Browsing Tag pop
Blaudzun – Press On (Monday’s Child)
The Netherlands are a small country. Or, in economic terms, a small market. Not many artists can live from their music. Unless, perhaps, when they manage to break through internationally.
Blaudzun is already selling out concerts in Belgium and Germany. May many more countries follow! And if not, he can perhaps take courage from his own new single. That’s an encouragement to bravely go on in case of set-back. He wrote it for his teeny daughter, by the way…
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.
Gloria Estefan – One Day At A Time
When I went to the studio to make my radio show, the last 30 years, I never left home without this special MiniDisk (or later: USB stick). This was filled with tracks of less than two minutes long. Very useful when, at the end of the hour, you’re left with too little time to play an entire song – unless that song is just two minutes long.
I remember Mano Negra was on there, as well as The Pigeon Detectives, Green Day, The Presidents Of The United States Of America, Liam Lynch, Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine and of course They Might Be Giants, the uncrowned kings of the snippet song.
The new Gloria Estefan single would have fitted in nicely. Not only because of its length (effectively 1’03), but also because it’s a fun latin song (as opposed to most of the other tracks on the MD/USB, that were rock songs). One Day At A Time is the main theme of Netflix’s remake of the original show that ran from 1975-1984. The song – a re-interpretation of the original theme song, called This Is It – is so short, you’d wish Gloria had recorded a proper three minute version. But in that case it would obviously not have made my rescue MD/USB…
This is the show opener, where the song (believe it not) is edited down to only 0’50…
By the way, Gloria also recorded a version fully in Spanish: Un Día A La Vez:
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.
Uncle Frank – Love Lion / Tokyo
Frank Benbini is The Fun Lovin’ Criminal’s drummer, but their schedule leaves him enough time to have his own band as well. He and Naim Cortazzi are the heart of Uncle Frank. Both multi-instrumentalists and producers, both fond of funk and soul. And that shows in their music. It’s tight but swinging, hard-hitting but feel-good, and always full of hooks and grooves.
If you’re new to Uncle Frank, you should definitely check 2015’s Maximum Respect and 2016’s Fountains as a reference. If you already know what they’re about, you’d better read on. For this new single is twice as much fun as their earlier songs, as it has a double A-side. For the digital hipsters out there: that means both songs are equally good and therefore equally important. All killers, no fillers. Uncle Frank knows how to not disappoint their fans.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Love Lion (the title track off their upcoming album, scheduled for release in March) and Tokyo!
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.
Mighty Oaks – Be With You Always
All good things come in threes, they say. Mighty Oaks are a trio, consisting of three guys from three countries: Italy, Great-Britain and the United States. But they consider Berlin, Germany as their home. The three share the love for authentic indie folk, played on a guitar, banjo and mandolin.
After two EP’s (in 2010 and 2013) and an album (in 2014) they are now ready to make their definitive mark. 24 March Mighty Oaks will release their second full length, which already spawned the singles Horsehead Bay and Dreamers (the album’s title track). But of course, the third single is the best: Be With You Always sounds like a hit to me. And although this blog is not about hits (per se), there’s no need to look down upon them. So let’s joyfully sing along with this one!
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.
Aston Merrygold – One Night In Paris
After British boy band JLS (primarily successful in Great-Britain) disbanded, Aston Merrygold chose to start a solo career. His debut album Showstopper has yet to be released, but he already scored a big solo hit with the Bruno Mars-like Get Stupid.
His new single One Night In Paris is just as recognizable, cleverly combining sounds from the likes of Mika, Michael Jackson and even Duran Duran. I’d be surprised if this radio friendly track wouldn’t send Aston Merrygold up the charts once again. Une nuit à Paris baby!
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.
Dan Croll – Away From Today
When Dan Croll was 18 years old, he moved from Newcastle-under-Lyme to Liverpool, to attend the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. LIPA was started by Paul McCartney in 1990. Croll released his debut album Sweet Disarray in 2014.
Since then he released a couple of new tracks, of which I particularly liked the single One Of Us. Dan Croll is now working on his second record and comes with the perfect set-up track for the album. Away From Today is delightfully bombastic, featuring strings, horns, big drums, a cowbell and even a xylophone.
Instead of reading about it, you should actually have a listen. This is your chance:
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.
Electric Guest – Back For Me
In 2012, only one year after their formation, Los Angeles band Electric Guest released their debut album Mondo. They managed to have it produced by Danger Mouse and the singles This Head I Hold and The Bait provided them with a fair amount of airplay.
Now, it’s time for the next step. 12 January they announced a new track on their site, writing:
“~*~ new song ~*~“Back 4 Me”… Breath it in. Hopefully enjoy it. Came from the heart, just like the last one. It’s a whopper so play it loud. Also… our new album comes on Feb 17th. It’s called Plural.”
But let’s start with that new single, shall we?
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.
Blackfield – How Was Your Ride?
In 2001, Steven Wilson (founder of British prog rock band Porcupine Tree) and Israeli rock singer Aviv Geffen started working together in a new project: Blackfield. Their new album Blackfield V (their fifth, obviously), will be released 10 February.
Three of the tracks have already been put out on the EP Family Man. One of them in particular, How Was Your Ride?, got me on the tip of my chair. Not in the least because it sounds like a long awaited return of Alan Parsons to the music scene. Well… it actually is! After producing a solo album by Steven Wilson in 2013, Parsons also recorded and produced some songs for the new Blackfield album.
How Was Your Ride? has ‘Alan Parsons’ written all over it. When you listen to the track his name automatically starts to flicker in big red neon letters. In capitals, that is. It’s a classic pop rock song, drenched in string arrangements performed by the London Sessions Orchestra. Flat out beautiful!
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 3): Powers – Dance
Powers is the musical partnership of Mike Del Rio and Crista Ru. They have written songs for Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera, Selena Gomez and others, and I first saw them being credited in their own right on the 2014 track Classic by The Knocks (feat. Powers).
They have now announced their debut album Alpha, which is scheduled for release on 7 April. The promising first single is Dance, a damn fine slice of power(s) pop that combines pounding beats, heavy guitar strikes, cheesy ‘woo-ooo-ooos’ and lyrics where riots on the dance floor go hand in hand with social criticism. Or, in summary: a banger!
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.
Saint Motel – Move
This four-piece band from Los Angeles exists since 2009. Descriptions of their music vary from ‘dream pop’ to ‘indie prog’. Somehow they managed to stay off my radar until 2014, when they released their EP My Type. It hit me like a hammer. The infectious title track and the equally lovable Cold Cold Man were great (radio) singles that had deserved considerably more commercial success. Hopefully, the tours they did with Band Of Skulls, Imagine Dragons and Arctic Monkeys have enlarged their fan base.
Last year, the band released their second full album Saintmotelevision (love that title!). Some parts of the world (mainly the United States) were treated with the single Move around the same time, but in other parts (Europe) this great track is only out now. You can watch the accompanying 360-degree video here:
(or the ‘ordinary’ video, if you like)
As a bonus, I’d also love to point your attention to another great track off the album: the inciting Destroyer, with its lyrics ‘I don’t break hearts, I destroy 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.
