Browsing Tag rock
Middle Kids – Beliefs And Prayers
In preparation of their upcoming six-track EP New Songs For Old Problems (out on 24 May), Middle Kids release a third teaser. Following Salt Eyes and Real Thing, the Australian indie rock trio just put out Beliefs And Prayers.
Just like its title, the song is built around two sections. The first half is up-tempo and catchy, with swirling guitars and driving drum patterns. Hannah Joy puts a lot of variety in her vocals, before launching into a soaring chorus. In the second half, things slow down considerably, before building back up to the sweeping chorus.
Based on the singles, the new EP is very unlikely to disappoint.
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.
Winnetka Bowling League – Diane
Going through Matthew Koma’s CV, I can’t help but thinking about a chameleon. A Koma Chameleon, as Culture Club would have it… Inspired by Elvis Costello and Bruce Springsteen, Koma started his music career in punk rock, later transitioning into pop, hip hop and EDM. He worked with artists ranging from DJ’s like Zedd, Hardwell and Tiësto, to Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic and Shania Twain.
With his latest project, one might say Koma returned to his roots. Since a year, he is the front man of rock band Winnetka Bowling League. I wrote about their single Feeling California before, which was included on the band’s self-titled debut EP. Last week, they came up with their second EP Cloudy With A Chance Of Sun.
Predominantly produced and recorded by Matthew Koma, the record features six tracks. Kombucha and Slow Dances preceded the release as singles. I’d like to suggest Diane, with its All Day And All Of The Night vibe, as single #3.
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 18):
The Cheap Thrills – Smile When You Sleep
The Cheap Thrills are a garage rock band who very proudly come from Liverpool (England). The group consists of primary school friends Lewis Pike, Terry Eaves, Callum Fitzpatrick and Anton Eager, who specialize in songs with catchy hooks and melodies, resulting in jumpy bass lines, spacey guitars, and synths.
About their new single, lead singer Lewis says: ”Smile When You Sleep lists our problems with sleep in various different ways but I think it highlights the beauty of sleep too. It also questions how you feel sleeping with someone else as opposed to sleeping alone. It’s always about progression with songs for us. We want people to connect to these tunes and sing them back to us.”
This week, Smile When You Sleep by The Cheap Thrills features prominently on the Carte Blanche Music blog as the new 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.
Mat Kerekes – Hawthorne
Best known as lead vocalist of alt rock band Citizen, American singer-songwriter Mat Kerekes just released his fourth solo album Ruby. He tracked most of the instruments himself, and produced and engineered the album in a studio that he built with his brother in his garage.
Although Ruby showcases his softer side and his versatility as a singer-songwriter, the album still boasts massive choruses, dynamic arrangements, and infectious melodies. All of these elements are present in the album’s new single Hawthorne, the follow-up to Diamonds.
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.
Nikki’s Wives – Real Girl
After releasing their debut EP Motor Court in last year, alternative pop trio Nikki’s Wives are working hard to make 2019 the year of their break-through. With their single Lemonade, they were off to a good start, but the follow-up track Real Girl is even better.
Starting off lovely with the sound of a music box, it gains energy once a slow, driving drum and guitar set in. Lyrically, it takes a biting and critical approach to stereotypical ideas of what it takes to be a ‘real girl’.
A song that crawls under your skin.
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 18)
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:
- Jain – Gloria (Wildcard this week)
- Hey Violet – Better By Myself (Wildcard last week)
- Bear Ghost – Haunt, The Cartoon Heart
- Kakkmaddafakka – Get Go
- Owl Eyes – You And I / Le Soleil
- Roads To Roam – For A Better Day
- Talisco – Sensation
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: Bastille, Cage The Elephant, Foals, Jade Bird, Marina, SOAK, 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.
The fin. – Come Further
The fin. are a Japanese duo that are currently located in London. Until very recently, they were a trio, but only on 27 March, guitarist Ryosuke Odagaki played his last show with the band. He decided to stop his music activities and take a different path from now on. Since then, The Fin. consist of Yuto Uchino and Kaoru Nakazawa, who will be complemented live by a support guitarist.
For a band that was formed in Japan, it may strike you as a little bit odd that they combine indie-rock with synth-pop, but they do so very well, in my opinion. In recent years, The fin. supported major artists like The Last Shadow Puppets, Circa Waves and Mew, performed globally at major music festivals in Japan and beyond, as well as embarked on world tours.
Come Further is the band’s new single.
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.
Talisco – Sensation
Talisco (née Jérome Amandi in Bordeaux, France) has recently released his third album Kings And Fools. An energetic, joyful, danceable, but before all diverse set of tracks, that appear to have been influenced by fellow French acts like M83 and Phoenix. Still, it sounds like a coherent body of work.
The long-player has been preceded by the singles Sun (the title track of French television series ‘Un Si Grand Soleil’), I’m The Dead Man and Closer, but I’d place my bets on Sensation to become single #4.
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.
Citizens – Looking Up
Seattle-based band Citizens was formed in 2011, just months prior to their debut EP Already Not Yet. They now have three full-length albums under their belt.
Next up is their fourth album Fear, to be released on 3 May. The creation and production of this album was funded via a Kickstarter campaign, which was met with overwhelming support. The album was fully funded in 8 hours, with an initial goal of $20,000. Since then, total support has exceeded $62,000.
Citizens have already put out four tracks ahead of the album: the title track, Out Of Sight, Everything For Nothing, and – only last week – Looking Up.
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.
Bear Ghost – Haunt, The Cartoon Heart
Have you ever asked yourself the question what it would sound like if Frank Zappa would have been a member of Queen (or of Muse, for that matter)? The answer is: Bear Ghost. This Phoenix, Arizona rock band consists of musical craftsmen who effortlessly combine epic melodies and song structures into a sound wholly their own.
Their first EP Your Parents Are Only Marginally Disappointed In Your Musical Taste (2014) was proof of that, and the band took it to the next level on their debut album Blasterpiece (2016).
After signing with 80/20 Records last year, Bear Ghost recorded (and released, thankfully) their new single Haunt, The Cartoon Heart. On their Bandcamp page, the quartet describe the track as ‘a song about emotional instability, illustrated by a tumultuous relationship between a Ghost and his Heart who have both fallen in love with the same woman, but can’t find a way to reconcile their differences’.
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.
