Browsing Category wildcard
Wildcard (week 31):
Manic Street Preachers – People Give In
No need to introduce Manic Street Preachers. Ever since their 1992 debut album Generation Terrorists I’ve been a fan of this Welsh band, often colloquially known as The Manics.
Their latest album Resistance Is Futile, released on Friday 13 April, is their 13th. Sounds like a good luck charm to me 😉. The long-player is, in the band’s own words, ‘obsessively melodic’. It’s clear from opening track People Give In on, it has the orchestral sweep of their most successful album to date, 1996’s Everything Must Go.
People Give In has now been chosen as the album’s sixth and last single. A song about growing old(er), it brings listeners through the trials and tribulations life often brings our way and comments on people’s responses to it. People get tired, people get old, people get forgotten, people give in, people move on, people stay strong. It’s a hopeful reminder of human resilience.
This week, People Give In by Manic Street Preachers is the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. You can find a full list in the Wildcards 2018 playlist.
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 30):
Young Gun Silver Fox (feat. Seaweed Horns) – Kingston Boogie
I admit, it would be a horrible thing to do, but what would happen if bands like Hall & Oates, Steely Dan, the Doobie Brothers, and Ace were thrown in a blender? It would give a mess, obviously, but musically, something deliciously juicy would come out. Luckily for us (and for the artists especially) it’s not necessary to do that blender thing, because the band whose sound incorporates all of the above (and more) has already stood up. And the best part is: despite of all these well-known ingredients they don’t sound like clones, but are a phenomenon in their own right.
I’m talking about Young Gun Silver Fox, of course, like I did before, when I recommended Lolita, Midnight In Richmond and Take It Or Leave It. All of these tracks can be found on the band’s latest album AM Waves, but they decided to save the best for last. My favourite album track, Kingston Boogie, is YGSF’s new single. An über sunny, sophisticated dance tune, and one of the tracks on the album to feature a horn section, the Seaweed Horns. In short: what’s not to love about this song?
Kingston Boogie by Young Gun Silver Fox is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, meaning you can find and enjoy it here in only one mouse click. Wondering what other fine tunes were hand-picked as this blog’s ‘powerplay’? You can find them all in the Wildcards 2018 playlist.
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 29):
Lizzo – Boys
Lizzo is the stage name of 30-year-old American rapper Melissa Jefferson. She’s based in Minneapolis, which probably explains the funk in her music. But she doesn’t shy away from injecting a fair amount of soul into her songs either. Good As Hell and Worship (both from her Coconut Oil EP) are great examples. And don’t forget to check YDLM by The Griswolds (‘you don’t love me’), which features Lizzo in a major way. I loved the track so much back then, It ended high in the Carte Blanche Top 2016. Over the years, Lizzo featured on songs by Bastille, Clean Bandit and Prince & 3rdeyegirl as well.
Boys, however, is a new solo outing. And boy, do I like it. The song combines a heavy bassline, tinkling cowbell and groovy guitar licks with Lizzo’s trademark funny verses about all varieties of boys lucky enough to get her attention. An infectious homage to unbridled joy, energy and sexuality, Lizzo’s Boys is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard (all of which you can find in the Wildcards 2018 playlist).
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 28):
Satellite Stories – Carried Away
Satellite Stories is the most successful Finnish indie band ever, with over 60 million streams to their name, as well as playing 300 headline shows in 17 countries on three continents (record labels don’t lie about that kind of stuff, you know).
Next question, then, is: why have they decided to call it quits? I can only imagine they intended to stop at their peak. If that’s indeed the case, they did a wonderful job with this new single. I think it’s their best yet.
Carried Away will of course be featured on the band’s final album Cut Out The Lights, out on 7 September. A week later, Satellite Stories begin a farewell tour through Europe, which ends on 27 October in Oulu, the Finnish town where the band was formed, 10 years ago.
As a thank you to this wonderful band, Carried Away by Satellite Stories is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard (all of which you can find in the Wildcards 2018 playlist). Stream it as much as you can and make it their biggest hit ever! Enjoy it while it lasts…
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 27):
Carlos Jean feat. Teyou & Annya – Yucatán
Carlos Jean is currently one of Spain’s most successful artists, both as a producer/remixer of other peoples’ work and as an artist himself. From 1998-2010 he was half of the duo Najwajean (with actress/singer Najwa Nimri) and since 2011 he is active as a solo artist under his own name.
His new single Yucatán, featuring Spanish singer Teyou and electric violin player Annya, sounds like a potential summer hit to me. The song, the title track for a new Spanish comedy that comes to the theatres on 31 August, was taped and mixed in the same Abbey Road studio The Beatles, Pink Floyd and Queen recorded in. Yucatán is a tropical mix of musical styles, and includes – mind you! – real handclaps 😉.
Please, clap your hands for Yucatán by Carlos Jean feat. Teyou & Annya; it features prominently on this blog for a week as the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard (all of which can be found in the Wildcards 2018 playlist).
Mambo No. 6!
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 25):
Shanguy – King Of The Jungle
I wrote about Shanguy’s debut single La Louze when it came out in december 2017, and made it the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard at the start of this year. Since then, it grew out to become one of your favourite recommendations on this blog, based on the number of views.
Now, French singer-songwriter Eon Melka, Italian DJ NRD1, and indie singer-songwriter Frank-O are back with their second single and once again, it’s a cracker! Just like on their first effort, Stromae is a clear inspiration. I’m sure this song will appeal to a broad audience, and playlist curators could be helpful by giving it the prominent placing it deserves.
Allow me to set a good example: King Of The Jungle by Shanguy is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard (all of which you can find in the Wildcards 2018 playlist). This will provide the track with a prominent place on this blog for a full week. Enjoy!
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 23):
The 1975 – Give Yourself A Try
At the start of their career, Manchester band The 1975 scored mainly with singles who’s titles had only one word in it: Chocolate, Sex and Girls, for instance. With the title of their second album, they explored the other end of the spectrum: I Like It When You Sleep For You Are So Beautiful Yet So Unaware Of It was the album with the longest title ever to reach #1 in the United States. It spawned two powerplays (now: Wildcards) in my then radio show Carte Blanche: Love Me and She’s American.
After releasing a cover of Sade’s By Your Side and a live album in 2017, The 1975 come up with a third long player in October. Another one with a great title: A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. And that’s not all: the follow-up has been announced already as well: Notes On A Conditional Form is planned for May 2019.
But first things first. Give Yourself A Try is the first taster off the band’s upcoming album. A haunting track, built around a fuzzy guitar melody that’s backed with a beat straight out of a drum machine. I’ve chosen this high energy pop tune as The 1975’s third Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, meaning it features here prominently this week.
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 22):
Yukon Blonde – Too Close To Love
Yukon Blonde hasn’t been Yukon Blonde all the time. In 2005, they started as Alphababy. After two EP under that moniker, they changed their name to Yukon Blonde in 2009. The band is Canadian five-piece, who specialize in jangly indie pop/rock. However, their latest four singles, all of which will probably be featured on their next album Critical Hit (due for 22 June), have a more poppy sound. The reason is clear: the album was produced by Tony Hoffer (who worked with Air, Beck, The Kooks and zillions more).
Opening with pulsating synths, Yukon Blonde’s latest single Too Close To Love ticks all the right boxes, as far as I’m concerned. It even echoes Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, which can’t be wrong. The song, inspired by Milan Kundera’s ‘The Unbearable Lightness Of Being’, is this week’s Carte Blanche Music Wildcard. This means the song has the most prominent place on this blog for a full seven days. That should give you more than enough time to fall in love with it, like I did.
You can find all Wildcards of the year so far in this playlist.
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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.
Wildcards week 20 and 21
Well, wasn’t it quiet here the last two weeks? I was on holiday with limited access to internet. I did manage to keep the Carte Blanche Music playlist updated, however. So, for a quick overview of the best new tracks that were released during my vacation, please follow that link. And to make sure you never miss out on any great new music in the future, feel free to subscribe to it.
As you can see in the playlist, well-known and lesser-known artists just keep on dropping fine fresh tracks. And holiday or not, the very best of them continue to be chosen as Carte Blanche Music Wildcards each week. The past two weeks as well, although I had no chance to inform you about them. Let me set that straight. For the record, here they are:
Week 21: Welshly Arms – Down To The River
Cleveland, Ohio four-piece Welshly Arms, named after a sketch in Saturday Night Live, follow past singles like Legendary and Sanctuary with Down To The River. Delivered in their characteristic style, combining genres like blues, gospel, rhythm & blues and rock, this is a new banger, that sits somewhere halfway Imagine Dragons and Hozier. If you like what you hear, Welshly Arms’s second album No Place Is Home is highly recommended.
Week 20: Christine & The Queens feat. Dâm-Funk – Damn, Dis-Moi
Christine & The Queens’s break-through in Great-Britain and North America caused a little delay in recording their second album, but the first single off it was worth waiting for. Damn, Dis-Moi sounds like a Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis production from the late 1980s. Think Janet Jackson, for example. Janet’s dance moves also seem to have inspired the choreography in the clip for Christine’s damn fine new single. A welcome return!
As always, you can find all of this year’s Carte Blanche Music power plays in the Wildcards 2018 playlist.
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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 19):
Ali Barter – Girlie Bits
Do you know the expression ‘kicking against the pricks’? That’s what Australian singer Ali Barter does on this single. It’s a tradition that goes back to powerful women in music in the ’70s and ’80s of the last century, but in 2018, the subject is as current as ever.
Ali Barter says about Girlie Bits: “It has nothing to do with body parts, it’s about the cage of what we expect of women: girlie guitar parts, girlie singing, hair; this idea of ‘femininity’ and how to fit within it. But women are not some gentle, watered down version of men. We do it our own way. We work really hard to write good songs and play great gigs – only to have people critique our clothes and the look on our faces, instead of the music.”
Girlie Bits was first released in 2016, but Barter’s label found a new distribution partner, that’s confident the song deserves a second chance. I agree the track is likely to appeal to a whole lot of people, women and men alike. And if you’re not into lyrics, but you’re a fan of Juliana Hatfield or Tracy Bonham (or Alex Lahey or Courtney Barnett, who are Australians like Barter), there’s a lot to like here as well!
This week, Girlie Bits by Ali Barter is the new Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, providing the song and its message with a well-deserved prominent platform.
For more great new music follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist.
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.
