Browsing Category wildcard
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 25):
Wildcard (week 25):
Strawberry Swing feat. meadowhip – Bennie (Won’t Dance)
Australia-based indie-pop duo Strawberry Swing consists of Mark Griffin (from Down Under) and Iranian-born Nima Dehghani. With their 2021 debut EP Taste The Berry, they established themselves in the local scene. They already opened for artists like May-a, The Tin Knees, Tiarnie and Droves. For this year, they have even bigger plans. With their new single, they’re off to a good start.
Inspired by icons including Elton John, Billie Joel, David Bowie and The Beatles, Bennie (Won’t Dance) is a nod to classic rock songs with a modern indie twist. It’s a deliciously energetic song, driven by a dynamic indie-rock melody and jangly guitars. Of equal importance are the engaging vocals, provided by fellow musician/singer-songwriter Cara Walkam, a.k.a. meadowhip.
All in all, this is the ultimate feel-good tune. And to make that feeling even better, Strawberry Swing feat. meadowhip is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means, it’ll feature prominently at the top of this blog for a whole week!
Follow Strawberry Swing on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Follow meadowhip 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 24):
Wildcard (week 24):
Lockyer Boys – LATKD
Brothers Will and Charlie Lockyer are born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. They started their musical career as a cover band, which soon landed them stints as support act and at festivals. Their great harmonies, multi-instrumental talent and stage presence made the duo an immediate showstopper. Lockyer Boys are currently completing their debut album, which features original songs by the brothers themselves, and songs co-written with the likes of Daniel Powter, Brian Howes and Scott Helman.
Their sunny new single LATKD (‘like all the kids do’) is released just in time for summer. It’s a catchy and uplifting pop gem, co-written with Grammy-nominated producer Jeff Dawson and Alan Poettcker from These Kids Wear Crowns. The song is about being present and living in the moment, and trying to experience genuine happiness. “Will and I try to make people happy with our music”, says Charlie Lockyer. “Teenagers and maybe even young adults are often ‘happy being sad’. Why can’t we be happy being happy? That’s the message of LATKD.”
This week, LATKD by Lockyer Boys is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It’ll feature prominently at the top of this blog for a full seven days.
Follow Lockyer Boys 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 23):
Wildcard (week 23):
Harm & Ease x Fefe Dobson – Lemonade
Rylan Whalen (vocals) and Danny Lopez (guitar) originally met in their first year of high school. They formed Harm & Ease in 2010 in Burlington, Ontario. Originally, it was meant to be an acoustic project, but then John Goodblood (bass/guitar) and Alex Hamnett (drums) joined the band, when operating from Buenos Aires, Argentine. With two albums under their belt, they relocated to Toronto, Canada.
By then, fellow countrywoman Fefe Dobson already had a great career, with hits like Bye Bye Boyfriend, Don’t Go (Girls And Boys) and Stuttering to her name.
Now, the Canadian powerhouses team up for the most energetic party anthem of the moment. A track, they say, about making the best out of what life throws your way. This week, Lemonade by Harm & Ease x Fefe Dobson is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It’ll feature at the top of the blog for a full 7 days.
Follow Harm & Ease on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
Follow Fefe Dobson 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 22):
Wildcard (week 22):
Oston – Whatshisface
With hundreds of thousands of fans to her name, Oston is big on TikTok. Apart from that (or perhaps thanks to that), she’s also building a career in music. The artist, born as Austin Wolfe, released her debut EP Sitting At The Kids Table in 2019. Her first album, 2021’s Am I Talking Too Much?, was later expanded and renamed I’m Definitely Talking Too Much. Funny!
Despite the pre-dominant lyric ‘We don’t speak’, Orson’s new single is called Whatshisface. The swinging alt. pop track taps in on the popular subject of break-up, heartbreak and empowerment. Or rather… skip the heartbreak. In this song, co-written by Upsahl, Orson celebrates the 1 year anniversary of her cutting ties with a relationship that no longer served her. By the sound of it, she couldn’t be happier with that decision. Even better: it produced a powerful hate song that could easily turn her break-up into her break-through.
Whatshisface by Oston is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It’ll feature prominently at the top of this blog for a full week. My bad, who’s that?
Follow Oston 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 21):
Wildcard (week 21):
Hyphen Hyphen – Don’t Wait For Me
High school friends Samanta ‘Santa’ Cotta (lead vocals, guitars, synths), Romain ‘Adam’ Adamo (guitars, keys, vocals) and Laura ‘Line’ Cristin (bass, vocals) formed Hyphen Hyphen in 2011, while studying at the Conservatory of Nice. They describe themselves as a ‘queer pop/rock band’, bringing and defending essential messages for the LGBTQ+ community.
In 2016, they received the Best New Live Act award at the prestigious Victoires de la Musique Awards. So far, they released two albums: Times (2015) and HH (2018). Album #3 is on its way.
In a bid to force their global break-through, the band just released the classic pop single Don’t Wait For Me. It was co-written by six-time Grammy winner Glen Ballard, who worked with Michael Jackson, Wilson Phillips, Van Halen, Alanis Morissette, Katy Perry and many more before. “It was a great privilege to be invited into the creative circle with Hyphen Hyphen”, says Ballard. “Their exuberance and talent was a great inspiration. This band has joy and energy at their core… I’m forever a Hyphenate!”
Don’t Wait For Me by Hyphen Hyphen is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means it’ll appear at the top of this blog for a whole week!
Follow Hyphen Hyphen 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 20):
Wildcard (week 20):
Laura Mac – Don’t Know What I’m Thinking
Wow, where is this going to end? Since this week, Aussie duo Laura Mac have released precisely two singles, and both of them are absolute bangers – although the world has yet to discover. Debut single Garage Full Of Dreams, a sparkling indie-rock track, got our week-long, full-on support. It was chosen as a Carte Blanche Music Wildcard back in November. Now, their follow-up tune, a dancefloor anthem, is heading the same way.
Laura Mac is a brand-new duo from the Australian Sunshine Coast, consisting of Laura MacLachlan and Zachary Connelly. Only their second ever single, Don’t Know What I’m Thinking is a super fun pop song. An anthemic bad mood eraser and a sure fire party starter, all in one. They recorded it with help from Luke Palmer (Boo Seeka), while Luke Williams (Dead Letter Circus) played the drums and Ian Peres (ex-Wolfmother) the synths. Alas, the party only lasts for less than two and a half minutes, but that’s where the replay button comes in.
I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I think – no, I know for a fact – I love this song. This week, Laura Mac once more grabs the Wildcard gong, meaning Don’t Know What I’m Thinking will feature prominently at the top of the Carte Blanche Music blog for seven full days!
Recommended as well:
Garage Full Of Dreams
Follow Laura Mac 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 19):
Wildcard (week 19):
Nu Genea – Tienaté
Nu Genea is the artistic project of Massimo Di Lena and Lucio Aquilina. It’s got a few ear-catching qualities: the duo combine disco, funk, boogie, electronic, dub, jazz, folk and much more into heavenly grooves, and the lyrics are sung in their Napoli tongue by Fabiana Martone. New single Tienaté bears all of these hallmarks.
Martone is a white singer, but she makes the track sound like it was produced in Africa. Obviously, the multi-coloured musical backdrop adds a lot to this notion as well. On this track, Martone’s powerful voice is crossed with synths, strings, and multiple musical influences from south of the Mediterranean Sea.
Following Marechià, Tienaté is the second single to be released ahead of Nu Genea’s long-awaited third album Bar Mediterraneo, which will be out on 13 May. The track deals with a relationship between alleged friends, in which someone borrows something… and then disappears. This groovy, exotic banger is sure to get the summer started.
Tienaté by Nu Genea is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. It’ll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week!
Follow Nu Genea 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 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.
