𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 – this week: Save You (feat. Terrence & The Optimistics) – Brendon Nicholas

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.

𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 (𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩. 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 & 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨) – 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣 𝙉𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙨

Charles enjoys the weather…

What is it about the sunshine that makes us smile? “How would YOU know, CC? You’re in England!” – Okay, let me clear up this myth once and for all. I don’t 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 “cross yer fingers and hope for the odd day of okay weather”. Summer in London is pretty bloody similar to the rest of Europe – thank you, global warming (or coincidence, depending on whose side you’re on)… 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 37°C (roughly 99°F 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 doesn’t hate that sound?). But I think the biggest change is our frame of mind. It suddenly doesn’t 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, “but it ain’t MY war”… We instantly crave a personal happiness; contentment within one’s own mind. And so, into the rays we go! A queer sensation occurs below the nose… It is an involuntary smile, complete with the unfounded “assurance” 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 sun’s 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 it’s no fun being the only happy person. Like The Turtles, we want to be ‘Happy Together’. 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 “trigger-happy”. 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. It’s glorious! And yet, you turn the corner, and some poor woman’s shopping bag has split; her purchases rolling into the road… In duller weather, one might choose not to have not noticed and just so happen to cross the road while looking in the opposite direction… “Doo doo-doo… Nothing to see here”… But in this heavenly sunshine, you find yourself stooping down to help the lady, smiling all the while. It just isn’t 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 you’re still heavily frowning, fear not! The Optimists are here! Or rather, the Optimistics… 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 can’t help but feel this isn’t exactly too important right now. Anyway: ponderance quenched. What with this “new” 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, ‘Save You’. To put it crassly, this is Brendon’s baby. He wrote the song, sang the song, and played all the instruments. ‘Save You’ 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. You’re just used to being brilliant. To give you an idea of the sound we’re 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. It’s uncanny how much Brendon sounds like Mark Oliver Everitt, Eels’ 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 ‘60s… Well, now I again seem to be brought back to the same concept, but this time with a different artist. ‘Save You’ is how I imagine Nirvana to sound, should they have been around in the ‘60s. It’s 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 it’s 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 mustn’t have substantial brain rot before the decade (or year) is out. This will happen naturally – just give it time.

’Save You’ is a song about helping people. It’s 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 it’s Mother’s Day. And then our bright sun rises for the chorus! The intro riff comes into fruition with spectacular tight vocals: “Do you, need me, to save, to save you?” – it’s earnest, honest and willing. Proof that once we are okay within ourselves, we will naturally come to the aid of others. How’s THAT for optimism?? After two rounds of a chorus fit for a pub singalong, we’re pretty much at the halfway mark. Too early for a bridge, surely… Nope. It certainly feels like the right point for a change. This bridge does just what a bridge should do: it’s an alternate flavour of the same ilk. We haven’t 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 “song-form” this would be the final chorus… There’s a reason that bridge came earlier than usual… We have enough time now for a brief but excellent guitar solo! NOW we get our final chorus. The thing is, this song wouldn’t really hold together without Terrence’s part. The mix is solid, unified and enjoyable. You probably won’t be aware of the mix… While sounding like an affront, this is in fact high praise for any mixing engineer. The mix should be invisible. And doesn’t the duo work well as a twosome? I should say so; they grew up together, having known each other for 45 years!!

‘Save You’ is just so fun! Full of exuberance and vim! The perfect song for my wander in the English sunshine.

There’s a fresh, new zeal to it all. The old zeal is Dutch.

Listen to 𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

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