Browsing Tag electronic
The Bird & The Bee (feat. Beck) – Hot For Teacher
Inara George is the daughter of Little Feat’s Lowell George, and Greg Kurstin produced everyone from Lily Allen, Sia and Adele to Beck, Kendrick Lamar and Foo Fighters. In 2004, Kurstin contributed piano to several tracks on George’s solo debut. It was then they laid the foundation for The Bird & The Bee, a jazz-influenced electro-pop project.
Since their 2006 debut EP Again And Again And Again And Again, they released four full albums. One of them was Interpreting The Masters Volume 1: A Tribute To Daryl Hall & John Oates. No need to explain the concept of that album, I presume?
As you could also have guessed from the title, The Bird & The Bee intended to give more acts their re-interpretation treatment. Well, on 2 August, Interpreting The Masters Volume 2: A Tribute To Van Halen will see the light of day. Ahead of it, they already released their versions of Panama and Ain’t Talking ‘bout Love, but I like their new single Hot For Teacher the best. Not in the least because of the teacher, impersonated by Beck. The original version is from Van Halen’s album 1984.
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):
Call Me Loop – Self Love
Brixton-based British singer-songwriter Georgia would rather have you call her Loop. Her alias came about from nicknames her mum gave her: Georgie-Lou, then Loopy-Lou, then Loop.
Describing her sound as ‘sassy, emotive electronic pop’, I’d like to summarize it with one word: ‘cool’. But ‘infectious’ would do as well. To give you a hint of what to expect, she names Rihanna, Amy Winehouse and Christina Aguilera as some of her influences. But Loop adds an extra touch of freshness to it all.
On her new pop banger Self Love, she proclaims she has a ‘new lease of life’ after letting go of a toxic relationship. I’m glad she wrote this tune about it! Self Love by Call Me Loop is this week’s 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.
Au/Ra – Dance In The Dark
Born on Ibiza, raised on Antigua, 17-year-old Au/Ra (real name: Jamie Stenzel) is an island girl with German roots. Her father is a famous German dance producer. Kickstarted when British DJ duo CamelPhat remixed her track Panic Room, she now stands on her own feet. So much so, that she didn’t just release one new track, but two: Medicine and Dance In The Dark.
The latter is my favourite. It’s a rather experimental, sample- and beat-heavy, up-tempo electro-pop track. Au/Ra explains: “Dance In The Dark is about the acceptance of the dark times that will inevitably be part of our lives. Life will never be perfect, and without the bad, there’s no good either.”
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.
Werner’s Weekly (week 28)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Miki Núñez – Celébrate (Wildcard this week)
- Videoclub – En Nuit (Wildcard last week)
- Ali Barter – Backseat
- The Black Keys – Shine A Little Light
- Flay – Not In California
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: Belle & Sebastian, Ed Sheeran with Chris Stapleton & Bruno Mars, Ride, and many more.
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.
K.Flay – Not In California
The ‘10s are the era where constantly keeping yourself in the picture is almost more important than giving your songs the time to grow into hits. Just weeks after K.Flay’s great single Sister was the Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, she already drops a new tune. Not In California is the fourth and final instant grat track to be taken off her forthcoming album Solutions, due out on 12 July.
The song bears all of K.Flay’s trademarks, like her raspy voice, the Weezer-like guitars, and a huge sing-along chorus. Speaking about Not In California, the singer says: “We’re not in Kansas anymore. I think we all know that sensation. Of being in a place that resembles the world you know, but feels different somehow and the difference is unsettling and disorienting and scary. Kinda makes you wanna click your shoes together and go back home to how it used to be.”
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.
Werner’s Weekly (week 27)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Videoclub – En Nuit (Wildcard this week)
- Flay – Sister (Wildcard last week)
- Alex Lahey – Isabella
- Alfie Templeman – Tragic Love
- Annie Hamilton – Kitchen
- Ariana & The Rose – True Love
- Maggie Lindemann feat. Travis Barker – Friends Go
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: Álvaro Soler, Heather Nova, Sigrid, Two Door Cinema Club, and many more.
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.
Bye Beneco – It’s Not True Love
Hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, Bye Beneco are an eclectic dream-pop band, led by impressive front woman Lenny-Dee Doucha. With their debut album Space Elephant (2014) and the EP Ghetto Disko (2017), they’ve already been making waves in both the underground and popular culture music scenes. This summer, they move to Berlin to further conquer Europe (and beyond).
Today, as a follow-up to their recent single I’m Not The One, Bye Beneco released their new song It’s Not True Love. Another danceable indie-pop track, and their best yet, in my opinion.
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 26):
Videoclub – En Nuit
Historically, English has always been the language in charts all over the world. But this is slowly changing. In recent years, we’ve seen songs in Spanish crossing over to non-Spanish-speaking territories, and it’s my guess that French will be next. The number of great acts from France (and from the French-speaking part of Belgium) is overwhelming. And the fun part is: really young artists appear to lead the way to global stardom.
Remember Belgian singer-songwriter Angèle (23), whom I wrote about many times? Allow me to remind you she’s one to watch! But equally impressive is the career that Videoclub are building. The duo consists of Adèle Castillon (17), a YouTube phenomenon with over 650.000 followers, and her friend Matthieu Reynaud. With only two singles under their belt, they built a large fanbase, mainly in the US. I can see that from the huge number of Americans that read my recommendation of their second single Roi, and who find Carte Blanche Music via organic searches through terms like ‘videoclub roi’ (duh) and ‘videoclub french band’.
Now, the up and coming electro-pop teens are back with their third single. It’s called ‘En Nuit’, which means ‘at night’, but it’s also a play at ‘ennui’, meaning ‘boredom’. Another ultra-catchy song with sweet synth-pop sounds and gripping ‘ooh-ooh’s, that serve as a pleasant backdrop to Adèle and Matthieu’s youthful and sultry vocals. Don’t forget to check the video as well. It’s made by Aube Perrie, who also directed the clip for La Thune by Angèle.
This week, En Nuit by Videoclub is the 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.
Ariana & The Rose – True Love
New York-based Ariana & The Rose is an artist who embraces an audio-visual approach to creativity, producing honest synth-driven songs. Ahead of the first instalment of her upcoming two-part Constellations EP (out on 26 July, with part two set for a 2020 release), she releases a series of singles.
The latest of these, True Love, is her most irresistibly jubilant song yet. It feels like a throwback to classic ‘80s synth pop, while also being undeniably current. Lyrically, the track honours the universal power of love, regardless of sexual orientation, skin colour, or age.
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.
Werner’s Weekly (week 26)
This is Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters, containing the two most recent Carte Blanche Music Wildcards, and the best of the other new releases in alphabetical order:
- Flay – Sister (Wildcard this week)
- Jay Som – Superbike (Wildcard last week)
- Akiva – Broken Ships
- Ceylon Ceylon (feat. Graziella) – Why Don’t They Love You
- Kasador – High Rise
- Montaigne – Ready
- Yorke – Thought I Could
Click the links for more info and listen to each of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player below.
For more great new music, follow the constantly updated Carte Blanche Music playlist. Also added last week: !!!, Cold War Kids, The Cult, The Kooks, Robyn, Two Door Cinema Club, and many more.
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.
