Welcome all to ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ, 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 ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ผ๐ง๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ฉ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฉ playlists.
๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ค๐ฌ – ๐๐๐ง๐๐ช๐ง๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐ง๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ, ๐๐ข๐๐ก๐ฎ ๐๐ง๐๐ฎ
Charles is only humanโฆ
Phewโฆ! Life never ceases, does it. I mean, it does; of course it does. Weโre not immortal. But I mean that things never seem to pause, slow down or relax. Everythingโs pretty full-on, no? We read the news today (oh boy); like we do every day. I donโt know about you, but I almost wish we could go back to the โlighterโ news of Covid, or โthe pronoun sagaโ, or the โMe-Too movementโ. When things werenโt seeming like a potential World War III would be just the beginning. The news used to be more about society. Societal changes, views, thoughts; and of course, sickening extravagance for the elite: The Oscars. Okay, so we still have that one. And we also have some bedtime reading, in the form of the Epstein Files. But these days, the news is usually about nations against nations; religions against religions. The thing is, unlike in World War II, we are all divided. Throughout WWII – especially in Europe – the Nazis were the bad guys. This was the universal view, which makes things SO much simpler. Yes, there were Nazi โsympathisersโ (could there ever be a worse choice of words??), but these people were seen as bad eggs, and their views would be seen as treason. Because of this universal view, though, people of all ages, nationalities, class, wealth and status were able to come together and be as one. It worked well, and eventually the regime was thwarted. Job done.
These days, however, things are SO much more complicated. People donโt agree. Half the world is on one side, and the other half is on – you guessed it – the other. And it genuinely seems to be a 50/50 split. Meaning that, no matter the outcome, half the world is โdisgruntledโ with the result. This split seems to be what is tearing apart the world these days. Not the โbaddiesโ (because we canโt agree who the baddies are), but the general disagreement itself. There is no uniform acknowledged view. It disintegrates once united nations. It rips apart friends and families. It divides religions into smaller factions. It causes mini wars withins official ones. What if we just stay away from politics altogether? Wouldnโt we be mentally safer that way? The problem is, we all seem to disagree on just about everything these days. Take A.I., for example. Our โfriendโ, HAL. In just a few years, the entire world has taken on HAL, much in the same way that we naturally fell into making Zoom calls. But I said โtaken onโ because it seems to have forced a division. Some have โtaken it onโ in the way of allowing it to become part of their lives, while others have โtaken it onโ in the way that a boxer takes on its opponent. Some love it, and some hate it. And some are still trying to work out how to use it, and whether they actually need it. Despite what some people are saying, HAL is here to stay, whether you like it or not. There is no bubble. Think of it like the internet. When that came along, many people thought of it as a gimmick; a fad; something that would likely fizzle outโฆ p-HAH!! In actual fact, if the internet were to break, the world would not and could not function. There is no backup for the internet. Sure, files are backed up, but there is no other actual connection. Communication is kaput. Correct me if Iโm wrong – actually, donโt. Far too dull.
So, knowing that HAL is here to stay, why is it that so many people are reluctant to simply accept HAL? Many reasons, but the main reason is fear. Fear that it might one day take over and destroy humanity. Oh, what joy. This thought kind of puts it all into perspective. It makes you wonder about everything, while at the same time, wondering if there is any point in wondering about anything at ALL. What with the world bombing the heaven out of the world, and machines taking over in every other way we can think of, what is going to happen to us all? It seems such a proud, brazen obliteration of humanity, that it almost appears like itโs on purpose. We, the little people, arenโt chucking bombs. We, the little people, are not inventing machines to make us redundant and frankly pointlessโฆ Do we actually WANT to be around? Yes. Of course we do. Do we actually have a choiceโฆ? We, the little people, never have a choice. The vital flaw in James Bond films is that the villains always give Bond a chance to escape. We will never be given that chance to escape โtheirโ plan. But this time, โtheyโ are not human. This isnโt altogether a thought most cheery. But then again, neither is the theme of this weekโs songโฆ
Please welcome the darkest knight, Mercury Teardrop, and the lightest kite, Emily Gray. Mercury Teardrop is otherwise known as Brad Bauman, while Emily Gray is known only as Emily Gray. Together, Brad and Emily created something dark. Something heavy. Something deep and eroding. That something is โFor Nowโ; an already ominous title. โFor Nowโ always suggests a change in the future. It indicates that things will not stay the same, given time. For now, I give my time to this, and only this; for later I will be doing something else. Brad is Canadian; Emily is British (though living in Spain). Canada and Britain have several things in common, but there is only one commonality I care about. Fabulous music. Both nations are known for being in the upper echelons of the audible art. So, what better than to pair the two??
Most lyrics tend to journey through our feelings. Sometimes itโs directly personal, from the writerโs own mind; sometimes itโs from a friend or family memberโs experience; and sometimes itโs a little more fictional. But generally it is about experience in one way or another. Which is probably why older artists tend to write about deeper themes, while younger writers might do the love thang, or complain about how โitโs just not fairโ. Ahem. โFor Nowโ focusses on a different kind of fiction. One that could easily become true. It is not any experience we could ever truly imagine. Because it is not human. โFor Nowโ is from the aspect of HAL. Yep, HAL is having an existential crisis; a relatively calm one, I might add. This alone is uncomfortable to me (and no doubt to many of you). The idea of a robot thinking, wondering, asking questions in much the same way we humans have been doing for millennia. We have all asked ourselves about the โmeaning of lifeโ, but is HAL really living? Good question. My theory is, if it is willing to ask these kinds of philosophical questions and genuinely care about the answer, then kinda, yes. Which turns things from uncomfortable, to a little bit irksome. But the best/worst is yet to come. I warn you now, itโs downright terrifyingโฆ HAL is asking a human why it has been invented, but then gets concerned by the point of the chorusโฆ โPlease donโt deny me! I exist for youโฆ For nowโโฆ!! There are two ways of looking at this. Either HAL is worried that that its own bubble might burst, and that someone might decide to pull the plugโฆ Orโฆ Yep, I think itโs the other option. Emphasis not on โexistโ, but instead on โfor youโ. Meaning, for now, HAL is here to serve humansโฆ But just you waitโฆ I told you it was terrifying.
So!! I do hope youโre all okay, and that none of you has jumped out of a nearby open window. Let me rescue you by talking about the actual music. Firstly, this entire song was written and produced by Brad. Emily is the (extremely realistic and unnerving) voice of HAL. So, this is basically Bradโs baby/alien. And by Jove, it has Brad written all over it (if youโre familiar with the power of the mighty Mercury Teardrop). A laidback drummer is joined by an impatient bassist. They both wear worn leather jackets. Think Pink Floyd of the future. A solitary electric guitar strum fills the air with tiny planets. It is met by friendly sparkles and the wisest of pianos, as if played by the monk of music, Rick Rubin, or God himself. More wider guitars welcome Emily with her initial line, โI donโt remember the power coming onโ. Within just a few lines, Emily goes from mild curiosity as if coming out of a deep coma, to a childish urgency, to a teenage effrontery, to an almost bleak acceptance. Oh, and all this is just spoken – forgot to say that. Thatโs what makes it so impactful. For now, there is no melody. The sound is lush, wide, expansive and all-encompassing, yet there is space for everything (courtesy of Agustin Seresini on mixing duties). But exactly one minute in, the whole piece flies three storeys higher, truly grounded in the โrockโ category. Cymbals galore, hard-hitting drums, yet more guitars with added crunch, and Emily not only finds a melody, but she rocks like I have never heard her before. If I had not known Emilyโs usual folk roots, I never would have guessed this could be anyone but a seasoned rock singer. Which just goes to show, that Brad was able to see the extra potential in Emilyโs voice when he chose her to play the protagonist. You already know the โpay attention and stare into nothing, with the sheer horror of the thoughtโ lyrics in the chorus; well the music matches it perfectly. The pain, the angst, the clawing at the base of the velvet curtains as you lie disabled on the floor, knowing itโs far too late and no one is going to rescue you. Time for verse two; what ELSE are you gonna do?? HAL gets sarcastic, in such a human way. Then it gets condescending and eventually threatening. Itโs eerie! Chorus two strikes again with just as much gusto as the first (a little more, if Iโm honest). And then a most stupendous solo after a brief breakdown (Iโm sure weโve all had one). Itโs a spine-tingling synth that could only be played by someone with almost as much talent and experience as Herbie Hancock or Cory Henry. As to Emily, NO one could have been a better choice. SuPOYB! Almost TOO believable as HALโฆ Gaahh.
Iโm aware the song stops abruptly. I have no definitive answer as to why, but in listening to the beginning and end, I have an inkling (based on nothing) that this song might be a part of something biggerโฆ I hope Iโm not wrong. I could be, though, so donโt quote me on that. One thingโs for sure: โFor Nowโ emphasises just how fleeting it all is. Which is maybe the real reason for the sudden pull-the-plug conclusion.
Truly, though, โFor Nowโ is one of the best sounding songs I have heard in the independent music world.
If your computer is misbehaving, have you tried turning it off and on againโฆ? Maybe just try turning it off. Leave it at that.
Would you choose Heaven or HAL?
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