Browsing Tag indie
The Slow Readers Club – On The TV
Last May, Manchester four-piece The Slow Readers Club released their third studio album Build A Tower on multiple formats, causing it to become a hit in both the physical album chart, the vinyl chart, and even the cassette chart. On The TV is the latest single to be taken off it.
Singer Aaron Starkie says of the track: “On The TV is a song about feeling a sense of discomfort, disassociation and extreme anxiety at the state of the modern world. It’s a scream against everything from caged kids at the Mexican border to the rise of nationalism in the UK and US. In the verses I seek solace in family and ask my parents for guidance. It also has a great riff.“
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.
I Wear* Experiment – Almere
I Wear* Experiment are an electro-pop trio from Tallinn, Estonia, consisting of Johanna Eenma, Hando Jaksi, and Mikk Simson. They felt the punch and aggressiveness in their genre has gone missing over time and decided to bring that back. This resulted in a sound that leans towards experimentation and cinematic soundscapes. The band cites Chvrches’ edgy big banger beats and Florence & The Machine’s graceful vocals among their influences.
Almere is I Wear* Experiment’s new single. An intriguing title. Not only because it’s named after the Dutch city of Almere (I presume)(*), but also because the title isn’t mentioned in the song’s lyrics at all. Nevertheless it’s a great synth-pop song!
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(*) After posting the above blog, I Wear* Experiments Hando Jaksi sent me this explanation:
“Thank you for the good words. Why the song is called Almere – We had just finished our tour in Asia, started the European leg of the album tour and had some free days in between the concerts. Our manager lives in Almere and offered us to stay at his place for a few days. So, coming from weeks of heavy scheduled touring in places where many people don’t speak any English and there are always little difficulties here and there, the few days off were like a spa treatment for us. All we had to do was to eat, sleep & see the local sights.
It was also the first time after a long period when I could sit behind a table and create some music which is much more enjoyable than trying to do it mid-flight somewhere over China. So, sitting behind our manager’s kitchen table, the song Almere was created (I named all the new song ideas with the name of the city we currently were).
The first time we had the chance to try out the song was on big festival in Vietnam named Monsoon Music Festival and it seemed to work well for the 10.000 people there. And when choosing songs for the new release, Almere was one of the first favourites of us all.
The song itself is pretty dark & gloomy and that actually was not the emotion we got from the time we spent in Almere but in a way, at least for us, the contrast works.”
Thanks for making this clear Hando!
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 47)
Last week a great diversity of new music saw the light. There were very good releases in every thinkable genre. After applying heavy criteria, I added the likes of Chvrches, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, Hozier, The Kooks, Rita Ora, and The Vaccines to my Carte Blanche Music playlist on Spotify, alongside a host of emerging artists you probably haven’t heard of before. And Jennifer Lopez as well. Listen to her new single Limitless without prejudice and you’ll hear it’s a really good song.
And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Below, you can find my ‘best of the best’ selection Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. Via the links you can access my original recommendations and you can listen to all six of the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar. Here you go:
- Jonas Brøg feat. Laura Mathilde – I Think Of You I Cry (Wildcard this week)
- Jade Bird – Love Has All Been Done Before (Wildcard last week)
- 1010 Benja SL – Ultimaybe
- Audio Adam – Emma Watson
- Hollydays – Minuit (La Baie Noire)
- Moscow Apartment – Orange
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.
Knife Club – When My Eyes Are Heavy
I’m excited to introduce you to the very first single of Knife Club. This band was formed by three experienced musicians of the Brighton music scene: singer/bassist Chris Hollands, drummer Dave Bishop and guitarist Louis May. They came together in an attempt to make something different to what they had done before, but also modern and relevant.
When My Eyes Are Heavy is a blast of fresh energy, influenced by bands such as Idles, Interpol and Thee Oh Sees. Knife Club recorded this debut at the Levellers’ Metway Studio, where it was produced by Toby May (The Maccabees, The Electric Soft Parade, Clearlake). Those are great references in my book!
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.
Moscow Apartment – Orange
Moscow Apartment are a promising Canadian teen duo, consisting of Brighid Fry (14) and Pascale Padilla (16). After releasing their self-titled debut EP in 2017, they decided to submit the demo for their track Orange to the Canadian Songwriting Competition. It won them the Under 18 category.
After picking judge Joel Plaskett’s brain about music, song writing, and production, they went back into the studio and co-produced the final version of their winning song. “The recording experience was fun because we had really strong ideas of what we wanted Orange to sound like and we were able to manifest those ideas with engineer Guillermo Subauste’s help.”
About the track itself, a tune that mixes indie folk with triumphant pop, the duo explain: “Orange is about the weird twilight-zone feeling that happens sometimes at sunset – when things suddenly don’t feel real, like everything around you is a movie.”
Moscow Apartment’s second EP is on its way.
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 46)
Early November and the first new Christmas songs are starting to appear. Honestly, they’re not my thing. Apart from tongue in cheek Christmas songs or festive tunes with an edge, which I add to a dedicated playlist: Werner’s X-Mess. Feel free to follow and get the party started! 😉
Meanwhile, there’s still more than enough ‘normal’ music coming out. By Ice Cube, The Kooks and The Smashing Pumpkins, for instance. I add all of this great new music to my Carte Blanche Music playlist on a daily basis and the highlights are recommended here on the blog.
And then, there is the highest level of honour: a position in Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. This alphabetically ordered selection contains only the best of the best of last week’s releases, kicking off with the latest two Carte Blanche Music Wildcards. You can listen to the tracks via the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar, while more information on each track is available through the links below:
- Jade Bird – Love Has All Been Done Before (Wildcard this week)
- The Proclaimers – Then It Comes To Me (Wildcard last week)
- Nona – Last To Know
- Ruby Bones – Not Enough
- Sophie & The Giants – Waste My Air
- Sunflower Bean – Come For Me
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.
Sunflower Bean – Come For Me
Julia Cumming, Jacob Faber and Nick Kivlen, who form Sunflower Bean, are a bunch of busy bees. After delivering their second album Twentytwo In Blue last March, they’ve been touring constantly. In the meantime, the New York band also managed to record a new EP. It’s called King Of The Dudes and set for release on 25 January 2019.
The EP is preceded by the single Come For Me, which they recorded with pop producer Justin Raisen, who worked with Charli XCX, Santigold and Sky Ferreira before. This collaboration results in a somewhat poppier vibe, while the song still sounds self-assured and rebellious.
Speaking about Come For Me, Julia Cumming says: “This song was inspired by inner strength, power, and sexual freedom. In 2018 there is no time to waste and no time for shame. This song is a declaration of that. Do you really want to come for me? Do you really want to waste my time? The song is a dare, a threat, and a beckoning.”
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.
Aviator Stash – Shot Song
Music is a medicine. Heartache? Loss? Bad mood? Music makes it more bearable and helps to heal the wounds. How appropriate then, that San Diego based indie band Aviator Stash named their upcoming second album Prescribed (out on 16 November).
Singer/guitarist Greg Kellogg explains: “It has a strong theme about loved ones and friends losing themselves to mental health problems. The tone of most of the album is very bright and happy which is the metaphor of so many people trying to hide behind what’s really happening in their heads and portrays everything is fun and one big party!”
Shot Song is the album’s new single. The recipe: a feel good funky guitar riff, catchy lyrics and a little sarcasm. Kellogg: “Shot song is the ultimate bar/party anthem that highlights a time when a friend conducts a party foul and takes her shot before you take yours.”
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.
Sophie & The Giants – Waste My Air
Glad you guys like Sophie & The Giants as much as I do! Last week, I could reveal that my recommendation of their single Bulldog was the most read Carte Blanche Music blog in October. In the meantime, the band also managed to enter the European Border Breakers Chart with the song.
Last week, singer Sophie Scott, guitarist Toby Holmes, bass player Bailey Stapledon and drummer Chris Hill released their first EP Adolescence. In a week and a half, opening track Waste My Air has developed into the band’s most popular track on Spotify. Four tracks into their career, it is indeed their most accessible track so far. I wouldn’t be surprised if (radio) playlist curators would pick it up, enabling Sophie & The Giants’s well-deserved definitive break-through.
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.
Ruby Bones – Not Enough
Ruby Bones are an indie rock band from New Jersey, consisting of singer-songwriter Chris Fox, drummer James Janocha, and bassist FC Spies, who managed to achieve Billboard chart success with their self-released eponymous debut album, last year. Since then, they’ve been picked up by an indie label, that contracted them to release a trio of EPs.
The first of those, Laser, has just come out. It features three high energy rock songs, all of them graced with great hooks and melodies, culminating in huge shout along choruses. First single Not Enough is a fine example!
The band comments on the song: “Not Enough is about one side of a couple never being able to meet the needs of the other, no matter how hard they might try. The song is musically more light-hearted than the last record, while still keeping the wordplay and big hooks intact.”
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.
