Browsing Tag acoustic
Twan Ray – It Never Feel Right
For some people, the COVID-19 pandemic was a blessing in disguise. Take 21-year-old Amsterdam singer-songwriter Twan Ray for instance. When he found himself in quarantine, he locked himself in his bedroom for weeks. He only connected with himself (via the mirror) and with songwriter/producer Radboud Miedema (via the internet). The latter wrote global hits with the likes of Lost Frequencies and Alle Farben before, amassing over 1 billion streams.
Together, they decided to take the DIY path. In lockdown, without a label, they wrote and recorded an album’s worth of tracks, which they are releasing independently, one by one. This approach was an instant success. First single We Could Start A Thing was immediately picked up by Spotify in their home country the Netherlands, and added to some important Dutch playlists. The international playlist Fresh And Chill quickly followed, resulting in almost 2 million streams to date.
I was given the chance to listen to all of the recorded tracks at an early stage and allowed to give my feedback. I commented I seldomly heard lo-fi recordings that were so well produced. Sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? Also, I indicated It Never Feel Right was my favourite track of the bunch. And guess what? That’s Twan Ray’s new single. With only an acoustic guitar, a slightly transformed voice and a smart whistle, it’s as uncomplicated as it is irresistible.
Follow Twan Ray on Facebook | Instagram | Spotify
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Swimming Tapes – Pyrenees
London-based five-piece Swimming Tapes produce charming and summery indie-pop, Their debut album Morningside (24 May) will be full of it. This explains any comparisons with bands like Real Estate and Belle & Sebastian.
Pyrenees is the long-player’s first single. The band explain: “Pyrenees is a sweet little bop of a pop song. It might only clock in at two-and-a-half minutes but we still managed to get two different guitar solos in there. The song’s about what follows an argument with a loved one, that middle of the night feeling when you realise actually you’re the one in the wrong.”
The song makes me think of New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle in Frente!’s delicate version.
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
a-ha feat. Ingrid Helene Håvik – The Sun Always Shines On TV (MTV Unplugged)
From no other artist I attended as many ‘farewell tours’ as from a-ha. And luckily, they decided to extend their career even further.
Last summer, on 22 and 23 June, the band played MTV Unplugged sessions at Øygardshallen (Giske Harbour Hall) on the Norwegian island of Giske, which will be released 6 October on the live CD/DVD/Blu-ray Summer Solstice. A-ha was accompanied on stage by Ian McCulloch (Echo & The Bunnymen), Ingrid Helene Håvik (Highasakite), Lissie and Alison Moyet.
Among the 21-song setlist were two brand new tracks (one of which, This Is Our Home, is released as a single) and stripped down performances of all of the band’s classic tracks. One of these, a re-arranged version of The Sun Always Shines On TV, featuring additional vocals by Ingrid Helene Håvik, has been released as a single as well.
Following these MTV Unplugged sessions a-ha will go on an acoustic tour throughout 2018. Their third farewell tour? ?
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Werner’s Weekly (week 21)
Please meet this week’s champions, in alphabetical order:
- Saint Motel – Destroyer (this week’s Wildcard)
- Fhin – Quand On Arrive En Ville (last week’s Wildcard)
- Mist feat. Alondra Bentley – Fade In Fade Out
- Paramore – Rose-Colored Boy
- Ride – All I Want
- Rocky – Love Is A Soft Machine
- Starcrawler – Ants
You can read my writings about them by clicking the links, and listen via the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar. Even more great new music is awaiting you in my container playlist Carte Blanche Music. Feel free to subscribe to either or both of them!
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Mist feat. Alondra Bentley – Fade In Fade Out
As a new track for his most recent outtakes & rarities album Underwater – the last to be released under the Mist moniker – singer Rick Treffers re-recorded the beautiful track Fade In Fade Out. Originally from his 2002 debut album We Should Have Been Stars, the song now appears as a duet.
Co-vocalist Alondra Bentley, born in the UK but raised in Spain, adds an extra touch of delicacy to the already beautiful song. It’s plain and simple, just like the video.
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Kele Okereke – Yemaya
Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke, who so far released his solo material as Kele, just put out the first song under his full name. It’s the beautifully intimate, acoustic track Yemaya.
Okereke says about the song: “In the west African Yoruba religion, Yemaya is the mother goddess of the ocean, she is kinda the patron saint of pregnant women and fertility. According to myth, when her waters broke, it caused a great flood creating rivers and streams and the first mortal humans were created from her womb. When I knew we were having a baby she started to be appear in my thoughts and dreams a fair bit.”
The singer recently announced a seven date acoustic solo tour through Europe.
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Werner’s Weekly (week 17)
It’s that time of the week again, when I re-evaluate all of the great tracks that I added to my container playlist Carte Blanche Music the past seven days (like The Amazons, blink-182, Dua Lipa and Paramore). So many good songs, so diverse, listening to them once again is always a highlight of the week.
But – talking of highlights – then the tough part comes… Which ones are the absolute top tunes and deserve to be in my alphabetically ordered Werner’s Weekly playlist?
This is my verdict (listen to them via the player in the side bar and click the links to read my recommendations):
- Saveus – Levitate Me (this week’s Wildcard)
- The Kooks – Be Who You Are (last week’s Wildcard)
- GotSome feat. Lisa Kekaula – I Don’t Know
- Kraftklub – Fenster
- The Aces – Physical
- The Rifles – The General (Unplugged)
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
The Rifles – The General (Unplugged)
The Rifles are incredibly prolific. Only in August 2016 they released the double album Big Life, and as soon as 28 April, they come up with their new project: The Rifles Unplugged Album: Recorded At Abbey Road Studios.
The acoustic record (yes, it’ll be on vinyl as well) features 15 tracks from across The Rifles’ back catalogue. One of them is a brand new track, The Key. Also included is their new single; a beautiful Unplugged version of The General, that appeared in its plugged form on their 2009 album The Great Escape.
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Cold War Kids (feat. Bishop Briggs) – So Tied Up
Cold War Kids are quick to follow-up their single Love Is Mystical. The second set-up song for their upcoming album L.A. Divine is called So Tied Up. It features Bishop Briggs, a British singer-songwriter currently based in Los Angeles, California. Her real name is Sarah Grace McLaughlin, but she was born to parents from Bishopbriggs, Scotland, which inspired her professional name.
The official video for the single showcases a live acoustic version of the song with a beautiful string arrangement and a more prominent role for Bishop Briggs.
This is what the original studio version sounds like:
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
Werner’s Weekly (week 37)
Als er in een week – naar mijn maatstaven – niet veel echte uitschieters uitkomen, ga ik het overzicht ook niet willens en wetens lang maken. Daarom is Werner’s Weekly deze keer een uiterst bescheiden lijstje dat de zeven beste releases van de afgelopen week bevat. Overigens houd ik ook de playlist Werner Tipt bij. Nog altijd een zeer kritische lijst (ik heb een naam hoog te houden 😉 ), maar wel eentje die de lat iets minder hoog legt. Dus als je wat meer keuze wilt, is een abonnementje daarop het overwegen waard.
Pet Shop Boys en The Divine Comedy vallen op de Nederlandse radio tussen alle mogelijke vormen van wallen en schepen, maar zijn voor mij een no brainer. Luister maar waarom. De Noorse zangeres Dagny heeft onlangs haar debuut-EP Ultraviolet uitgebracht. De eerste single daarvan, Backbeat, was begin dit jaar Remschijf en is nu ook uit in een fraaie akoestische versie. Tip: 26 oktober staat ze met haar prima bandje in de kleine zaal van Paradiso.
Ook de debuutsingle van Zuzu maakt deel uit van het zevental. Haar invloeden Pavement en Courtney Barnett zijn een goede referentie. En als je wilt weten hoe een samenwerking tussen EDM-duo Knife Party en ex-Rage Against The Machine-gitarist Tom Morello klinkt (supervet namelijk), klik dan snel hier.
Geniet er weer van!
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. CEO of Werner Bros. tekst | uitleg.
