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.

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.

𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙊𝙪𝙩 – 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙖

Charles switches off and on again…

The dreaded “spooky” edition. How rare is it that review day falls exactly on an international celebration day…? What a treat! Shame I don’t really celebrate it or care about it in the slightest. I mean, pumpkins? Really?? Buying a mahusive orange fruit (or vegetable, some would argue), then gutting its innards, to leave only the inedible part (as if the rest was edible). Pumpkin pie, indeed. Well I suppose it’s ONE way of using the remains of the botched operation. I would suggest the bin might be the best place for it however. But if you want to waste more time in making it look appetising, that’s your funeral. Funerals being a popular theme for the day. Weirdly. I mean, aside from ancient tribal times, when else would we celebrate death?? Graveyards go from eerie silence to eerie spectacles. The place to be!! The goths come out to play. The only time they feel comfortable in showing their faces. But one scary shock too many and they might be showing their faeces. You see, it’s SUPPOSED to be scary. And what’s more scary than a load of kids turning up at your front door, making demands of blackmail? Give us sweets now, or we’ll egg your entire house. So Haribo’s sales skyrocket. Especially the extra sour ones. Ever tried dousing them with vinegar? That’ll teach those pesky kids. But beware the backlash…

(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’𝙨 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙚 – 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙔𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙥𝙖𝙥𝙚𝙧

Charles celebrates life…

Last week, I spoke of standards. But this past week on the New Artist Spotlight has been anything but standard. You all know how volatile it has been lately, what with our petition, Spotify being bad and only getting worse, and the ongoing suspension of our founder’s Spotify curator account. The scammers continue to spam our inboxes and social media profiles, yet continue to get away with it. We are all quite used to this now. We take it in our stride, despite being constantly perturbed by it. As artists must, we go on. Last Tuesday I published my weekly review. Nothing out of the ordinary there. It had been a perfectly normal Tuesday – business as usual. As night fell in London, I checked my phone one last time before bed. At the top of my Instagram feed was a post from the familiar face of a known NAS artist. He was looking good, healthy, cool, and sharp in a suit. “I’m guessing he has a new release coming soon, then”, I thought. But as I stared at it, my mind started to curl like the red cellophane fortune teller fish we all had as a child. Under his image lay dates. Not release dates. Then an impossibility dawned on me as the colour drained from my face. It was unfathomable and inconceivable to actually realise and believe. But it was in fact true. Kyle M. Watson had died. He was my age.

(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…)

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 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.

𝙇𝙞𝙛𝙚𝙗𝙤𝙖𝙩𝙨 – 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨

Charles goes on a day-day…

The focus of late has been on England. Okay, Britain, if you wish. All right then, the Ewe Kay. The Far West of Europe…? Call it what you will, it has been in the press and on the tongues of most, this past week or so. Due of course, to the nature of all things royal. Yesterday gave me such immense pride. It was a sombre and unbelievably moving affair. A day to remember for the rest of time. Truly a fine end to a fine era, on a scale never witnessed before. For more crownly thoughts, have a read of last week’s review, here. For now, though, I would like not to run away from England quite yet. I wish to go back to a time when the Queen still reigned. Or more precisely, Saturday the 6th of August.

(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…)