Browsing Tag rock
Kate Nash – Life In Pink
Kate Nash’s career started around the same time as Lily Allen’s, and they have often been compared in the beginning. I still like her playful early singles, like Pumpkin Soup, Mouthwash, and Foundations (all from 2007).
After a few non-album singles in recent years, Nash is now working towards her next, Kickstarter-financed album, Yesterday Was Forever. Her first album in five years’ time, which Nash calls ‘an excerpt from a teenage diary’, is to be released on 30 March. It features her recent single Drink About You and this equally great follow-up.
Life In Pink is a dynamic power pop track about mental health. As Nash states: “The concept of the video is balancing the sane and what I’m told are ‘insane’ parts of my brain and how I think you need a balance of the two to really make it in this life.”
It’s hardly coincidence this track appears on Carte Blanche Music the same day as Liza Anne’s Panic Attack…
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.
Liza Anne – Panic Attack
Liza Anne Odachowski, the critically acclaimed Nashville singer-songwriter better known these days by her stage name Liza Anne, just released her third album Fine But Dying. An intriguing collection of songs, of which I already recommended the first single Paranoia. Album track Panic Attack is an equally honest song. In fact, honesty and/or openness appears to be the main theme of the album.
In Liza Anne’s own words: “Growing up, people would always say I was too happy to be depressed, or too social to have anxiety. In their eyes, because I was one thing, I couldn’t also be something else. I think we all exist in duality, though. I can be everything and nothing all at once.”
In a world where keeping up appearances seems to be the norm, we need more people like Liza Anne.
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 12)
Last week, a great variety of artists came up with new tracks. Among them: Duke Dumont (feat. Ebenezer), The Fratellis, Pearl Jam, Sigrid, The Decemberists, and Thievery Corporation feat. Loulou Ghelichkhani. All of these – and many more – can be found in my 2018 container playlist Carte Blanche Music on Spotify.
The best of the best, however, are in Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. It includes the latest two Wildcards, and this week’s top tracks (in alphabetical order):
- BC Unidos (feat. US Girls & Ledinsky) – Take It Easy (Wildcard this week)
- JZMN JYN – Going Under (Wildcard last week)
- Calum Scott – Give Me Something
- James Bay – Pink Lemonade
- Lissie – Love Blows
- Revolverheld – Immer Noch Fühlen
My original recommendations are behind the links above and you can listen to all of the songs through the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar.
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.
James Bay – Pink Lemonade
I liked James Bay’s debut album Chaos And The Calm, but the up-tempo songs in particular. Craving, for instance, and especially Best Fake Smile. Alas, the record company decided to market him as a balladeer and only released Craving digitally in an acoustic version (sigh). Best Fake Smile was put out as his 6th single (a minor success, obviously).
At the beginning of February, James Bay made a comeback. Without the long hairs and without the hat. And without a hit, so far. The ballad Wild Love had a new sound, but apparently didn’t win him any new fans. I like Pink Lemonade a whole lot better. His best single to date, I dare to say. It’s the second effort off his second album Electric Light, to be released on 18 May. A great song, that I’d love to hear in a version mastered by someone who doesn’t like to fight the loudness war (which makes songs sound hard on the radio, but tough on the ears as well).
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.
Revolverheld – Immer Noch Fühlen
Since the release of their debut album, 13 years ago, Revolverheld has gained great popularity in their home country Germany. Johannes Strate, Kristoffer Hünecke, Niels Kristian Hansen and Jakob Sinn had announced a year off for 2017, but they kept writing and recording new songs nevertheless.
Ahead of their new album Zimmer Mit Blick (out on 13 April), the band releases first single Immer Noch Fühlen.
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 11)
Wow, an enormous amount of new music has been unleashed last week! For my Carte Blanche Music playlist, featuring only the best releases of 2018 so far, I hand-picked new songs by Cats On Trees, Gin Wigmore, Manic Street Preachers, and Sea Girls, among others.
But only the cream of the crop makes it onto Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. You can listen to the tracks via the player in the sidebar, and learn more about them by following the links below:
- JZMN JYN – Going Under (Wildcard this week)
- Everything Everything – Breadwinner (Wildcard last week)
- Jimi Charles Moody – Happy Song
- Rae Morris – Dancing With Character
- Sennek – A Matter Of Time
- Theo Lawrence & The Hearts – Never Let It Go
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 10):
JZMN JYN – Going Under
Radio DJ’s, JZMN JYN is to be pronounced as Jazmine Jayne, her real name. You’re welcome 😉 .
JZMN JYN is from Sydney, Australia, but has been traveling the world the past three years. Inspired by the lyrical story telling of female songwriters such as Alanis Morissette and Stevie Nicks, she wrote her experiences into songs. Going Under is the first fruit of those sessions. A great rock song in the best ’90s tradition, with a funky bass line the Red Hot Chili Peppers would be jealous of.
“I wrote it whilst on a 24-hour boat ride in the middle of the Adriatic sea heading from Italy to Greece,” JZMN JYN says. “The view of an endless ocean was an exact metaphor of how I felt in my life and relationship at the time, which inspired me to put pen to paper.”
JZMN JYN’s trip around the world ends with her first Carte Blanche Music Wildcard, which means that despite of its title, Going Under will hold the top position on this blog for a whole week. So this might as well be the start of another journey…
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.
Theo Lawrence & The Hearts – Never Let It Go
Theo Lawrence, still only in his early twenties, is a singer-songwriter from Paris, and a self-taught guitar and piano player. But when surrounded by his band The Hearts (Thibault Lecocq – drums, Nevil Bernard – keyboards, Louis Marin Renaud – guitar, and Olivier Viscat – bass), he is committed to the microphone.
They make soulful rock with touches of rhythm & blues and surf, positioning themselves between Charles Bradley, Tony Joe White and even Johnny Cash. Since 2016’s debut EP Sticky Icky, Never Let It Go is their third piece of new music. A pure, surprisingly adult song, that gets under your skin.
This week, Theo Lawrence & The Hearts release their first full album Homemade Lemonade in France. The rest of us will have to wait until 27 April…
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 10)
In terms of quantity, it was a huge week for new music. But it wasn’t a particularly huge week for great new music.
Still, artists like Albert Hammond Jr., Blossoms, Digitalism, Nemesea, Simple Minds, and Turin Brakes put out recommendable new songs, all of which – and more – you can find in my ‘best of 2018’ playlist Carte Blanche Music.
But besides the latest two Wildcards, only four tracks made it onto this Monday’s edition of Werner’s Weekly, your compass to the music that matters. You’ll find them, alphabetically ordered as always, below:
- Everything Everything – Breadwinner (Wildcard this week)
- Bonnie McKee – Sleepwalker (Wildcard last week)
- Brand New Friend – Girl
- Hoshi – Je Vous Trouve Un Charme Fou
- Janelle Monáe – Make Me Feel
- Nicole Atkins – Brokedown Luck
Click on the links for the full story in all its glory, while listening to the six of them through the Werner’s Weekly player in the sidebar. 19 minutes well-spent! ?
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.
Of Good Nature – Take Me Anywhere
Of Good Nature is an American reggae rock band that was formed in 2011 by guitarist Cameron Brown, percussionist Joey Vachon, trombonist Brandon Hucks, bassist Jon Reed, and drummer David Hamilton Jr..
Take Me Anywhere is Of Good Nature’s new single, the first of three upcoming singles this year. The band is already leaving its mark across the US and Canada, and this track sounds like it could take their career to the next level.
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.
