Browsing Category wildcard
single track, wildcardWildcard (week 8): Dylan – No Romeo
Wildcard (week 8): Dylan – No Romeo
London-based, Suffolk-born singer-songwriter Natasha Woods came to the scene as Dylan in 2019. That yearโs EP Purple and its follow-up Red were only the tip of the iceberg in terms of what lies ahead. She already reached many more people through the release of three more singles in 2021. Some of her new fans included Yungblud, Griff and Thomas Headon, who asked Dylan to support them on their tours. By the sound of her new single No Romeo, itโs fair to predict she might be a future super star.
No Romeo is an ultra catchy electro-pop tune. In line with her earlier releases, itโs an empowering track, with honest, meaningful lyrics. The song is a rally call against wasting any more time on those that donโt deserve it.
Dylan says about her new single: โI wrote No Romeo with my best friends in mind. I was tired of them going back to their questionable exes and letting themselves be treated like crap (although I think I needed the song as much as they did!) and wanted, as always, to write something empowering. The aim was to write an anthem for the late-night drives with the windows down, the shouting at the sea because LIFE, and the screaming crying throwing up heartbreak moments.โ
Last yearโs singles, No Romeo and two unreleased tracks will be on her next EP, due out on 8 April. Itโll be named after the current single. This week, No Romeo by Dylan is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means itโll feature at the top of the blog for a full seven days.
Follow Dylan on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist youโll find all of this yearโs 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 7):
Wildcard (week 7):
Barks IV & I.Am.Em – Hittin’ It
Itโs not always easy to find any interesting information about the artists I feature at Carte Blanche Music. Especially when it looks like the acts are doing their best to maintain a mysterious profile. Obviously, my ultimate goal is to introduce you to the best new music, not to โexposeโ artists against their will. On the other hand, having been a radio DJ for 30 years, I know itโs fun to play a great song, but equally satisfying to be able to give some nice background info. So I did some diggingโฆ
Turns out, Iโve been writing about Barks IV before. His real name is Bjarke Sรธrensen, born in Denmark, but currently working from Berlin, Germany. He used to be in the band The Dead-On, who had to change their name to The New Madness due to legal issues. I recommended their debut single Lovesick back in 2017. Nowadays, Sรธrensen is a producer and A&R at Deadly Tunes, a company thatโs specialized in producing and licensing music for commercials and TV.
I.Am.Em is the artist name of American artist, singer-songwriter and music producer Emmery Williams. Sheโs currently residing in Nashville, Tennessee. Her LinkedIn profile states: โA multifaceted pianist, I.Am.Em thrives in providing top quality productions for artists & music synchronizationโ. Her Instagram bio adds: โPlacements on TV, Filmโ.
Now, Barks IV and I.Am.Em found each other in song and mission. Hittinโ It is a top-notch tune with a great beat and swinging vocals. To me, it immediately brought back memories of Neneh Cherry. And did they succeed โsynchronizationโ-wise? Oh yeah, they did. You can hear the song in the Netflix series โTwentysomethings: Austinโ. Mission accomplished on every level. Good story, brilliant song!
Oh, and hereโs another โplacementโ: Hittinโ It by Barks IV & I.Am.Em is our new Wildcard. This means itโll feature at the top of the Carte Blanche Music blog for a full week.
Follow Barks IV on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
Follow I.Am.Em on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist youโll find all of this yearโs 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 6):
Wildcard (week 6):
Tommy – Alive
So far, Leicester was well-known as the town artists like Kasabian, John Deacon (Queen), Diesel Park West and John Illsley (Dire Straits) came from. Indie quartet Arcades had their roots in Leicester as well. Following the split of the band, former front man Tommy Cobley is now starting his own project, Tommy.
Cobley spent the last eighteen months crafting an albumโs worth of songs. About this productivity, he says: โI couldn’t stop writing and when it came to recording, I knew these songs were special.โย That can certainly be said about his debut single Alive. Itโs a typically British tune with a nostalgic bagginess. Richard Ashcroft was the name that first popped up when I heard the track.
Apart from the prominent acoustic guitar and walking bass line, a few things stand out: the lively percussion, trumpet licks (performed by The Twang drummer Ash Sheehan), and the gospel vocals by powerhouse Ange Lloyd. The song was produced by legendary producer Gavin Monaghan (Editors, Ocean Colour Scene, Robert Plant). Indeed, โteam Tommyโ is pretty impressive.
A great start of Cobleyโs solo career! We thought weโd lend a hand by chosing Tommyโs debut single Alive as this weekโs Carte Blanche Music Wildcard.
Follow Tommy on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist youโll find all of this yearโs 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 5):
Wildcard (week 5):
Confidence Man – Feels Like A Different Thing
Iโve mentioned it before, but Iโve got the impression the โ80s influences in todayโs pop music are slowly shifting towards the early โ90s. Take Confidence Manโs brilliant new single for instance. Itโs called Feels Like A Different Thing, but it sounds wonderfully familiar. It made me think of Right Said Fredโs Iโm Too Sexy and Going Back To My Roots by FPI Project. House piano galore, and that gospel vibe is an absolute bliss. What a banger!
The Australian duo say about their new single: โFeels Like A Different Thing isnโt here to mess around. Two lyrics, one riff, no fuss. Itโll get your blood pumping. Itโll make your ears bleed (in a good way). Itโll steal your car and burn down your house and youโll still say thanks.โ
Following last yearโs Holiday, Feels Like A Different Thing is the second track to be released ahead of the bandโs sophomore album Tilt. Itโs due out on 1 April, a date thatโs marked in our agenda in flickering red neon lights. For starters, the new single is this weekโs Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so itโll feature at the top of the blog for a full seven days.
Recommended as well:
Try Your Luck
Bubblegum
Follow Confidence Man on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist youโll find all of this yearโs 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 4):
Wildcard (week 4):
Leony – Remedy
German singer Leonie Burger first rose to prominence via โRising Starโ in 2014. At the age of 17, she won this TV talent show gloriously with her band Unknown Passenger. They split soon after however, and Leonie changed her first name a bit into her current moniker. She continued her career as a solo artist.
Eventually she broke through with a new version of Modern Talkingโs Brother Louie, featuring Imanbek, Vize and former Modern Talking member Dieter Bohlen. Her biggest solo hit was last yearโs Faded Love, which spent over 30 weeks in the German charts. She also worked with artists like Alan Walker, Sam Feldt and Dimitri Vegas. All of her tracks and collabs combined, Leony has over 250 million Spotify streams to her name.
Remedy is her brand-new single. A great song with, contradictory as it may sound, a trendy retro vibe. Itโs very much inspired by โ80s synth-pop in the best The Weeknd tradition.
This one deserves to be picked up broadly; allow me to set an example. Remedy by Leony is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so itโll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Leony 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 3):
Wildcard (week 3):
Nile Marr – Only Time Can Break Your Heart
Nile Marr has the talent to write catchy pop songs and infectious (guitar) melodies running through his veins. You wonโt be surprised to learn heโs the son of Smiths guitarist and successful solo artist Johnny Marr. His first name is a homage to one of his fatherโs musical heroes, Chicโs Nile Rodgers. But when asked for his influences, heโll mention Broken Social Scene, Fugazi and Elliott Smith.
Following a 6-year stint as a founding member of indie trio Man Made, Marr Jr. released his solo debut album Are You Happy Now? in 2020. The now 29-year-old artistโs new single, released via Bandcamp and on vinyl, is brand-new. It features How We Drift on one โA-sideโ, and Only Time Can Break Your Heart on the other. Marr recorded both tracks in a studio he built during the COVID-19-induced lockdown. The latter song is by far my favourite.
Jangly and upbeat, Only Time Can Break Your Heart will go down well with fans of bands like The Byrds, R.E.M., The Laโs and Big Star. These were bands that made him want to write songs when he first heard them as a kid. โIt doesnโt have to be shouty, it doesnโt have to be loudโ, he explains. โItโs singing because I like it, itโs melody because I like melody. Itโs liberating.โ
Only Time Can Break Your Heart by Nile Marr is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, so itโll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Nile Marr on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist youโll find all of this yearโs 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, wildcard
Wildcard (week 2): Iris Gold – Piece Of Mine
With Indian and Jamaican roots, Mercedes Seecoomar was born in London and raised in Copenhagen. During her nomadic youth, she was surrounded by free thinkers growing up in hippy communes and squats that celebrated โ60s and โ70s counterculture. All of these elements made her the unique, charismatic artist she is today.
Using the stage name Iris Gold, she calls her music โhippie hopโ. This is a colourful and infectious mix of retro hip hop, soul and power pop with a generous sprinkle of flower power. Having shared the stage with some of the biggest acts in the world (like Robbie Williams, Blur and Taylor Swift), she developed into a great live artist herself.
Gold is currently operating under the wings of Eurythmicsโ David A. Stewart, who co-wrote and produced her most recent tracks. The same goes for her new single Piece Of Mine. Itโs a retro-flavoured funk tune with huge horns, squelchy synths and a catchy chorus. A song with attitude in every possible way. Sounding like Uptown Funk for 2022, this one is for fans of Lizzo, Janelle Monรกe, Mark Ronson, Ameriie and Sheila E.
This week, Piece Of Mine by Iris Gold is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means itโll proudly feature at the top of the blog for seven full days.
Follow Iris Gold on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist youโll find all of this yearโs 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 1):
Wildcard (week 1):
Superbird – Elevation Airways
In a situation where real-life traveling is different from before, imaginary travels are the next best thing. Enter our British funk friends Superbird, who just established Elevation Airways.
Released on the last day of 2021, the trioโs single invites us to get on board and fly away to a happy place. In fact, that doesnโt take a long flight, for their track Elevation Airways is a happy place in itself. It combines the bandโs trademark funky guitar licks, retro vibes and catchy vocals to full effect.
What a fun tune to kick off the new year! 2022 promises to be a year Superbird will fly higher than ever. I think itโs best to fasten your seat beltsโฆ
This week, Elevation Airways is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard!
Recommended as well:
Operate
Think You Got Me
Super Superior
Year On String Along
Cola Bottle Fizz
Follow Superbird on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Spotify
In the Wildcards 2022 playlist youโll find all of this yearโs 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 52):
Wildcard (week 52):
Our Propaganda – Essential Love
British alt-rock band Our Propaganda just released their new single Essential Love. Itโs the third track to be released ahead of their upcoming debut album Fast Food At Midnight. The record was produced by Steve Lyon (Depeche Mode, The Cure), and mixed by Grammy-nominated recording/sound engineer Jonas Westling.
If the single is anything to go by, expect an anthemic album, with stadium sized guitars, driving beats, euphoric choruses and plenty Brit-rock swagger.
Frontman Jack Denton says about the track: “It’s simply about a love for a partner, how they teach you new things and enable you to grow into a more mature person. It’s how they can feel completely out of this world. Love is blind and lessons are always learned whether you know it or not. Everybody has a few romantic mentors in their life and each of them bestow valuable knowledge on us.โ
Apart from Jack, Our Propaganda consists of Harvey Groom, Joe Newman and Charlie Denton. Taking influences from the likes of Biffy Clyro, Royal Blood, Twenty One Pilots and numerous iconic British artists, theyโve been taking their striking blend of alt-indie rock to the stage since 2016.
This last week of the year, we spread some Essential Love at Carte Blanche Music. The Wildcard is for Our Propaganda, meaning itโll feature prominently at the top of the blog for a whole week.
Follow Our Propaganda on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | 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 51):
Wildcard (week 51):
Wilsn – You Know Better
I recommended this great track earlier, but this week, You Know Better by Wilsn is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. That means itโll feature at the top of the blog for a full seven days!
Just like her biggest musical inspirations (Aretha Franklin, Alicia Keys, Etta James, Lauryn Hill, Donny Hathaway, Lianne La Havas and Whitney Houston) Geelong (Australia) native Shannon Busch is gifted with a great voice. With her equally strong pen, she writes songs that celebrate the rich history of soul, but are firmly rooted in the here and now. In 2015, she released her debut EP Donโt Give It Up as Wilsn. She then spent a few years in Nashville, honing her craft with the help of Grammy Award winning writers.
Wilsn returned to Melbourne in 2019, when The Teskey Brothers asked her to open their sold out UK/Europe shows. During the 2020 lockdown, she headed back into the studio with producer Stephen Charles. Together, they brought to life what Wilsn had learned in the US. The resulting single, You Know Better, has a truly authentic, yet modern soul sound. Obviously, her voice is a highlight throughout, while the Stax style horns add a delicate vintage touch. A warm and rich song, delivered with attitude. For fans of Sharon Jones and Amy Winehouse.
No wonder then, that Wilsn recently signed with Ivy League Records. She joins the likes of The Teskey Brothers, and Carte Blanche Music favourites The Rubens, Hatchie, Shannen James and Mia Wray on the labelโs roster.
Follow Wilsn on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | 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.
