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.

𝙄 𝙒𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝘼𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙚 – 𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙖

Charles has been down this road before…

More and more increasingly I find myself alienated. This is a common thing in age. Always has been. And as this happens, the older generations huddle together to both chit and chat about the good old days, and to chuckle at what is now the norm, to the younger ones. The older ones were always allowed to live out their life the old fashioned way. But I am not 60 or 70. I am not even 40. And I find it increasingly difficult to find like-minded lost individuals. In fact, I am finding 25-30 year olds equally struggling to keep up with an obsessively progressive world, but unhappily they do seem to manage. They seem to feel the urge to change with the times. This seems to be the difference between myself and the younger mob. We all seem to be feeling out of touch, out of date and unhappy, but they seem to feel the need to go with it all. I, on the other hand, am not partial to being bullied, and I care more for things that matter. And if I even so much as mention anything slightly different to the modern way, I get “the look”, as if I am to be mentally reported to the Thinkpol by the Party (Orwell reference, should you have wondered). You see, I didn’t want any of this. I never asked for it. And neither did anyone else. We were all quite content, as is often the case throughout the decades. It is clear to me when something is wrong and needs work. And it is clear to me when something is fine and should therefore be left alone. But we insist on change. Constant, ill-thought out, cheap and nasty, ugly change. And an obsession with ease. Ease makes laze. Laze makes civilisation fall apart.

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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.

𝙄.𝙊.𝙐. – 𝙋𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙥 𝙈𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣 𝙇𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙨

Charles gets the feeling he owes you…

Ordinarily, yesterday would have been just another day. The start of a new week. A humble Monday. For me, it is the day that I write my weekly “review” (or article/piece/column/chunk o’ woyds/cushion of praise). And in this respect it was no different. But this time around, the day of the week was somewhat irrelevant. It was Valentine’s Day. Or probably soon to be called International Love Day – for fear of offending the dumb-dumbs who just don’t understand. Love Day was traditionally the day that forced men to go out and buy a bunch of flowers and a cheap box of chocs from the petrol/gas station, for the woman waiting at home for a bunch of flowers and a cheap box of chocs from the petrol/gas station. Nowadays, of course, due to equality and our modern culture shift… little has changed. Perhaps these days the “other half” is equally moved to “show their affection” in a similar manner. And so, we end up with two bunches of flowers and two cheap boxes of chocs, that frankly no one wanted in the first place. It takes a very clever society indeed to play on one’s guilt, where it is not so important what one does, as the feeling of guilt if one doesn’t do. It is a tick box.

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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.

𝙄 𝙈𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙔𝙤𝙪 – 𝙀𝙙 𝙀𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙚

Charles is Ed’s brother from another mother…

We are all born much the same. A cute, squidgy blob that dribbles. As time goes by, some of us change little. But for most of us, we all end up different. What makes you, YOU? Now, I’m not talking about your preferred hairstyle or your penchant for baggy flares, but something less tangible. Our being. The way we do things. Our voice, our manner, our gestures. Was it all picked up at school? Was it an obsession with a character from a Netflix production? Maybe you’re NOT so different and you prefer to blend in with the crowd… Even if so, you will still be different. To figure this out, one has to go back to the start. We are all born much the same. A cute, squidgy… Yes yes yes, we’ve done this. The point is, we were born. We were not manufactured on a production line. We were born as the eventual outcome of a couple’s canoodling. Eurghh! I don’t want to even think about it. Despite the severing of the cord, there is (almost) always the strongest connection between blob and makers. Not only is said blob born, but so too is a family. The messy young blighter embiggens the household by one. For many years, this wriggly thing knows nothing outside parent one and parent two. These two “carers” ARE the world of this wispy-haired giggler. And so it is only natural that over time it should start to take on characteristics and maybe even sentiments of its elders.

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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.

𝙄’𝙢 𝙖 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙚 – 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙊𝙠𝙬𝙤𝙧, 𝘼𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙖 𝙆𝙖𝙮

Charles cooks up a hot mess…

This week, you are going to be in my shoes. You are going to be like me and think like me. You are going to realise the absurdity of what I do on a weekly basis. Pick a song and write about it. Sounds easy enough. But it’s not. Not the way I do it. You all know my big little intros… Well, they all have to relate to the song or the artist, or the wherecumference of the artist. There has to be some sort of link between article and review. It has to be interesting or entertaining, or both. And I don’t ever write an intro then try to find a song that suits the intro. It always has to be in order of importance: choose music first, write drivel after. So when I come up against a song with the title “I’m a Heat Machine”, I am plagued by thoughts and quandaries.

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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.

𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 – 𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝘼𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡

Charles packs it all in…

Each week comes with private messages from artists wishing me to review their latest single. While some might think I find this annoying or tedious, I am actually flattered. It suggests that my Corner is somewhat of an aspiration. Something special for which to strive. Like a poor man’s Mercury Music Prize, but weekly. Which makes the whole thing rather difficult. The more popular my Corner gets, the more pressure there is on choosing the “right” artist and song. Back when I started, it was getting only a handful of views, then rather quickly it started taking off. Soon it was reaching something like 60-80 views. In recent months however, it is now being read by around 300 people per week. Which astounds me. Having said that, the New Artist Spotlight currently has close to 1,000 members, so therefore more than two thirds of them are not even glancing at it. Seems a shame perhaps, but I am certainly content with a few hundred views. My goal has always been to popularise a certain song by a certain artist. A song which I feel deserves that spotlight. This could be a relatively unknown artist who’s been with us a while, or it could be one of the notoriously talented top dogs of the community. Lately, however, I have been trying to review artists I have never reviewed before. Incredible talent that very few know about. It’s fair, and it’s right. It can also help to coax a quieter artist out of its shell. But it’s also a gamble. What I do is so much more than picking a decent song and briefly telling you it’s good. It involves a lot of work, time, effort and thought – which in a way I hope does not come across when reading them – I like them to seem effortless and natural.

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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.

𝙄 𝙇𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙔𝙤𝙪 (𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙑𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣) – 𝙈𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙚𝙡 𝙅𝙖𝙘𝙤𝙗

Charles travels the world (musically speaking), and ends up back in Europe.

I have seen very few places in the world. I have always wanted to go to America – New York, Arizona, Chicago – but have never quite managed it. I have never travelled to the opposite side of the world where the large island of Australia resides. I certainly have never immersed myself in deeply foreign cultures, found in places such as India or Africa. Through music however, I have been on a lifelong journey, giving me the feeling of having travelled the entire planet. Music gives me the thoughts, observations, dreams, imagination and cravings that I need to survive. Music has educated me to an extent and shown me the various cultures of the world. Black soul, blues and funk artists have allowed me aboard their ship on which to groove. Latin elements have made me understand the importance of rhythm, and given me the ability to not only count differently but almost think differently. Eastern music has brought me new sounds in instruments with which I had not previously been familiar, and has shown me there is far more to harmony than I had initially realised. My soul however seems to lie in Europe, with its many micro-cultures that exist clustered together in a relatively small chunk of the world. Eastern Europe has shown me its own take on classical and folk music. It fascinates and haunts me, yet I cannot help but smile in wonder. TRUE Europe though – ‘classic’ Europe is what makes my heart sit in its right place. The amalgamation of just a few countries’ music is enough to make me spark. France, with its kookiness and pride. Germany, with its boldness and strength. Italy, with its fondness and warmth. And Spain, with its rhythm and fun.

(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.

𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙢𝙚 – 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙧 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨

Given the choice, Charles is unimaginative…

Choice is a wonderful thing. It is something with which we are all so familiar these days, to the extent that we might feel spoilt rotten. We have choice in everything. So many options. Say you’re in a shop and you need to buy shampoo (or hair soap, if you’re far too macho to use such a frilly word). When you eventually find the section for degreasing those soiled roots – that in itself is quite a task – you are confronted by banks and banks of ugly white plastic bottles (or black, for said macho types). Why is shampoo always hideously designed, and oh-so outdated…? Good question. You look among the labels and start to read. Who said reading was a thing of the past…? “For dry, dull hair”. “For fine, flat hair”. You’ve got to admire the alliteration here, but who wants dry, dull, fine or flat hair?? This confused me for years. I mean YEARS. Should I opt for the one that boasts 50% more volume? Or should I maybe opt for the one that boasts 50% more volume, with added keratin and argan oil. I am slightly concerned that this much volume might be just a tad too loud and may cause damage to my sensitive ears. Ah, here we are. “For sensitive skin” – definitely not one for the machista. What would the girl at the checkout think…? If you’re thinking about that, you ain’t no macho man. So this one for my sensitive skin boasts what it DOESN’T have. No parabens. No phosphates. No paraffins. Again, the marvellous use of alliteration, but… Headache pills? Toxic gas? Flammable liquid? There is evidently so much I don’t know. So am I to assume that all the other shampoos contain these fearful ingredients?? Well if this simplistic hair soap is free from almost everything, it must at least be mighty cheap. But no. It’s the most expensive one! Quel surprise. 10 minutes have passed, and I am still staring at ugly bottles… I think I’ll get it online, where everyone isn’t staring at me.

(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.

𝙄𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘼𝙜𝙚 – 𝙎𝙩𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙚 𝘽𝙤𝙮𝙚𝙨

Charles urges you to stop IT…

Despite the title of this song and article, I will NOT be talking about HAL (my name for A.I.). The topic of HAL is a dull one because HAL-generated music is a dull thing released by dull, unimaginative pretenders. Now on to something more fun.

(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.

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…

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