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.
๐ฝ๐ก๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฅ – ๐ ๐ช๐ก๐๐๐ฃ๐๐
Charles is knitting with woolโฆ
โIf the shoe fits, wear itโ – so the saying goes. If the shoe doesnโt fit, wear something else. Makes sense. But most tend to opt for an uncomfortable in-betweenโฆ If the shoe doesnโt fit, wear it anyway. These are my thoughts of the day. Confused? I know EYE am. In fact, Iโve always been a little confused. Mainly because things tend to make sense to me in a different way. Or they donโt make sense to me in the slightest. Still confused? Yeah, I can see your furrowed brow from here. I am talking about the way EYE am versus the way most others are. And this applies to you too. Do you find that you look at the world a little differently to others? Of course you do. Youโre an artist. We tend to be a little different in many ways. But it ainโt just art and artists; it all stems back to schoolโฆ
Were you the one with long hair when everyone else had short hair? Or vice versa? Were you the one whoโd rather stay at home and play guitar than go out and play sports? Were you always listening to different music to your peersโ? Ringing a bell yetโฆ? How about at home? Family usually has that family connection, no? Where each member tends to have similar views, thoughts, feelingsโฆ? But not you. You always had your own way of seeing the world. And because of all this, you were treated differently at home, in school and in later life? The odd one out? The weirdo? The wretched outcast? The black sheep…?
โFitting inโ is something we naturally do (or attempt to do) as a teenager. You werenโt the only one. Everyone you knew was trying desperately to โgo with the crowdโ. Of course, there were the leaders and the followers. The leaders were often just as inauthentic as the followers; those leaders were usually just attention-seekers. Those followers were just trying to be part of something. The thing is, there are many of us who tried fitting in, failed to fit in, and instead just did our own thing. Thatโs where most of us come in. My question is, whether it is weird to be different? Surely itโs NATURAL to be different, no? Weโre not clonesโฆ Just because most of your friends left school and got office jobs, doesnโt mean that YOU should have to do that. Rather than โthemโ being the โnormalโ ones and โusโ being the โweirdosโ, I like to think of it differently. Howโs about this (to make you feel a bit better about yourself)โฆ YOU were honest with yourself. YOUโRE one of the few who DIDNโT bow to peer pressure and โthe systemโ. Those who chose to continue wearing the ill-fitting shoe, will potentially regret their decision as they hobble through life. But you? Youโre a lone wolf in sheepโs clothing! EMBRACE the black sheep in you! Welsh need not apply.
THIS black sheep seems to have wandered aimlessly into a field of music. Mehh (says the sheep). Okay, it seems this sheep is not impressed. But one artist seems to stand outโฆ A chap who although born Dutch, is based in Manchester, England. Please welcome your new favourite black sheep, Julience. And yes, his latest release is called โBlack Sheepโ, but I think youโd gathered that by now. This man has appeared 3 times in my โmaybe listโ, but has never quite managed to arrive on this page of mine. So, as I stick a gold star on Julienceโs lapel, I smile.
Iโm going to morph into Billy Shears and reveal whatโs underneath this โBlack Sheepโ. My previous two reviews have covered unusual songs with complicated structures. THIS, is the complete polar opposite. It is proof that great songs donโt always have to be complex. In fact, most of the songs you find yourself humming day-in, day-out, will probably be pretty simple songs. โBlack Sheepโ shows off such a fortรฉ. If youโre gonna use just two chords, THIS is the way to do it. It is time to rock in a classic way. Thatโs right, weโre stepping back to somewhere between 1970 and 1976. We start immediately with a riff that conjures the spirit of Messrs. Jagger and Richards. Specifically โStart Me Upโ. Thatโs in the left ear. But just one round in, weโre introduced to the rest of the band with a second guitar on the right – one that sounds as though Mark Knopfler has borrowed Richardsโ other guitar. Bass right down the middle, and drums that sound straight outta โAll Right Nowโ by Free. Yes, complete with unmistakable COWBELL!!! But PLEASE donโt make the mandatory (theyโre not mandatory) cowbell jokes in the comments. The cowbell is feeling a little put upon. But now we come to the voice. Imagine the attitude of Thin Lizzyโs Phil Lynott and Bruce Springsteen with the vocal tone ofโฆ ah damn, I canโt quite get it. Can you? Maybe in the comments? Is it Roger Daltrey with a large sprinkling of Peter Gabriel? You tell me. My final comparison is probably not one that anyone else would come up withโฆ Daft Punk, anyone? No, Iโm not joking. Thereโs a song called โFragments of Timeโ by Daft Punk & Todd Edwards that for some reason feels somewhat similar to me. The sound is entirely different. So is the genre. So is the entire song. And yet there is something there. Almost certainly complete coincidence, but I like to make these little comparisons – itโs just the way my brain works. I hear you already: โCoincidence?? Youโre completely insane! Theyโre nothing LIKE each other, you twat!โ
Butโฆ Two chordsโฆ How does this work? How can just two chords make a song great? Iโll tell ya. When we sing songs, we donโt sing chords. We CANโT sing chords. Instead, we sing melodies. Melodies with words. Which is two thirds of what makes up โthe songโ. Other than the chords, the rest is performance and production. Rock is in Julienceโs veins. Which isnโt about virtuosic ability, but a feel. Jagger did not have an incredible voice, he made a thrilling sound. Richards was never one of the greatest guitarists of all time; he made a thrilling sound. Itโs more about attitude and rock ethic than anything else. You have to feel it to believe it. I felt it in Julienceโs recordings, so I definitely believe it. The playing and the singing is everything, here. The performance. When it comes to rock, the performance is everything. Anyone can play Beatles songs, and โthe songโ always shines (admittedly never as brightly as the original). But with rock, when a mediocre rock combo starts to play a Stones tune, the actual song usually falls flat on its face. Because itโs simply not the Stones. The performance is why I adore Queens of the Stone Age. No one could take the place of Josh Homme, just like no one could take the place of Julience. His passionate singing voice, his edgy guitar tone, his masterful basslines, his sneaky OWgan parts, his fabulous drum fills, and yes, his cowbell; these are all of the things that make up โBlack Sheepโ. The fact that itโs just two chords becomes largely irrelevant. Itโs a rocking little record (how many of you sang the next line?)โฆ And speaking of lines, those lyrics are so integral to this being such a corker of a song – most of us relate. Weโre all alone, together. Not as the song suggests, but as colossal woolly mammoths!
I did it!! I actually wrote a short(er) article!!!
If ever youโre feeling like you donโt belong, remember: Black Sheep Matter.
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