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.
๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช (๐๐๐๐ฉ. ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ & ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ) – ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐ค๐ก๐๐จ
Charles enjoys the weatherโฆ
What is it about the sunshine that makes us smile? โHow would YOU know, CC? Youโre in England!โ – Okay, let me clear up this myth once and for all. I donโt live in Yorkshire (the North), I live in London (the South). London gets tonnes of great weather. It does not rain all the time. In fact, it is usually not raining. We get far more sun than rain. The sky is usually kind to us in London. So, seeing the sun is quite normal. These days, summer is no longer โcross yer fingers and hope for the odd day of okay weatherโ. Summer in London is pretty bloody similar to the rest of Europe – thank you, global warming (or coincidence, depending on whose side youโre on)โฆ Right now, Europe is going through the most tremendous heatwave, and England is no exception. Last week was hot, this week is hot, and next week will be hot. And when I say hot, I mean tomorrow will apparently be 37ยฐC (roughly 99ยฐF for those of the traditional system). So, to conclude, it is a myth that London gets dismal, cold, wet weather at all times.
Where was I? Oh yes. I was being English in talking about the weather. Despite being oh-so used to lovely weather for quite a lot of the year, we English are still stuck on auto-mode. We get excited when the sun comes out. We plan to get outside and burn. Actually, we tend not to plan. We instead simply rush out like impatient dogs; flip-flops at the ready (slap-slap, slap-slap – who doesnโt hate that sound?). But I think the biggest change is our frame of mind. It suddenly doesnโt really matter to us that our Prime Minister is stepping down. The increasingly extortionate prices of just about anything seem just irrelevant. An incompetent police force seems unimportant at a time when crime seems unfathomable. World affairs are that of the World, not of our own. Wars continue to ensue, โbut it ainโt MY warโโฆ We instantly crave a personal happiness; contentment within oneโs own mind. And so, into the rays we go! A queer sensation occurs below the noseโฆ It is an involuntary smile, complete with the unfounded โassuranceโ that everything is going to be okay. Nay, everything is going to be completely and utterly tickety-boo (a glorious little English term roughly meaning hunky-dory).
Have you noticed – providing they are not too irritable from the unbearable swelter – that people are kinder when the sunโs out? I do NOT include drivers in this statement – their angry resentment seems to be present no matter the season. Outside of the tin can on wheels, though, you yourself are kinder, no? Have you noticed? The scene is blissful, and you want it to stay that way. But itโs no fun being the only happy person. Like The Turtles, we want to be โHappy Togetherโ. There is an air of universal optimism brought on by nothing but golden rays. Such a simple trigger, but I am just so grateful for such a trigger. It puts a delightful spin on the term โtrigger-happyโ. And so, you leave the house. Music playing through your lugholes and a confident swagger in your step. Naked arms and naked ankles. The lightest breeze saving you from overheating. Itโs glorious! And yet, you turn the corner, and some poor womanโs shopping bag has split; her purchases rolling into the roadโฆ In duller weather, one might choose not to have not noticed and just so happen to cross the road while looking in the opposite directionโฆ โDoo doo-dooโฆ Nothing to see hereโโฆ But in this heavenly sunshine, you find yourself stooping down to help the lady, smiling all the while. It just isnโt conscious. You have become the automatic saint. There is nothing to gain from this act of kindness, and yet you do it so instinctively, as though the poor unfortunate is your own mother. The lady is bowled over by your manners, and once again, that Turtles song bellows through the horns of an ice cream van.
But enough of sheltered reptiles. Shelter is the last thing on our minds right now. We want sun and music. We have the sun. Check! So, what music do we pick for such cloudless times? The Beach Boys? Would make sense, but I want something fresh. Something modern, but with a golden hue of familiarity. Perfect; I have just the thing. Are you feeling positive yet? I do hope so. But if youโre still heavily frowning, fear not! The Optimists are here! Or rather, the Optimisticsโฆ Please welcome Brendon Nicholas and Terrence & The Optimistics! This is New Zealand at its finest. Those of you who have quietly wondered the whereabouts of Old Zealand, let me quench that mild intrigue of yours. Old Zealand (Zealand) is the western-most coastal part of the Netherlands. It translates simply as sea land (for obvious reasons). New Zealand was discovered by a Dutchman who named it New Zealand. Which frankly is a rather lazy naming scheme, but I canโt help but feel this isnโt exactly too important right now. Anyway: ponderance quenched. What with this โnewโ land being rather spoilt for sun, both Brendon and Terrence are natural optimists. They also make up the total of said Optimistics.
Usually, the duo likes to have Terrence Bull as the lead songwriter and general all-round music man, so that Brendon Nicholas can be the voice of the song. ALL CHANGE!! This time, Terrence takes a backseat, remaining only for mixing duties (a thoroughly underrated role – ahem). Brendon has all hands on deck for their latest song, โSave Youโ. To put it crassly, this is Brendonโs baby. He wrote the song, sang the song, and played all the instruments. โSave Youโ is a joyous tune. It lifts the Venetian blinds to the ceiling, allowing the sunlight to drench your view as you sip that mandatory morning coffee in contemplation of the inevitably great day ahead. You feel like Superman when Superman has been Superman for a long time. Youโre just used to being brilliant. To give you an idea of the sound weโre talking about here, think Weezer, The Beach Boys, Ben Folds Five, Sean Ono, Joan Jett, Beck, Dodgy and The Shins. But mainly, think Eels. No, not those repellent things that squirm when you squirm. The band. Itโs uncanny how much Brendon sounds like Mark Oliver Everitt, Eelsโ lead singer. Which to me can only be a good thing. In October of last year, I mentioned the idea of how Michael Jackson would have sounded in the โ60sโฆ Well, now I again seem to be brought back to the same concept, but this time with a different artist. โSave Youโ is how I imagine Nirvana to sound, should they have been around in the โ60s. Itโs a funny idea, but I must say, I do like this little game of placing a certain artist in a completely different era, then imagining what they would sound like (I also have images of them in my mind, and itโs quite amusing). This is far more fun than not bothering with the imagination part and just requesting HAL (A.I.) to make this happen before our very eyes. We mustnโt have substantial brain rot before the decade (or year) is out. This will happen naturally – just give it time.
โSave Youโ is a song about helping people. Itโs incredibly upbeat without being soppy in the slightest; mainly due to its fist-thrust-high manner with a rocking riff to match. But it is not without hippie sentiment, man. After an instrumental chorus for starters, these verses chime high with that clean Rickenbacker-like jangle; vocal melodies to the fore. Harmonies bloom as though itโs Motherโs Day. And then our bright sun rises for the chorus! The intro riff comes into fruition with spectacular tight vocals: โDo you, need me, to save, to save you?โ – itโs earnest, honest and willing. Proof that once we are okay within ourselves, we will naturally come to the aid of others. Howโs THAT for optimism?? After two rounds of a chorus fit for a pub singalong, weโre pretty much at the halfway mark. Too early for a bridge, surelyโฆ Nope. It certainly feels like the right point for a change. This bridge does just what a bridge should do: itโs an alternate flavour of the same ilk. We havenโt journeyed to a foreign land, but merely moved to the garden for a change of scenery. And like all pro bridges, it segues perfectly back into the next chorus. The thing is, normally in โsong-formโ this would be the final chorusโฆ Thereโs a reason that bridge came earlier than usualโฆ We have enough time now for a brief but excellent guitar solo! NOW we get our final chorus. The thing is, this song wouldnโt really hold together without Terrenceโs part. The mix is solid, unified and enjoyable. You probably wonโt be aware of the mixโฆ While sounding like an affront, this is in fact high praise for any mixing engineer. The mix should be invisible. And doesnโt the duo work well as a twosome? I should say so; they grew up together, having known each other for 45 years!!
โSave Youโ is just so fun! Full of exuberance and vim! The perfect song for my wander in the English sunshine.
Thereโs a fresh, new zeal to it all. The old zeal is Dutch.
Listen to ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช on the ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ Spotify playlist HERE!
Listen to ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช on the ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ Apple Music playlist HERE!
Listen to ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐๐ค๐ช on YouTube HERE!
Follow ๐ฝ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ค๐ฃ ๐๐๐๐๐ค๐ก๐๐จ on TwiX HERE!
Follow ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ & ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ on Instagram HERE!
Follow ๐๐๐ง๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐ & ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐ฉ๐๐ข๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐จ on TwiX HERE!
Please share this post and let me know your thoughts in the comments below
Leave a Reply