Charles Connolly

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.

𝙄𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙂𝙞𝙧𝙡 – 𝙑𝙞𝙭 20

Charles goes wireless…

I am speaking to you through a website. I am not with you in person. Or AM I…? No. I am not – your paranoia can rest easy for now. My words are not printed in a newspaper or magazine. You cannot see me, you cannot hear me. If you’ve got this far, your literacy skills are probably beyond the average these days. If it were not for a humble internet connection, I could not be with you now. So I AM with you…? No, not in person. I saw you looking over your shoulder… The internet has brought us rather a lot of good things. It has also brought us a rather large chunk of bad things. But we won’t be going into those, because, well, why sully the tone? We always look back on “the good old days” with such fondness and many of us resent the newer eras that stomp their loud shoes with increasing frequency, but for the most part modernity has done a lot of good. It has mainly brought choice to the fore. We used to watch television. Many still do, but maybe as a sideline to the many YouTube videos and Netflix shows that see us through life. We can now choose what we want to watch, and when we want to watch it. In terms of YouTube, we can go into detail like never before. It almost feels tailored towards each of us, because various clever “algorithms” make it so. Before the internet we had newspapers and magazines. We had television. But what was before television? Well, something that truly brought the world together. In a way, the earliest version of the internet. Something that gave us news, “talk shows”, interviews, plays, music and more. Most of this was live, and if one’s reception was good enough, one could “tune in” to many different areas of the world. You’ve probably guessed by now: radio. SO simple compared to what we have these days, but in a way, very similar.

(more…)

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.

𝙄𝙩’𝙨 𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 (𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙈𝙞𝙖) – 𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚

Charles waxes lyrical…

Tact is a funny one, isn’t it. It’s a tricky bugger. Some people have it, and some people don’t. It involves quick decision making. It involves empathy. A “put yourself in their shoes” moment. Say for example, if someone has gone through a traumatic experience (and continues to do so), what do you say? What words do you use? Do you say the usual politician/celebrity line: “My deepest condolences to the family and friends of…”? Do you ignore them all together, with the excuse of “I just wanted to give you space”, but in fact you were simply stuck for what to say? Do you speak to them as though nothing has happened, in the hope that this will cheer them up and take their mind off things? Do you stay deadly serious? Do you joke? I personally probably do a mixture of all of these things. But the one thing I definitely DON’T do, is imagine that everyone is the same, and that every saddening experience is carbon copy of the last one you heard about. Each instance needs to be addressed uniquely and personally. If you don’t really know the person well at all, it’s probably best to say nothing. Cold, empty sympathy from a relative stranger can do little for the person involved. But this is the thing. These days with half our world conducted over the internet, who is to say the true meaning of “friend” or “stranger”…? With the written word, one has to try harder in order to portray what one really means or feels. In real life, just one look of “I got you” (eurghh) and a hug can suffice. But in messages, things can look so cold and automatic. I think this must be why I write the way I write. Some might try to emulate who they are by the way they string words together in text. But because I write so much these days, I think I am becoming more like I write. Rather than the words portraying the personality, the personality is becoming the words! And I don’t mind a bit. I’ve become a better person for it. I think more. I am kinder. I am calmer. I give things a chance to sink in before blurting out an ill-judged response.

(more…)

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.

𝙅𝙚𝙠𝙮𝙡𝙡 & 𝙃𝙮𝙙𝙚 – 𝙏𝙚𝙙𝙙𝙮 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙙

Charles is two in one…

Time for another lovely review of a pretty little ditty. For that is what CC likes to listen to. Perfect, pleasing pop. Rounded, retro relevance. Sombre, soothing strings. That’s my peach in a nutshell, no? Well, I do like all these things, it can’t be denied. But my musical tastes are rather more varied than you probably realise. The difficulty arises in quality and in mood. Some other genres I rarely talk about here are often not of the highest quality, when they simply NEED to be. But the main reason is mood. I am rarely in the mood for a lot of genres. Take electronic music, for example. These days it is very seldom that I feel the pang for electronic music. But when I get that craving, there is nothing like sticking on a bit of Disclosure to sate my needs. Nothing else wires my brain the way it wishes to be wired. I’d say it gets me moving, but it’s more of an embarrassing head jolt if someone’s around. And if no one’s around, it’s like my whole body is a mercury spasm. Floppy erraticism. Like David Byrne on opium. Probably. I have reviewed a few electronic pieces over the years, but it’s not that common because I’m rarely in the mood, or it’s not been made that well. The big shame about my musical taste is that I will probably never review hard rock or metal…

(more…)

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.

𝙅𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 (𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩. 𝙅𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖 𝙈𝙞𝙖) – 𝙅𝙖𝙣𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚

Judge Connolly listens to the jury…

First impressions. Good thing? Bad thing? Are you a cynical, judgemental old fart who has guessed a “type” based on very little? Or are you perhaps a sensitive, observant soul who feels you can tell more about a person based on just a couple of initial moments? These two “definers” could perhaps be construed as much the same, considering the thought process is basically the total of educated guess and assumption. I think I am a despicable blend of the two. I am often right. And you’ll be pleased to hear that I am also often wrong. My belief is that so few of us are honest with ourselves. We like to think of ourselves as good, honest, kind people. Yet when we meet someone, be it in person or online, are most of us not instantly judging? Summing up? Wanting to define and categorise said person? I think it’s human nature. A sort basic instinct. Do I instantly take a dislike to this person? Could this person be a friend for life? Do I trust this person? I think this is the main reason most of us naturally do this: trust. Pretty much everything is based on trust, and so we must not let our guard down. Just because someone said something in a peculiarly undesired tone, or just because they smiled with THAT look in their eyes, should that mean they are instantly in the red cross pile, rather than the green tick pile? Most of us (consciously or not) are guilty of this reckoning, let’s face it. Bear in mind that just as you are busy judging, you too are being judged. Bet you hadn’t thought of THAT one. “But, but… I’m completely infallible and perfect in every way!! How could anyone POSSIBLY think negatively of ME??” – probably because that very thought of yours is written all over your face – and people don’t like that. Now, I am aware I may get a lot of hate in the comments for this, but so be it. Things are more fun with a bit of contention. Anything to set the rusty cogs in motion and kickstart the heart into a healthy upbeat rhythm. But “be nice”.

(more…)

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.

𝙆𝙚𝙚𝙥 𝙂𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 – 𝙆𝙍𝙄𝙎𝙎

Charles quotes Jimi (Hendrix, you fool): “Are You Experienced”?

I have been doing what I do for many years, now. Not these reviews, but making songs. Writing, playing, singing, producing and mixing songs. When I started, I was, shall we say, less good. This is altogether rather unsurprising. And yet, So many people seem to think they can simply dabble from the get-go and be brilliant from day one. One can get caught up in the thrill and excitement of the idea of creating something oneself and releasing it to the masses, and then to be shrouded with praise and applause for one’s efforts. This is rarely the case, however. I think it is not so much arrogance as blindness. Or, should I say deafness. The inability to step back and be self-critical. This isn’t really the fault of the artist, because by this point they frankly don’t know what to listen for. They have no experience. Talent or a ‘gift’ is an excellent start, but it is not by a long way the be-all and end-all. Experience can and will come from much time, effort and determination – and raw talent. One needs to have drive and a willingness to push harder and further. It usually needs to border on obsession, or even go deeper into compulsion…! I am writing this, not to deter artists who have recently started their musical journey, but more to make them realise the work often involved, and that it is worth battling on with it all, as long as you are honest with yourself, and that you don’t start hating what you are doing.

(more…)

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.

𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 – 𝙀𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙮

Charles murders your precious little time…

“The leaves that are green, turn to brown” – thank you, Simon also ‘Gumfarkel’. It is officially Autumn. We know this because we all changed our clocks. Or rather, for those in the digital age, our clocks changed without us realising. Due to the magic technology of now, we can be even lazier than ever. We don’t have to change a clock. Not meaning you used to have to hurl your alarm clock out of the window and buy a new one. Not that kind of clock change. It’s that time of year when the clocks move back an hour. How do we know whether it’s forward or back? The saying goes: “Spring forward, Autumn back”. No it doesn’t. It’s “Spring forward, Fall back”. For merry cans call Autumn, Fall. And in this instance, I prefer the word Fall. In all other instances I prefer the word Autumn. This beautiful season is the easiest way to watch time passing. Day by day, the leaves change colour, and day by day the ground becomes obscured by leaves that have lived a life and felt the world’s climate. Providing it isn’t miserable and wet, Autumn truly is a beautiful season. I adore the views from my flat in London. Of course, Winter gives us stark contrast with the unlikely possibility of snow, Spring brings the subtle excitement of a new and pretty dawn, and Summer is simply ideally glorious. But Autumn is the velvet. The lush. The radiant. But it is also the brief. So brief that you must snatch it while you can, before it’s all gone. But of course, aside from today (the day of writing), it has been raining raining raining. Just seemingly constantly. It washes away those warmly daubed pigments and coldly reminds you of what follows Autumn. That bleakest Winter. So what do we do to while away the time until the sunshine lights these fiery trunks? Well, what DID we do this week? We got excited and listened to the new Beatles single, of course.

(more…)

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.

𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙂𝙤 – 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠 𝘼𝙝𝙡𝙢

Charles refuses to let go…

This might be complete and utter fiction, but I always have the feeling that some of you moan or complain in private when I review someone I have reviewed before. It might be entirely in my head – lord knows, SOMEthing’s gotta be in there. But should this be the case, I’d like to set the record straight (wicked song by Reef, if you know it). Favouritism… “CC just picks his favourites”… Er… Yes. That’s the whole point of this weekly column of mine. To pick my fave new releases. BUT!! I will never simply pick my favourite artists out of blind support for my musical chums. Which is why it was 19 weeks since I reviewed last week’s artist, and why it is 37 weeks since I reviewed this week’s. Speaking of whom, he had three great singles in a row that I didn’t review. Five, if you include the one with Seven Streams and the one with Jane Marie (gorgeous song that I had stuck in my head for half of Sunday). Four of the last five reviews (this year so far), have been artists I have never reviewed before. And three of those four were immensely grateful. So you see, I am very much innocent in this way. Probably guilty in many other ways, but that’s beside the point. Those who might have held some sort of grudge (again, might be all in my head and a thoroughly fictional matter) against me for reviewing an artist I have reviewed before, I simply ask that you let go of this nonsense and enjoy the articles. Or ignore them altogether. Entirely up to you. If you want a (pretty much) guaranteed review from me, simply make an absolutely fabulous song. Either that or something completely original or fresh. Basically, something I can’t ignore that really piques my little cells. It must however be of decent quality sound, and hold a certain level of professionalism. You must show you care and have actually bothered. If you’d like to deposit £1000 in my account, this can also sway me. No no no. I don’t, have never, and will never take bribes.

(more…)

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.

𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙄𝙩 𝙂𝙤 – 𝙐𝙣𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙

Charles has a black Sabbath…

Unnecessary stress comes to us all. Doesn’t it? You know it does. Why, right now you could be reading without taking it in. I said, right now you could be reading without taking it in. Sometimes a little repetition can help things sink in. But I know; you’re stressed. You’re thinking about other things. You’re worried. You’re concerned. I know how it goes. It happens to all of us. All in different ways. Completely understandable. And usually it’s completely pointless. I had an unnecessarily stressful day on Sunday. A Sunday that should have been pleasant, positive and maybe even exciting. Before I continue, I am fully aware that many of you are going through REAL stress of a serious nature. I bring you my nonsense not to tread on or water down your life-goings-on, but to briefly take your mind off it all. A diversion of a kind. Despite being grounded and level-headed, I am prone to nerves. Nerves from the littlest thing. I think too much. I think too much into everything when I should just ride the wave. Here’s my Sunday. It all started with breakfast. It was the best bit of the day. It was before my mind had started to work. Dopey in the best way. That Sunday feeling. Then I made a quick plan for the day. The plan was thus:

(more…)

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.

𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙈𝙚 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚 – 𝙀𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙮, 𝙈𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙚𝙪𝙧 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚

Charles realises the importance of length…

What a stupid week I’m having. Quite absurd, honestly. There is no crisis and nothing terrible has happened. For which I am most fortunate. I speak of home problems. Not “problems at home”, as people say, but problems with the home itself. The good thing about renting, is that you don’t have to fork out yet more money when something goes wrong. The bad thing about renting is everything else. At least this is how I had come to think about it. This week, however, has shown me that there is in fact nothing good about renting. It is, as we English say, “a mug’s game”. So! With this in mind, I will relay to you my stupid saga. Several weeks ago, my shower decided to drip profusely, to the point where I decided that many litres per hour was too much to ignore any longer. Within a couple of days a plumber arrived to fix it. He barely spoke any English – but of course. I tried to explain the problem by miming with sound effects, and at last he seemed to understand. Much noise and mess later, he uttered a noise. He proudly showed me how the thermostat knob was no longer stiff, and gestured for me to try it for myself (perhaps to prove that he didn’t have something up his sleeve). I declined the offer and took his word for it. Baffled by why he was showing me this, I then politely asked, “and the drip?”. His reply was a look, as if to say I had stripped in front of him and done a little dance. I repeated, complete with miming and sound effects. “Ah okay okay. Noh. Repless repless”. What he meant was, it couldn’t be done (he couldn’t do it) without replacing the whole shower mixer (I now learn this is what it is called, for it mixes hot and cold – clever). Days passed, and he arrived again. He did the job very swiftly and that was that. Weeks passed, but now the tap itself was dripping. I ignored it as it wasn’t that bad. However, by this point, my kitchen sink decided it was full, and refused to drink anymore. Oh what joy. They ask if I can do 8am the following day. I ask if 10am is possible. All is arranged for 10am.

(more…)

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.

𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙂𝙤 – 𝘽𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙇𝙤𝙬𝙧𝙮

Charles something something (for want of a better something)…

Another week, another review. Another plod through the same old words in a different order. Sorry to put you all through this ordeal every week. I suppose it could be worse. Death is worse. Yeah, my reviews/articles/musings are better than death. There we go! And who says I’m not a positive optimist?? As opposed to the negative variety… The Easter weekend left me with good vibes. It treated me to family I have not seen in over two years. It also treated me to something else I have not experienced in quite a while. A hangover. This ghastly, heavy, HEAVY feeling. I have tried the English cure of “Plink, plink, fizz”, and I have also tried the American cure of “Plop, plop, fizz, fizz”. Those who know, know. Those who don’t: accept your fortunate lack of pointless knowledge and move on. My brain, however is chock-full of pointless knowledge. Nothing useful whatsoever. I think to an extent, it is what makes me, me. I may have listened to a LOT of songs over the years, and I may ADORE music in general, but I am far from any kind of trained music theorist. There is probably a better term, but like I say – I know nothing useful. Who wants to read that kind of in-depth jargon anyway? It would bore the panties off me. And so I turn to imagination. Usually, anyway. Today, My imagination is snoozing. Deeply. Where it is normally a lithium-charged sparkler, right now it is little more than a twitching twig close to decomposition. I am useless to you now. Lobotomies are us!

(more…)