Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.
𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙞’𝙨 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 – 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙧
Charles looks better on the radio…
I think I’ll start by being a crashing bore. One of my many talents. Just 4 weeks ago, I wrote about Kaminski’s latest fabulous track “A.I. Jesus”. I based the entire piece around A.I. (HAL, as I like to call it). I just wanted to briefly (I promise) step on HAL once more. It is awful. It is wrong. It is bad. It is fake. It is deception. And it is all too bloody easy. But I wanted to lean towards this idea of deception. In fact, it is not an idea. It IS deception. The real threat of HAL lies in the lies. Some people say the use of HAL is completely fine as long as users are honest about it… But who is going to do that?? That’s like finding a way of making flawless undetectable fake banknotes, then telling the world how they made them, and that it was all just proof of concept. They are OF COURSE going to conceal the fact, and use said banknotes to buy mucho sweeties. Moving from banknotes to artists, it feels good to have talent. Those who don’t have talent can get jealous of those with talent. So they steal talent by means of a machine, and pass off this work (no work at all) as their own. So that’s fraud, then. But this would be to the general public. To real artists, this is personal and it hurts. To be duped. To be lied to. As if it were not painful enough to have a machine that can make art as well as a talented human, we have to also deal with the deception. The machine ends up having more morals than the human! And on top of it all, these fraudsters then make money (admittedly not a lot) from streaming royalties!!! And of course, they lap up the praise for the work they did not create. It is sick. And not “sick” in the more modern sense of the word, meaning cool. And not “cool” in the more traditional sense of the word, meaning colder than tepid. I mean it makes me feel sick. Like BLEURRGHH. That kind of sick.
The good thing is, it makes my support and passion for the other side far stronger. The other side being REAL artists making REAL art. This horrible modern machine has done something that I would not have expected. REAL music seems now to have a greater impact on me. It’s like remembering what music was supposed to be about. What it was supposed to do to one’s soul. The excitement. The immersion. The connection. But above all, the imagination. On Friday night I went to a gig with my girlfriend. It was at a place called KOKO, in Camden, in London. Apparently Camden Town is world famous (which still surprises me), hence I mentioned it. The act we saw was a band called Scary Pockets. Any of you who might have heard of them will be unsurprised to hear that it was hella funky. Those of you who have NOT heard of them, it was hella funky. As the volume was akin to having had Wembley Stadium’s sound system shoved into this old Victorian music hall, we found a nook with a better view, where my breathing was not quite so interrupted by the pounding, painful, rumbling bass. So, aside from the volume, it was such a tremendous joy to see and hear live musicians playing live music as a collective. This to an extent brought back the feeling of REAL music. But in being more of a studio man, it is still (for some reason) records that make me feel music more. I might be in the minority here, but that’s the way I’m wired. Possibly because there is a volume knob. Possibly simply because the sound is superior on records. And I am a sound man. With music, I become a recluse. It is personal and private to me. Quite often, people are a distraction. So are things. I suppose in this way, I am kind of a purist when it comes to music. In the same way that in the old days, when music lovers went to a classical concert, they would often close their eyes once the music was underway. Although it is a spectacle to see a full 100-piece symphony orchestra, it can to an extent dilute the music itself. MANY will say the complete opposite and argue until they’re pink in the sink. Which is completely fine. But this is me, and my own feelings. Here’s why… People who are unfortunate in having lost a vital sense, find that their other senses are enhanced. A blind man will have incredibly astute hearing. A deaf woman will visually observe things that we – with all senses intact – might not have noticed. Thankfully, I am not deaf – which is nice. And I can still see as much as I can bear. But sometimes I like to switch off various senses in order to exaggerate others.
I said that most of all it was imagination that music was most successful in conjuring. This could be anything from a feeling, to a colour, to a full-blown scene of wonder. Like a film in one’s mind. Much like a music video, but where the listener is the live director. Living the dream! The thing is, how does this whole idea work if we are talking about film music? One can’t shut one’s eyes. I mean, then all those incredibly longwinded and purposely complicated detective films would be even more unfathomable. It just wouldn’t make sense to watch a film with eyes wide shut. And so we keep them tightly open. Thank you, Stanley Kubrick, for making as much sense as Noel Gallagher’s lyric, “Slowly walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball”. You see, the whole point of a film is for all things to come together as one. One shouldn’t really be focussing too much on the sunset, or the effects, or the hairstyles, or the editing, or… the music. It should be one thing. People are like men. We can all supposedly only do one thing at once. So concentrating on everything at once is near impossible. One has to either choose, or constantly shift one’s attention from one thing to the next. Of course, I am making it seem like watching a film is a complicated, laborious process, which it is not. But only because our minds are quietly doing all this under the hood (as it were). We have a very fast processor. We’re not aware what our mind is capable of. Besides, surely all these things are SUPPOSED to come together in a film. They’re not supposed to be taken out of context and dissected like this, surely… The music in a film has been written with the film in mind. Sometimes even frame by frame, so everything is perfectly in sync. Here’s the thing… The film itself could be excellent and fully immersive, and would probably make the music make much more sense. BUT!! One’s mind is involved in the plot. One’s eyes are focussed on taking it all in, and one’s ears are concentrating far more on the script. Much like the sets and the costumes, the music usually becomes background ambience.
Be honest, bearing in mind you are all musicians and artists, when was the last time you actually took note of the music in a film or series? Where it struck you and you consciously listened to it? I would imagine it to have been a while for most of you. And this is not because the music is rubbish. The irony is that music for the screen is probably the most “proper” music we have at the moment. The very greatest writers, arrangers, producers, performers and engineers. And yet, they are mostly relegated to the background of Hollywood. This to me is a crying shame. The other reason these pieces are pushed to the back is because they are rarely pop. It is not mainstream music in the slightest. It crushes me that such talent is not recognised like it should be. It feels like Beethoven has been asked if he can (extremely quickly) write a symphony so that 17 seconds of it can be chopped up and used behind an irritating voice advertising the latest Google phone. And all this brings me to the purest joy of music in films: soundtracks. Hearing an isolated, unadulterated soundtrack takes away the distractions. Now, of course, this is not how it was supposed to be heard. But having seen the film in the first place, its context will be known to you. We can gorge on the pure pleasure of a soundtrack.
This week’s pick is a man who I feel is possibly the greatest musical artist I know. And what a pleasure and an honour it is to know him! Please welcome Amaury Laurent Bernier, with his fabulous new motion picture soundtrack, Elli and Her Monster Team! I will start by saying that I have NOT seen the film yet. So of course, the context of the music will for now be somewhat ambiguous or perhaps vague. But the impact is nevertheless there. You see, one thing I do love about listening to the soundtracks of films I have NOT yet seen, is that I can use my own imagination. The film is an animation, and we’re not talking flick-book stickmen here, or even South Park. This is PROPER animation. Think Pixar. And I do believe that Amaury is in the league of Pixar and Disney, when it comes to the quality of his music. Although I will never slate an artist here in my Corner (it’s just not cricket), I am rarely this acclamatory. Sure, I praise, I say good things, and I am utterly honest in doing so. But this is one of those times where I just think “Cor, I wish I could do that”. Every release by Amaury Laurent Bernier sounds and feels like a release from Universal Studios. There is literally no difference in quality, sheen, style and class. Not to mention elegant wit! But Elli and Her Monster Team doesn’t only reach the standards of his usual output, it surpasses it! I do believe this is his greatest work to date but I am sure it will not be the greatest thing he ever makes. For the simple reason that with every release of his, I say the same thing: “Now, THIS one is his best”. He just keeps getting better and better. More and more accomplished. Increasingly honed and refined. But as with all of my weekly jaunts, I will zone in on just one track. Demz da rulez, I’m afraid.
The best way to fully get the most out of this work would be to see the film, then to listen to the entire soundtrack in one sitting the following day, while your mind is still fresh from having seen the film. The problem is, while I have been promised that the film will be available in English, for now it is only available in German. For Germany is from whence it came. Amaury is French, but has been settled in Germany for many years, making him thoroughly, erm, European. The thing is, it does mean that I have done this listening thing all wrong. I have NOT watched the film first. Do I mind? Not a bit! Good music is good music. Great music is THIS. So. This track I will endeavour to plunge into your sensitive lugholes, is track 2 of 26. Elli’s World. But I do strongly urge you all to set aside the 50 minutes it would take to listen to the whole soundtrack in its entirety. I think you will be stunned at the quality from beginning to end. I picked Elli’s World because I think it shows off the composer in Amaury. His beautiful scope. Even the first 30 seconds will take you through so much. It’s almost like an overture. A taster, if you will, of the whole soundtrack. We move swiftly from Tim Burton, to Disney, to Pixar, to Batman and beyond! It’s just incredible what Amaury is able to pack in, with such remarkable flow and effortlessness (of course requiring an absurd amount of effort in order to sound effortless). He wrote the entire soundtrack in just 8 weeks…!
This is orchestral music with a difference. Most of Elli’s World remains in the pit, but don’t let that deceive you. The whole soundtrack also covers 50s-style love songs and even ventures into electronica, dance and rock at times. It’s all fabulously eccentric and actually often circus-like! Elli’s World captures creepy lullabies, weaving in and out of comfort, danger and quirk. And while listening, do bear in mind that this is all REAL credited players playing REAL instruments. This level of professionalism is utterly vital. You see, unlike most of us, this is Amaury’s living. This what he does. He writes music for the screen. But like most of us (okay, all of us), he does not have millions of adoring fans. Not because he is unsuccessful though – far from it! It is because of the music he makes. Aside from Hans Zimmer, John Williams and perhaps Danny Elfman, can any of you name any film composers? All right, Bernstein. Any more? You see, there are tens of thousands of film composers quietly going about their day, doing their job. The world of the arts isn’t all about stardom. But I think it’s about time we recognised these unsung greats. The same goes for producers too. So many of the songs you have loved and adored for decades, you have loved and adored because of the producer, not the singer. And with modern pap music, it is pretty much ALL production. There’s nothing else. Yet we praise just the singer. These days, I increasingly find the music in films to be far superior to the film itself. I am sure in the case of Elli and Her Monster Team this is not the case, and that the balance is just right. Why do I feel this? I suppose a hunch, but it’s because it’s animated. I’m not sure if it’s because it costs so much to make top quality animated films, but for some reason animated films tend to be so much better in quality than most other films. I’m not talking about a taste thang, I just mean that they seem to have judged everything better. The plot is better, the script is wittier and snappier. Just altogether a superior beauty (or beast).
Having listened to Amaury’s soundtrack in full around 4 or 5 times (and Elli’s World more than 20 times), I am left with a whole satisfaction, despite it completely missing all the visuals! Now, how often can you say that about a soundtrack?? It’s weird in itself to listen to the soundtrack of a film you haven’t seen, but actually I tend to do this more and more. Films that I know I wouldn’t be interested in; who’s to say I wouldn’t like the music? Another nice thing about soundtracks is that very often, the film itself will use snippets of the music, but on the soundtrack it will be in full. Yes, the soundtrack to the film will very often include music not in the film. Absurd to me. I feel this shows a lack of respect for the composer and for the music. How would you feel if someone wanted to swap verse 1 and verse 3 of your song and ditch the ending entirely? Welcome to the world of Film Music. It’s just something one has to accept. Of course it isn’t always like this, but it is common. The soundtrack will be far more what the composer intended. Which is why I increasingly love soundtracks. Amaury is honestly one of my favourite film composers. Ever. And I think he is only going to get better. I can’t wait to see the film, and I have a feeling I am going to want to be one of Elli’s monsters.
As to your probable future confusion as to why a German soundtrack has English titles and English lyrics… Your guess is as good as mine. But it suits me fine!
Finally, it’s your turn. Close your eyes and listen. You can probably imaginate gooder with my mouth wide shut.
Listen to 𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙞’𝙨 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!
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