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.
๐๐ง๐ค๐ฅ๐๐๐ฉ๐จ ๐๐ค๐ง ๐๐ง๐ค๐๐๐ฉ – ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐
Charles trends the buckโฆ
Sorry, Iโm backโฆ Forgive me if this piece seems a little erratic and all over the place. My mind right now is a little erratic and all over the place – stands to reason. Going away and coming back is such a jolt to the system that I feel discombobulated. My thoughts and feelings are, how can I put itโฆ Messi. In being away, I missed out on the relentlessly glorious (and therefore horrible) hot English weather. I missed out on the pubs being open till 5am. Iโm not sure much else happened in Britain other than the murder of a politician, wildfires in Scotland and Wales (surely a first) and, of course, yet another switch of Prime Minister (most certainly NOT a first). We do this every few months in Britain, with every successor being just as uninspiring, inept or dangerous as the last. It feels a bit like skipping dud tracks on Spotify; except that Spotify doesnโt govern a country. Once I had arrived home and attempted to settle back into the swing of things (so far a complete failure), Sunday night was the World Cup Final. So, along with most of the world, Iโฆ No, I didnโt. I didnโt feel like watching it. Mainly because I didnโt much care by this point. Neither teamโs nation particularly means anything to me so I wouldnโt really be rooting for either side. Also, said discombobulation was in full swing, so instead I sat and read. It felt like a nice, traditional Sunday evening.
The following morning, I read about all that had happened throughout the Final, and it got me thinking about the entire tournament as a whole. I had watched a couple of the England games while abroad so I was still able to have caught the feeling. Those adverts, eh? Theyโre always so different to usual adverts. Crisps (potato chips), beer, online betting, Google A.I., and at least in Poland – for that is where I have been – a slender version of Peperami. I must say, I did find it fascinating to watch Polish adverts. They were as embarrassing, dated and bizarre as the Half Time Show – donโt worry, weโll get to that in a bit. The majority of these adverts included famous footballers (because their wealth only starts at football). Some of them are current, some of them are from the past, and some of them are seen almost like prophets of our time. David Beckham springs to mindโฆ Having retired from the game 13 years ago, he must be almost penniless by now, having not held a steady job for so long. I do hope he has a decent pension plan; poor lad. Actually, it turns out he is on โbenefitsโ. Or rather, he is certainly benefitting from the 12 brands (at least) for which he made adverts during the World Cup. These โbenefitsโ amounted to around $25 million. Which is even more than the cost of my little holiday! After seeing that staggering figure it’s definitely time for me to have a well earned hydration breakโฆ
What a cleverly coined term: โHydration Breakโ. What they meant was, Advert Break!! Theyโll do just anything to make a bit more money, whilst losing momentum in the game, with just enough time for the playersโ muscles to seize up. And all for that golden dollarโฆ Hydration break: because we care (about embiggening the buck). How deliciously and surreptitiously capitalistic. After a few more minutes of that Final’s stalemate, it’s advert time again as we reach Half Time. And so the game resumes… No, wait… It does not. This is AMERICA!! Land of the free!! Land of the excess!! No game of football is complete without a tiny concert in the middle!!! Were you dancing along to the impeccable masterpiece that was the Half Time Show…? Madonna! Shakira! Justin Bieber! BTS! No? Well, neither was I. Partly because I missed it, but also partly because it was apparently absolutely dire and embarrassing. Not to mention ill-judged. What I haven’t seen mentioned, though, was how each act was just so dated and out of touch. Not just the artists’ fault, but the fault of whoever chose the acts (I believe the show was curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin, so that might explain a thing or two, having become thoroughly Los Angelised). 25 or 30 years ago, Madonna might have been a good choice. 10 years ago Justin Bieber might have been a good choice. 20 years ago, Shakira might have been a good choice. 5 or 6 years ago, BTS might have been a good choice… But in 2026, this is not what we want. And in truth, I am sure very few wanted a show of any kind. Anyway: I missed out on that – in a manner of speaking. For me, the World Cup 2026 was an obese advert for America – the worst side of America. Profit first, football last. It is no secret that football would not be the mega thing it is now if it were not for mega profit. Of course, this has always been the case for pretty much everything ever in the history of the worldโฆ But it didnโt used to be on this scale. The game was always the meat around which the event was based. This time, though, I feel like the ball game was the thing to be slotted in amongst the rest of the vulgar circus.
Shall we finally get to the New Artist Spotlight’s very own prophet…? The man who started it all? The man who had a vision based solely on promoting independent music where every single artist pays exactly zero pennies to be a member…? Please welcome this fine young American, Ed Eagle! Despite that introduction, he needs no introduction. While he might be American, he stands for the good side of America. I still believe that there is so much good left in America, even though the world’s press slams it daily. The worst of America is in its government and mega corporations. The best of America lies in its people; the Americans. Hence why there are so many lovely Americans living in Britain these days. Taking an American out of America seems to be like removing the impurities of said American, allowing said American to thrive and enjoy life, giving smiles and good vibes to all they encounter elsewhere. Which is probably why Ed Eagle now resides in Canada. Of course, he will always have the original American values at heart: freedom, equality, peace, a bitchin’ collection of guitars… I have known Ed for 6 years and counting. If the NAS were to be seen as a place of education, I might even say we went to school together! Heโd be the football type, all boisterous and leader-like, while Iโd be the quieter, more sensitive type. The thing is, we have always had music in common. Just to be clear, we did not actually go to school together, in case you read that line a bit fast. We have not always seen eye-to-eye with everything regarding the NAS, but that is simply because we are very different people, and any organisation needs to be a little business-like in order for it to work smoothly (I canโt stand the business side of anything). The lovely thing is, we are both good souls with genuinely good motives, and we both have a great love and appreciation for music. We also both treat fellow artists like family. It is therefore with great pleasure that I bring you Ed Eagleโs latest single, โProphets for Profitโ!
Ed has always been one of the kings of โstatement musicโ. He is not one to mince his words. He is not one for subtlety. He says what he feels. Which, I must say, is something I like about Americans. There are few layers of dry sarcasm and politeness to tear away before reaching the real substance of the matter. Itโs just simply THERE. He tends to make big, epic songs. Not necessarily in sound (some of his songs are acoustic with a soft edge), but in the point he is making. I feel like his lyrics are the most important part of the writing process for him. For example, โI Miss Youโ, โDamaged Goodsโ and โBye!โ are all much softer songs of his, but the story of each of them is epic and resonant. โProphets for Profitโ is very much one of his โstatementโ songs, as opposed to one of his more personal themes. Of course, he is not talking about footballers or the World Cup, but I do get the feeling he is talking about America and the careless greed of its powerful cog-turners. So FIFA might actually fall into that categoryโฆ There are some big, powerful moneymen in this world right now, much like there have always been. But I donโt know if they have ever been so big, so rich, so powerful, and so cutthroat. The biggest and most recent offenders seem to be the young tech wizards with their HAL (A.I.) companies. They so proudly and brazenly break laws and parade around as though they are showing off the corpse of a lion they have just shot. They care not a jot about the carnage left in their tracks (I think they’re quite proud of it!), so long as their wallets are fit to burst. In fact, Ed even included a specific verse about HAL, where it takes all our jobs until thereโs nothing left. He phrases it MUCH better and more poetically, but Iโd rather leave the details to your own ears, first-hand. So, Ed is evidently not a fan of HAL.
However, HAL is not the focus of the song. It mainly hones in on the more obviously serious matters, like people dying because of needless war. And how rich criminals are able to continue with their filthy crimes while innocent poor people are starving. There is no direct mention of the big orange man at the top, but to me it is clear (I could be wrong) that this jaundiced fellow is on the mind of the narrator, even if the name doesnโt quite reach the microphoneโs diaphragm. One chunk oโ woyds that does appear 3 times through the song, is โWho makes a profit, when a baby dies? Is he a prophet, or the devil in disguise?โโฆ This line is a baseball bat to the face in terms of impact, and itโs right that it appears 3 times. Especially when it eventually leads to what for me is undeniably the greatest part of the song (also 3 times – 4 if you count the repeat at the end). In fact this bit is one of my favourite bits of any Ed Eagle song. It is expertly dealt with, exquisitely rendered, and frankly perfect in all ways. When coming to this section for the first time, the song is thus far a great, heavy rock song. It has slamming drums, a technically challenging riff, a bassline that echoes the riff in a lower register, and Edโs spoken voice atop the lot. But as soon as Ed starts to growl like an angry bear with the lyrics โWhen will weโฆโ, the whole song changes entirely. We are met with about 6 Eds screaming in perfect synchronisation to the words โRise Up!!โ – It is absolutely thrilling!! There is suddenly space, though. This isnโt the moment where the song goes full-on everything to 11. The song doesnโt really do that, which I think is where it shines. Weight doesnโt come from volume and density. It comes from contrast and passion. I feel like Ed has grown up a bit. He still retains his fervent views and values but he is now able to relay them with more dignity and grace. Ed Eagle is cooler now.
My final words on the World Cup:
Where was the dignity? Where was the grace? Actually, there was SOME. The end of that England/Norway game, both teams behaved impeccably. In fact, it was rather fond and heartwarming to see the bromantic hugs from one side to another. England was not gloating, but modestly (and justly) happy. Norway was neither angry nor bitter; they were heartbroken. And the England players made sure to comfort them and make sure they were okay; England themselves being all too familiar with the feeling of getting close but not close enough.
In the words of Edโs debut single, โIt doesnโt matter the teamโ.
Surely Madonna should have chosen her hit โDonโt Cry for Me Argentinaโโฆ But then again, after Argentinaโs disgusting behaviour once the final whistle had been blown, I shouldnโt think anyone was shedding any tearsโฆ
All the more reason to hold on to those islands. Hydration break!!!
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