𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 – this week: Sub Rosa – Bryan Cooper

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.

𝙎𝙪𝙗 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙖 – 𝘽𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧

Charles is under wraps…

Some of the best things are done in private. Equally, so are some of the worst. Honest privacy is a good thing. Secrecy is often not so good. It can be good for the element of delighted surprise (like when I was given an album review by 18 people), but usually a secret is to stay a secret. It is never to be known. But when one does something in private, it usually doesn’t mean one has something to hide. It is simply that we wish to be left alone while we do whatever we are doing. Call it “me time”. This is very different to shady people and their shady practices. Almost everything I do, I do in private. But I am not MI6. I hold no state secrets. And if I was, and I did, I wouldn’t be telling you. Which has possibly got you thinking. Could CC be one of those spies you’ve read about? Is he working for the British government, yet pretending to lead a relatively normal life…? He can be everywhere one day, then suddenly disappear the next… Is he really just mixing and producing? Does he really just write these weekly articles out of the kindness of his heart? Surely there has got to be an ulterior motive… You’ll never be able to read his private messages in order to find out. Besides, all you’d find there is chat from clients about mixing and production, and gratitude from reviewees for having written these articles. You won’t find such a message from last week’s reviewee however. Kind! But I digress. So, am I a British spy? You will never know. Shh, it’s a secret.

Remember the suspicious drone sightings in America a few weeks back? The U.S. Government chose to say “We know nothing about them, but there is no threat, danger, or cause for alarm”. Which of course, makes no sense. What they meant was, “We know exactly what they are, but we’re not going to tell you. Don’t worry, ignore them. It’s none of your business”. For better or for worse, these are state secrets. Private affairs, if you will. These things are happening under our noses all the time, but normally our noses don’t get the slightest whiff of its occurrence. Under my nose lies a disguise in the form of a fake moustache. Or is it fake? You see, if you have no inkling then you have no reason to doubt. You’re not looking for it or expecting it. This is called sub nosa. Sorry: sub rosa. Not under the nose, but “under the rose”; a beautiful Latin phrase meaning secrecy or confidentiality. So, how do we know whether something is sub rosa or not? We do not. And possibly never will. My parents could be drug smugglers for all I know! But I must say, aside from the odd truckload of statins, I think it highly unlikely.

So, what about the lighter side of life? Not the treasonous secrets, but simply the invisible goings-on of people in general? Although many of you might think you know me well (you probably do) from my articles, you won’t know my every move. You won’t know exactly what my week has entailed, or what I had for lunch. Just because I haven’t told you something, doesn’t mean it’s a secret. Or does it? It’s a privacy thang. But it’s also a boring thing. I don’t want to bore you. With my clients there is a certain amount of confidentiality. Not only will their tracks and stems remain for my ears only, but I will not divulge that I am even working with anyone specific. Each project is under wraps until the artist chooses to take it to the public. I am rarely asked to do this, but it is simply natural for me to act this way. Is it a secret? It’s simpler not to ask, but to assume. I make my own music in private and in solitary confinement. A prison of my own making. I choose to lock the door behind me. It is the way of most artists. Which is I think why many artists find it hard to answer those questions: “What’s coming next? What have you been working on?”… It’s not that these artists don’t know or aren’t sure how to answer, but more “it’s none of your business right now but I’ll let you all know once it’s complete and ready for release”. Sometimes, secrets are a good thing.

I just had to pause briefly before continuing – had to email my boss at MI6. Oops! I mean, I had some washing to do. Yeah, that’s right; washing. Laundering… So! Bryan Cooper is back in town. Back with not one song, but four! An EP, no less. He has been cultivating his brilliance for months, en privé. In fact, Bryan is very much a privé chap. To the extent that I am convinced his EP is an acronym of En Privé. Anyway. Many weeks ago, I was able to happen upon the knowledge of said EP, using my own Holmesian methods. As Holmes would often introduce his friend and confidant, Dr. Watson, I now will introduce my own friend and confidant, Dr. Cooper! Okay, not a doctor. But you see, he is a good friend, and he does very much (I believe) confide in me. I told no one. It was under your very noses, but you had not a whiff. I, on the other hand, was in full possession of the facts! But only the facts; not the music. I am sure I could have snaffled an early perusal. But frankly, where’s the fun in THAT! I like to look forward to releases. I don’t like to receive them early (unless I am to mix them, obviously). I believe Thursday was release day, but due to much faffing on my new Mac (what a machine!), I had to wait until said faff was complete before immersing myself in the world of the Coopster. Or Coops. Or Cryin Booper. The man has many names; all of which I am convinced he loathes (so don’t use them unless you feel your bond is so strong that slagging off one another becomes a habitual pastime – an inexplicable sign of affection). Anyway, now that I’m well and truly faffed-out (technologically speaking), I am able to fully give the EP the respect it deserves. And this is what I did.

Knowing that Bryan’s music is rarely instant, I knew I had to give it multiple listens before coming to a conclusion of any kind. I did, and I did. The music did what his music always does: the initial listen is nice, but subsequent listens prove it to be more than this. I find myself merging into Holmes again. I hear what everyone else hears, but in concentrating and paying attention, I observe perhaps a little more than your average casual listener. And the average casual listener will listen once. Max. I am not your average casual listener. And neither should YOU be. We are all musicians. Oh, except the HAL (A.I.) frauds, but let’s not waste any more time on them. Let’s talk REAL music. Bryan puts a LOT into his music, so why not get a LOT out of it? All you have to do is listen. Oh, all right then, lazy bugger. I’ll do it for you. Call it cognition by proxy. Which incidentally is the name of the E(n) P(rivé). The unusually titled Cognition By Proxy contains four tracks of an equally unusual nature. For this is the way of the Coops. These include Mach 1, Sub Rosa, Thaw, and Deserter. Intrigued? I know EYE was. Still am, if I’m honest. I have settled on Sub Rosa for several reasons. One, I think it’s my fave (not an easy decision). Two, it’s boring to opt for track 1, and he has already covered track 1 on his socials. Three, tracks 3 & 4 are the ones Bryan has decided to push first. So, rather than going with the grain, I thought I’d be an annoying little shit and go for the only one that has possibly had the least attention so far in its first few days of life. But let’s dwell more on that first reason: I think it’s my fave. Which is the REAL reason. All four songs are special, which while expected is nevertheless still very satisfying and gratifying. They are also all very different from one another. All four tracks have perfection in sound. His best sound to date, in my opinion. Why is this important? Because then we can focus on the music. Oh, it’s also nicer when things sound good.

Sub Rosa has all the sides of Bryan. The indie, the acoustic, the subdued depth, the thoughtful, the melancholy, the uplifting, the beauty, the humour and the wisdom. For Bryan is a wise man. There is something substantial about the way he works. His music does have a timeless quality to it, but it’s more than that. There is gravitas, dignity and importance ever-present. Sub Rosa doesn’t feel as though it has been written or put together. It simply IS. The guitars are full and perfect, yet oh-so human and strangely honest. The drummer (Bryan) is playing what is right, rather than what feels right. It is as if there is only one option. One way the song could be. And this is it. Like Bryan (on all instruments and vocals) is possessed, channeling the music in one take. The bass is playful yet somehow grounding, allowing for the strings (later on) to take flight and soar. And this happens just over a minute in (1:07), at the first chorus. Just glorious! But what THEN, I hear you call!! Well, at 1:26 we have a truly unexpected moment. A halftime groove! I don’t think I’ve ever heard Bryan groove, but this proves he is indeed a groovy groover. It’s deep, the bass takes the fore, and it’s eerie! His voice is heavily processed and distant, yet insistent. The strings strike up an argument, but Bryan keeps on with his point well made. This isn’t so much a middle eight, as a middle third! Literally a third of the song. In fact, the whole song is ever evolving. You all know I’m a big fan of changes in song, but it mustn’t be jarring or awkward. With Bryan, it’s so smooth you might easily miss such massive changes. What a wonder is Bryan Cooper. We then have a beautiful instrumental section in order to brighten the spirits. Sing high, my strings. Sing high! And so they do, into a final rousing round of chorus-time. We finish with a Bryan who’s left his clothes behind. Just guitar and THAT voice. Isolated, alone, en privé.

Bryan evidently also has his own prison of choice; he does it all, alone. But like me, he retains the key. He turned that key and (after just one long inhalation) allowed Cognition By Proxy to be released. And exhale.

Didn’t you catch all those musical details? Elementary, my dear Watson.

Listen to 𝙎𝙪𝙗 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙖 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

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