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.
𝘾𝘼𝙂𝙀 – 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙛𝙤𝙡𝙙 𝙀𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙠𝙤 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙨 & 𝙎𝙝𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙖𝙣
Charles is content in his cage…
Europe in the Summertime. A song I wrote years ago. Europe is fun in summer. We think of Roman piazzas. We think of English coasts. We think of Spanish villas. Sun, sun, sun, as it relentlessly beats down upon our already scorched arms. Summer is the time to get away. Americans call it vacation. We, in England, call it holiday. A break from the norm. A time to eat ice cream without feeling it has to be squeezed into a swift lunch break. But is it simply a break from the norm, or is it more than that? Is it wanted or is it needed?
Life these days is more stressful than it used to be, let’s face it. The pace is unnecessarily speedy to the point where you’re out of breath. It often feels like there is a threat if you don’t do everything perfectly, and fast. Your email inbox is proof of that… Everyone is rushing. Few are smiling. There is that much more competition. There seems to be constant worry and fear of the near future. The news seems only to dwell on the worst side of life. We feel trapped in a never ending cycle of gloom, that is only to be followed by gloomier gloom. Was this how life was supposed to be? It’s certainly not how Hollywood has always portrayed it… But that’s Hollywood. How about looking at a past reality: grandparents. Were they always stressed, worried and depressed? Chances are, they weren’t. Life was fine for them. Could it be that we just expect too much from life, and that people’s expectations were lower back then? Or could it be that people had everything they wanted? Did they have simpler needs? I think so. But my needs are pretty simple and meagre.
We desperately need freedom. We’re technically free, but we’re not. Modern life demands a great deal from every living soul. We feel stuck and in a jam. Call it a cage, if you wish, but I think the real reason people enjoy and look forward to holidays, is the escape. Escape from normal life. A brief illusion that you’re living the life you wish you had. A time to feel rich. A time to enjoy everything around you without having to think about work or emails. A time to be a king among kings. If you think about it, all tourists are pretending to be kings and queens (or film stars without the fame). You’re free to do as you wish, in a place of beauty. It’s time to break the lock and leave that cage. Freedom awaits!
I am wondering though, if many have fled their cage in search of a better life, but they haven’t yet found it… I’m also wondering if there are some who never had a cage. And I’m further wondering if some are LOOKING for that cage. I know: weird thought. Bear with me. A cage would usually be seen as a prison. But think of it now as a community. A place seemingly locked away from the rest of the world. Isolation of a different kind. A place of safety. A place to belong. A holiday can often turn into a lifelong excursion. One likes it so much that one considers moving there. I think sometimes people go away to FIND what they feel they never quite had. That beautiful little cage that they can call home. Do remember though, a holiday is always a fond memory, not because of the place or the joy that place brought, but because it was a holiday. It lacked all the things that bring you down. No work, no bills, no threats, no negative thoughts. But sometimes moving to that place of dreams can be just what the doctor ordered.
Please welcome our three Europeans in the Summertime: The Blindfold Experience, Wilko Wilkes, and Shayan Regan. Michael Lind (The Blindfold Experience) has his cabin in the woods in Sweden. Paul Wilkes (Wilko Wilkes) has his new house in Bingley, in the North of England (a change from his old house in Bingley, in the North of England). Shayan Regan (Shayan Regan) has breathtakingly beautiful Florence (he doesn’t own all of it). All three of them are most comfortable and content within their chosen cage. This week’s pick is three people doing what they do best. ‘CAGE’ shows the true purpose of a collaboration. Michael is the producer. An excellent producer. He picks and chooses the best people for the song he has in mind. He doesn’t believe in attempting to do it all himself, because he can’t. And he also feels a band with set members wouldn’t work because each song will demand something different. Hence his usual method of letting the song determine what is needed. He has his little black book of musicians for the music itself, but will also play some parts himself. Although the guitars and drums are still to the fore (as ever), ‘CAGE’ was always supposed to have the emphasis on the vocals. He had to choose wisely. ‘CAGE ventures into spoken word as well as singing. Well, okay, not spoken word. The verses are rapped, and the choruses are sung. A little like my song, ‘This is How the Story Begins’ (also with young Wilko). I’ve always liked the coming together of rapped verses and sung choruses. There’s something so immediate that grabs your core in rap (probably because it’s more like speech), but then there’s the flow and the catchy element of having a sung chorus. One of my favourite examples of this technique is ‘My Life’ by 50 Cent, Eminem and Adam Levine. Works perfectly. Probably the most famous example would be ‘Stan’ by Eminem and Dido.
Michael opted for whom I consider to be one of the very best rappers on the independent music scene, Wilko Wilkes. There is something so utterly unique about his delivery. It has urgency and force, but never manages to quite hold back his playful, silly side. It’s somehow just so honest. So very human. There’s no pretence and no acting. Having said that, he plays the part well. The thing is, the chorus needed something more than singing. It needed more than melody and hummability. It needed confident youth in sound. It needed to soar. And frankly, who soars better than the one and only Shayan Regan?? I’ll tell you. No one. Both Wilko and Shayan are full of bite. It’s like they entered the studio wearing a boxing glove clutching a can of Coke. Sugared up and ready for a fight, they belt their finest. But always taking turns, because beneath the macho exterior lies two sensitive gentlemen. Michael’s only macho exterior is his beard. The rest is all gentleman. Despite all this belting and oomph, the verses of ‘CAGE’ are hella slow. But slow has depth, swagger and space. Slow often means the opposite of boring. Slow also means there is somewhere to go: progression.
Progression is the name of the game with this song. We start sparse and somewhat barren, as though we have begun with a desolate end. Crispy, languid beats bring things to life, as the lead guitar starts to open its eyes. It turns out those eyes belong to Wilko. Rhythmically, he explains the situation. The story. The past. The journey has begun. Despite some positive memories, there is a sense of impending doom… The lead guitar lurches forward with a “chunk-chunk” harmonic, like the swing of a dragon’s neck, as its fiery eyes suggest it’s dinner time…! This is what they call Verse 1, Part 2. This terrifying creature disappears from view momentarily, but home is a long way away. Sweat drips as you attempt to escape the feeling of dread. The worry builds, the fear stacks. The guitars and drums escalate, throwing your heart into overdrive. All goes black as a glass teardrop of fire falls from the sky. You screech your heels to a standstill, expecting total annihilation. The teardrop shatters on the ground and all is in flames. The tempo doubles, and you RUN! Shayan soars like an eagle! The soul takes over. Magnificently thrilling! The fiery builds, the declines back to darkness, the dynamics and exhausting emotion! Then two verses and choruses later, there’s one heck of a guitar solo in here. It ain’t all about the vocals. In the final half of the final chorus, the drums are just crazy with what sounds like a TRIPLE kick drum pedal, only reserved for those rare drummers with three feet. Look, good things come in threes.
This release really shows off the brilliance of human collaboration. Pure excitement.
The song feels like a slap in the face of all the A.I. robots making music. Cage Against the Machine.
Listen to 𝘾𝘼𝙂𝙀 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!
Listen to 𝘾𝘼𝙂𝙀 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Apple Music playlist HERE!
Listen to 𝘾𝘼𝙂𝙀 on YouTube HERE!
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