there…
She Plays Bass was first released four months ago. Now, with a BBC Sound Of 2020 nomination in the pocket, it gets a new round of promotion. High time this great track became the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 50):
Kakkmaddafakka – Baby
Norwegian six-piece Kakkmaddafakka had a prolific year. They released their sixth album Diplomacy and a slew of great singles, as you may have read here before. This week, they gave birth to another ‘baby’. Hopefully, the brand-new track precedes more fresh material.
With Kakkmaddafakka’s happy indie-pop music, summer is always around the corner. New single Baby is no exception. It’s as upbeat, catchy and energetic as always, with fat drums and a driving piano underpinning the sing-along lyrics. The well-crafted, feel-good kind of song radio used to fall for. And they still should.
Not only are Kakkmaddafakka’s tunes perfect for the radio, they also make for a great live party. Do yourself a favour and go see in February, March or April 2020 on their upcoming European tour. For now, Baby is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Recommended as well:
Kakkmaddafakka – Get Go
Kakkmaddafakka – Sin
Kakkmaddafakka – Runaway Girl
Kakkmaddafakka – Young You
In the Wildcards 2019 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 49):
Julie Zenatti – Tout Est Plus Pop
Julie Zenatti is a French singer and actress of Algerian, Italian and Jewish descent. After being discovered in a karaoke bar in 1994, at the age of 13, she recorded two songs with Lenny Kravitz, but those were never released. She only released her first album in the year 2000.
Zenatti’s ninth album is expected to be due next spring, accompanied by concerts in April 2020. The first single off the album is Tout Est Plus Pop, a title that couldn’t have been more appropriate. It’s light, accessible, sparkling, catchy, memorable, short and snappy… an invitation to sing along. Probably the best song Lio (Amoureux Solitaires) never recorded.
In the newly-released video, the singer travels through 40 years of pop music, based on gems she finds in her record collection. About the clip she says: “It’s not meant to be nostalgic, just an ode to music entering our lives and creating memories.” This might as well have been a description of Carte Blanche Music…
Tout Est Plus Pop by Julie Zenatti is the new Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 48):
Sebu – The Secret Is Out [Lucas Vidal Arrangement]
Armenian-American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer Sebu Simonian may not be a household name (yet). But I’m sure you know some of his music. As a commercial jingle writer, he co-wrote a demo for a cola ad. It was called Safe And Sound. When it got rejected, he formed the band Capital Cities and released the single independently. It became a worldwide hit, and the cola brand came back around to license the song for an ad after all.
Now, Sebu has his first solo single out: The Secret Is Out. A song with an equally impressive story. He says about it: “Engrossed by news about wars in the Middle East, I learned more about veterans struggling with PTSD. I decided to tackle the unconventional topic. (…) The animated music video depicts a female war veteran suffering from PTSD. She returns to the comfort of her home and the arms of her loved one, but can’t escape visions of war. It is directed by Italian animator Marco Pavone.”
The song itself features a prominent beat and fierce synth bursts, with beautiful strings on top, courtesy of Lucas Vidal. A great companion to the current autumn weather, The Secret Is Out by Sebu is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 47):
Deacon Blue – City Of Love
Since their classic introductory album Raintown, Deacon Blue boasted 7 million album sales, two UK number one albums and 14 hit singles. The Scottish sophisticated pop band are inseparably linked to my former Carte Blanche radio show. Their debut single Dignity was one of the first songs I played in my first broadcast in 1987, while Gone was a logical choice for the very last song I ever played on the radio at the end of 2016.
Almost exactly three years on, Ricky Ross, Lorraine McIntosh and their lovely band are back once again. Not only announcing their largest tour ever, but a new album as well. City Of Love (due for release on 6 March 2020) is their tenth studio long-player. It contains 11 songs with the same theme: even in the corners of a town or a life where no light falls, hope can prevail.
The album’s title track is the band’s new single. An instantly recognizable Deacon Blue song with driving strings, Ross’s rasping voice and McIntosh’s angelic backing vocals. A band on top of their game!
City Of Love is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Recommended as well:
Deacon Blue – Gone
In the Wildcards 2019 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 46):
The Mowgli’s – Fighting With Yourself
Formed around Venice Beach, California in 2010, The Mowgli’s were named after the dog of one of the band members. Obviously, the animal was named after the main character from the Jungle Book movie. Between 2013 and 2016, The Mowgli’s were a fixture in my Carte Blanche radio show. Their debut single San Francisco was my Record of the Week in early 2013, just like I’m Good, exactly two years later. The reason why? Their songs are ridiculously catchy.
Said radio show may have evolved into this blog, but The Mowgli’s are still around. They left their major label to continue as an independent band. With that in mind, it’s interesting to see the band describe their new single Fighting For Yourself as ‘a self-empowering rock anthem reminding you to get out of your own way and love yourself’.
Following the departure of lead singer Colin Dieden from the band, Katie Jayne Earl is stepping into the spotlight for the first time to provide lead vocals. She does a great job on this single, which is rockier than we’ve come to expect from The Mowgli’s. With Fighting For Yourself, the band secure another Record of the Week spot on Carte Blanche Music. It’s the new Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 45):
Halie – Good Kids
Now that Sigrid and Aurora have been embraced by worldwide audiences, Norway’s next superstar is ready for take-off. Hannah Emilie Grung is only 18 years old and off to a great future. Her 2018 single Youth already attracted over 1 million listeners on Spotify alone.
Halie used a short radio silence to finish school and write some new songs. The first of this bunch is out now. Good Kids sounds more mature and edgy than her earlier work. Imagine a combination of Charli XCX and early Lorde. Over a bed of thumping beats, Halie sings about everyday teen issues. A message that sticks, since the singer is only a teen herself.
Good Kids is the first single off her upcoming debut EP, and this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 44):
Palaye Royale – Hang On To Yourself
Palaye Royale are a Canadian fashion-rock trio (Remington Leith, Sebastian Danzig and Emerson Barrett), currently based in Las Vegas. The band is named after the Toronto dancehall where their grandparents met in the 1950s. Combining fast-paced dirty rock ‘n’ roll, glam, sweat, showmanship and song-writing, Palaye Royal aim to build a bridge between the swinging cool of the ‘60s and the swagger of latter day Brit Pop. The Animals singer Eric Burdon’s daughter Alex persuaded the founder of the Sumerian label to go and see the band. He offered them a contract the same night.
So far, Palaye Royal put out two albums: Boom Boom Room Part 1 and Part 2. Additionally, they released 3 singles in anticipation of album #3. Perfectly timed for Halloween, the band’s latest single is a smash. Hang On To Yourself by Palaye Royale is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
In the Wildcards 2019 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 39):
Georgia – Never Let You Go
I can’t wait for the new year, for it’s sure to start with a bang. On 10 January 2020, Georgia will release her second album Seeking Thrills. Each new single off it is better than the one before. The best so far, About Work The Dancefloor, was a Carte Blanche Music Wildcard in April.
Now, Georgia repeats that feat with her brand-new single Never Let You Go. A Robyn-esque song with a ludicrous catchiness, that was entirely played by the talented London artist and producer. Easily one of the best pop songs of the year so far, this is the one that should propel her onto radio playlists around the globe. If not, music directors should be fired and replaced by people with ears.
As a stamp of approval, let me remind you one last time that Georgia is the daughter of Leftfield’s Neil Barnes. But soon, he’ll be referred to as the father of Georgia. Never Let You Go is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. The repeat button was invented for this kind of songs.
Recommended as well:
Georgia About Work The Dancefloor
Georgia – Started Out
Georgia – Feel It
In the Wildcards 2019 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.
