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.

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.

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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.

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”.

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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.

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…

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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.

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.

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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.

𝙄𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙩 – 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙚 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙖

Charles sees the relevance in longevity…

The fun and games are over. Well, the games are over. The Olympics is done for another 4 years. The fun continues however, for we are still alive. Who were YOU rooting for? No doubt your own country. The only bit of the tournament I actually watched was the volleyball. Because Great Britain was playing? Nope. Because Poland was playing. My girlfriend is Polish and she wanted to see it. I suffered the ordeal for a minute or two, before realising that I was actually really enjoying it! Poland ended up with a shiny silver medal, by the way. Not bad at all! The pesky French got the gold. Huh! Zut. But you know what was missing in the Olympics? Cricket. Cricket, which hasn’t been part of the Olympics since 1900. In fact, 1900 was the only year it was ever included! Why? Apparently lack of participation… Bit weird, but okay. The good news is, it is due to make a grand comeback in the 2028 L.A. Olympics! Which is perfect timing because this week I scored a double century! The problem being, it’s just not cricket!

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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.

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.

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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.

𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 – 𝙅.𝙃.𝙈

Charles quotes the Bard: “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears”.

Let’s think back to the time and place of Ancient Rome. I know this was a while ago, so your memory might be a little hazy. Let me therefore help you. I, of course, am the town jester – or balatrone, as it was called back then – (I would be, wouldn’t I…!). The great erections (no tittering, please) are high and mighty. Their magnificent columns support the ever-perfect balance of the Classical pediment. The sun blazes down on the scene, just as it does to this day. Statues line the streets and avenues – the Roman roads. A new democratic way of thinking is underway. The great Caesar is lauded and hailed as a mighty general. He eventually went power mad, became a dictator – never a good thing in a democratic republic – and was swiftly murdered “by his own people”. What a way to go! His good old friend, Mark Antony, tried to set Rome to rights and seek revenge on the culprits. He in turn, went slightly mad and fell into the hands of love, eventually murdering himself. What a way to go! In my eyes, I think anyone who ever does anything, is foolish. Best to stay out of trouble. These Romans were seemingly rather queer folk. However, we deify these unusual cats, much like we do in more modern times. Caesar is a heavyweight of his day, like Charlie Chaplin and The Beatles are of theirs. These “gods” are and will be immortalised for centuries and maybe even millennia. These are the great pillars supporting our perfectly imbalanced yet vital history.

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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.

𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙪𝙙𝙚 – 𝙎𝙞𝙭𝙩𝙝 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙤𝙧 𝙈𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨

Charles finds a nook in time, and rounds off the year in headphones.

I hope you all simply had a wonderful Christmas time. Now that Santa is back home in his bed for a well earned annus somno (year of kip), the rest of us are all wide eyed (or not so) and twiddling thumbs. But we are allowed to do so without even a smidge of guilt. Christmas has passed and the New Year has yet to come. We are in a unique time of year. In limbo, even. It is neither one thing nor the other. An interlude, if you will. But it is not to be frittered – although frittering can still be done, if that is what you choose to do. This time of year is sort of how everything resolves. Time to take stock and reflect on the year’s happenings, or non-happenings. Have you been a good child? Have you been honest? Have you remained innocent? This ongoing “bad air” has somewhat soured things (again, or still), but we mustn’t let it take over our lives. We must find a natural impetus and push through to the other side. Turning a negative into a positive, as they say.

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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.

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!

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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.

𝙈𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙚 𝙆𝙡𝙚𝙞𝙣 – 𝙁𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙅𝙤𝙨𝙝𝙪𝙖

Charles analyses the situation…

There has been an increasing rarity of something in my reviews lately. Please don’t all shout at once: “Rap! Death Metal! Brevity!”… I know, I know. I’m more talking about something that used to be quite common in these parts. But has only come up maybe three or four times this year. We’ve had plenty of the rock, the indie, the alternative, the folk, the classical, the soul, the pop, the prog, and even the reggae. So, what am I talking about? What is missing? It’s something that is actually relatively common. But rarely of a high standard, because it’s bloody hard to do well; notoriously so. It has to sound polished. It has to sound classic. It usually has to sound professional (but there can be a certain charm when it’s not). It can be peaceful, but usually it’s sad; and it can be heart-wrenching. I’m talking about ballads.

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