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.

𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙩 – 𝙀𝙙 𝙀𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙚

Charles trends the buck…

Sorry, I’m back… 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 it… 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. I’m 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 doesn’t 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, I… No, I didn’t. I didn’t feel like watching it. Mainly because I didn’t much care by this point. Neither team’s nation particularly means anything to me so I wouldn’t 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? They’re 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 – don’t worry, we’ll 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 mind… 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 “benefits”. Or rather, he is certainly benefitting from the 12 brands (at least) for which he made adverts during the World Cup. These “benefits” 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 break…

What a cleverly coined term: “Hydration Break”. What they meant was, Advert Break!! They’ll do just anything to make a bit more money, whilst losing momentum in the game, with just enough time for the players’ muscles to seize up. And all for that golden dollar… 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 world… But it didn’t 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! He’d be the football type, all boisterous and leader-like, while I’d 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 can’t 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 Eagle’s latest single, ‘Prophets for Profit’!

Ed has always been one of the kings of “statement music”. 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. It’s 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, ‘I Miss You’, ‘Damaged Goods’ and ‘Bye!’ are all much softer songs of his, but the story of each of them is epic and resonant. ‘Prophets for Profit’ is very much one of his “statement” 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 category… There are some big, powerful moneymen in this world right now, much like there have always been. But I don’t 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 there’s nothing left. He phrases it MUCH better and more poetically, but I’d 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 doesn’t quite reach the microphone’s diaphragm. One chunk o’ woyds that does appear 3 times through the song, is “Who makes a profit, when a baby dies? Is he a prophet, or the devil in disguise?”… This line is a baseball bat to the face in terms of impact, and it’s 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 Ed’s spoken voice atop the lot. But as soon as Ed starts to growl like an angry bear with the lyrics “When will we…”, the whole song changes entirely. We are met with about 6 Eds screaming in perfect synchronisation to the words “Rise Up!!” – It is absolutely thrilling!! There is suddenly space, though. This isn’t the moment where the song goes full-on everything to 11. The song doesn’t really do that, which I think is where it shines. Weight doesn’t 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 Ed’s debut single, “It doesn’t matter the team”.

Surely Madonna should have chosen her hit ‘Don’t Cry for Me Argentina’… But then again, after Argentina’s disgusting behaviour once the final whistle had been blown, I shouldn’t think anyone was shedding any tears…

All the more reason to hold on to those islands. Hydration break!!!

Listen to 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙩 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙩 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Apple Music playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙩𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙩 on YouTube HERE!

Follow 𝙀𝙙 𝙀𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙚 on Instagram HERE!

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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.

𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘿𝙇𝘾 – 𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙍𝙞𝙣

Charles sees sensei…

The internet has achieved many things over the decades. Some of them even positive! But for me, there is one longstanding feat that is very much still ongoing. In showing me the lives of seemingly the entire world’s population, I watch, I stare, I observe. I am stunned. It is staggering to see the things that people will do. The lengths people will go to in order to show how brave, daring or stupid they can be. It’s just fascinating – but also often rather off-putting. The vanity, the smug dumbness, the relentlessness. Oh, and the TRENDS!! Once one idiot does something, another 50,000 will follow suit. It’s all a bit absurd, and it shows off the worst of society – the dumb and the sheep who aspire to be dumb. It makes me think back to what used to be on TV… Interviews with great minds being intelligent, interesting and witty. Documentaries that uncovered a world we never knew. Dramas that took their time with narration that most these days would barely be able to comprehend, yet alone be able to concentrate for more than 3 minutes. Oh, and game shows – tacky game shows that were I suppose the equivalent of what most of the internet is nowadays…

But the internet also shows us something that we didn’t quite realise before we were online. You see, TV was pretty much everything back then. That was all we had to go on. Stars were leagues above others. The great intellectuals were admired for their extreme rare brilliance. Experts were a coveted species. Artists were barely of this planet in being entirely unique. And famous comedians were the only people who could make us laugh (admittedly largely debatable). Then the internet was born… Of course, we had a decade or two of dross and gimmicks, but eventually we started to see something; started to notice and realise. The world is absolutely chock full of talent! And it is this that constantly astounds me. Just how many people are quietly being brilliant in their neck of the woods. Well, maybe not so quietly now, but they’re not in a television studio, explaining in a bad suit. They are able to remain wherever they wish, while showing the world what they can do. It’s enlightening and genuinely uplifting!

What REALLY fascinates me, though, is when someone so quickly and effortlessly achieves something that not only would I not be able to do, but something that I don’t understand. Something that is just so far from my brain as to be alien. Talent excites me – this is no secret. But it’s not just arty talent; it’s ANY talent. For example, when a craftsman who dabbles in electronics, casually invents and creates something so fresh and unique before our very eyes. It could be something incredibly useful and brilliant (a house with an automatically detachable roof), or it could be something completely and utterly pointless and stupid (a house with an automatically detachable roof). But I watch these “nobodies” in awe. Or what about the recent breed of Chinese musical prodigies…? At just 5 years old, they are already better than some fully-grown stars of 50 years ago! Of course, HAL (A.I.) is spoiling this recent influx of talent by making us believe that what we are seeing is real, when in fact it never took place. But I see no reason for these HAL videos; we have the genuine talent surrounding us already! We just have to find it. And thankfully, finding it has never been so easy. We can’t avoid such great talent these days. In fact, there’s almost too much incredible talent that we need to take a step back and isolate each little morsel we happen upon. Too much of anything is over-saturation. And over-saturation of a good thing can lead to a certain numbness and inability to be excited or even moved. Around a decade ago I coined the phrase “church fatigue”. It was when my lady-person and I were in Rome… “Oh, another breathtakingly beautiful church. Oh look, another Caravaggio. Shall we have lunch now?” – after a while, all this perfect brilliance just ceases to have any impact.

And so, I would like to refresh and restore said impact. I think, in a way, my little reviews attempt to do this by really trying to make you appreciate the layers and depth of the music. The raw talent and effort that goes into making these little gems. Gems that might easily have passed you by. True gems are hard to come by these days (and I can’t afford them), so here’s a sovereign. Well, almost. Please welcome an artist who has not passed through these gates since CC Episode 15, six years ago: SovRin. His real name is rather less impressive: Ralph Aldridge – which doesn’t sound very German… The main reason he has not appeared in recent years is not because his output his dipped or waned in quantity or quality, but simply because I usually try to pick pieces of music that will appeal to most. Not all, but most – without picking generic releases. This does sometimes mean that I am bound to miss out some crackingly unusual pieces from time to time. I thought it best to allow one of those pieces to slide in for a change. The work of SovRin has always been (and I hope will always be) different, and unlike anyone else. He has his own style. A style which dots between dubstep and chiptune. Those not familiar with those terms will probably not enjoy either. Many will classify this music as “gamer music” (the kind of music that appears in retro-style video games). I personally would not specifically classify it as this, simply because I have never been a “gamer”, unless you include the odd round of Scrabble – which I don’t think counts.

I have heard quite a bit of this style of music over the years, and I always immediately want to switch it off. I usually find it intensely irritating and very dull. SovRin, on the other hand, sounds to me like the Bach of the genre. Leagues ahead, on another level and in a different realm. Bach was German, and despite the very British name, SovRin is also in fact German. Germans are known for their precision and their just-so attitude. His work has always been very precise and just so, like Bach’s. But SovRin’s Germanic tendencies can lead him to be a bit of a Germaniac in music. You will hear the maniac in all his music, but what sets him apart from all the other crazy gamer music out there, is his genuinely Bach-like compositions. Admittedly SovRin’s latest release, ‘Karate DLC’, is not quite as classically themed as previous releases of his, but it does still have strong links to that oeuvre. So, this piece is more “Bach with perhaps some influence from Madeon and Pendulum”. Let us look at the tune’s title… ‘Karate”, could – like the cover artwork suggests – simply be a literal reference to karate video games in general. But then again, it could be a reference to Mr. Karate from various Japanese SNK games (look, I didn’t know about any of this either, and – in case you’re wondering – it stands for ‘Shin Nihon Kikaku’); Mr. Karate, being the alter ego of Takuma Sakazaki (obviously). And he looks absolutely ridiculous, like he’s just stepped out of a Studio Ghibli film. As to ‘DLC’, it stands for “downloaded content” – but of course.

This stuff is so far from anything I know, that I feel entirely immersed in another’s culture, and at their mercy. I am helpless without their guidance, and am therefore forced to trust them, with no other choices available. But trust SovRin I DO! Which leads me to my third and (who’s counting??) final point: I am in awe. I like to think I know quite a bit about music and what goes into making it. I would say I know music like a car mechanic knows the underneath of the bonnet – that’s not a pretty hat, but what Americans call the hood, not to be confused with what everyone habitually wears everywhere except their head. But don’t get the bonnet mixed up with the boot, which Americans call the trunk (which is an elephant nose, because an elephant knows). Frankly, I don’t know how car mechanics do it! Having never driven a car, I stick with music. And yet, listening to SovRin’s music makes me feel like I don’t know an A flat from a G apartment. Just HOW on EARTH does he DO IT??! They do call him “the wizard” for a reason. It’s pure magic! And like all the best magic, I don’t wish to know how it’s done. Otherwise it’s just a talented trick. The way young Sov packs in a million and one correct notes in the only way they know how. Sometimes with extreme staccato attack, sometimes with a portamento bend. Sometimes with a gnarly distorted synth that will blow your head off, sometimes with a softer heartfelt piano, but usually with mega fat beatz in order to give you something to understand. And all the while, everything is impeccably mixed. It must surely take him months to make a 3-minute instrumental piece. Man’s got skillz, yeh? Yeh.

SovRin puts in all this effort, and all you have to do is press play.

I’ve got to continue with my damned detachable roof project. Lord knows why I chose a building with a spire… Now I REALLY understand church fatigue.

Listen to 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘿𝙇𝘾 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘿𝙇𝘾 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Apple Music playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝘿𝙇𝘾 on YouTube HERE!

Follow 𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙍𝙞𝙣 on Instagram HERE!

Follow 𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙍𝙞𝙣 on TwiX HERE!

Please share this post and let me know your thoughts in the comments below

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.

𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 (𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩. 𝙏𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 & 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙊𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨) – 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙤𝙣 𝙉𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙨

Charles enjoys the weather…

What is it about the sunshine that makes us smile? “How would YOU know, CC? You’re in England!” – Okay, let me clear up this myth once and for all. I don’t live in Yorkshire (the North), I live in London (the South). London gets tonnes of great weather. It does not rain all the time. In fact, it is usually not raining. We get far more sun than rain. The sky is usually kind to us in London. So, seeing the sun is quite normal. These days, summer is no longer “cross yer fingers and hope for the odd day of okay weather”. Summer in London is pretty bloody similar to the rest of Europe – thank you, global warming (or coincidence, depending on whose side you’re on)… Right now, Europe is going through the most tremendous heatwave, and England is no exception. Last week was hot, this week is hot, and next week will be hot. And when I say hot, I mean tomorrow will apparently be 37°C (roughly 99°F for those of the traditional system). So, to conclude, it is a myth that London gets dismal, cold, wet weather at all times.

Where was I? Oh yes. I was being English in talking about the weather. Despite being oh-so used to lovely weather for quite a lot of the year, we English are still stuck on auto-mode. We get excited when the sun comes out. We plan to get outside and burn. Actually, we tend not to plan. We instead simply rush out like impatient dogs; flip-flops at the ready (slap-slap, slap-slap – who doesn’t hate that sound?). But I think the biggest change is our frame of mind. It suddenly doesn’t really matter to us that our Prime Minister is stepping down. The increasingly extortionate prices of just about anything seem just irrelevant. An incompetent police force seems unimportant at a time when crime seems unfathomable. World affairs are that of the World, not of our own. Wars continue to ensue, “but it ain’t MY war”… We instantly crave a personal happiness; contentment within one’s own mind. And so, into the rays we go! A queer sensation occurs below the nose… It is an involuntary smile, complete with the unfounded “assurance” that everything is going to be okay. Nay, everything is going to be completely and utterly tickety-boo (a glorious little English term roughly meaning hunky-dory).

Have you noticed – providing they are not too irritable from the unbearable swelter – that people are kinder when the sun’s out? I do NOT include drivers in this statement – their angry resentment seems to be present no matter the season. Outside of the tin can on wheels, though, you yourself are kinder, no? Have you noticed? The scene is blissful, and you want it to stay that way. But it’s no fun being the only happy person. Like The Turtles, we want to be ‘Happy Together’. There is an air of universal optimism brought on by nothing but golden rays. Such a simple trigger, but I am just so grateful for such a trigger. It puts a delightful spin on the term “trigger-happy”. And so, you leave the house. Music playing through your lugholes and a confident swagger in your step. Naked arms and naked ankles. The lightest breeze saving you from overheating. It’s glorious! And yet, you turn the corner, and some poor woman’s shopping bag has split; her purchases rolling into the road… In duller weather, one might choose not to have not noticed and just so happen to cross the road while looking in the opposite direction… “Doo doo-doo… Nothing to see here”… But in this heavenly sunshine, you find yourself stooping down to help the lady, smiling all the while. It just isn’t conscious. You have become the automatic saint. There is nothing to gain from this act of kindness, and yet you do it so instinctively, as though the poor unfortunate is your own mother. The lady is bowled over by your manners, and once again, that Turtles song bellows through the horns of an ice cream van.

But enough of sheltered reptiles. Shelter is the last thing on our minds right now. We want sun and music. We have the sun. Check! So, what music do we pick for such cloudless times? The Beach Boys? Would make sense, but I want something fresh. Something modern, but with a golden hue of familiarity. Perfect; I have just the thing. Are you feeling positive yet? I do hope so. But if you’re still heavily frowning, fear not! The Optimists are here! Or rather, the Optimistics… Please welcome Brendon Nicholas and Terrence & The Optimistics! This is New Zealand at its finest. Those of you who have quietly wondered the whereabouts of Old Zealand, let me quench that mild intrigue of yours. Old Zealand (Zealand) is the western-most coastal part of the Netherlands. It translates simply as sea land (for obvious reasons). New Zealand was discovered by a Dutchman who named it New Zealand. Which frankly is a rather lazy naming scheme, but I can’t help but feel this isn’t exactly too important right now. Anyway: ponderance quenched. What with this “new” land being rather spoilt for sun, both Brendon and Terrence are natural optimists. They also make up the total of said Optimistics.

Usually, the duo likes to have Terrence Bull as the lead songwriter and general all-round music man, so that Brendon Nicholas can be the voice of the song. ALL CHANGE!! This time, Terrence takes a backseat, remaining only for mixing duties (a thoroughly underrated role – ahem). Brendon has all hands on deck for their latest song, ‘Save You’. To put it crassly, this is Brendon’s baby. He wrote the song, sang the song, and played all the instruments. ‘Save You’ is a joyous tune. It lifts the Venetian blinds to the ceiling, allowing the sunlight to drench your view as you sip that mandatory morning coffee in contemplation of the inevitably great day ahead. You feel like Superman when Superman has been Superman for a long time. You’re just used to being brilliant. To give you an idea of the sound we’re talking about here, think Weezer, The Beach Boys, Ben Folds Five, Sean Ono, Joan Jett, Beck, Dodgy and The Shins. But mainly, think Eels. No, not those repellent things that squirm when you squirm. The band. It’s uncanny how much Brendon sounds like Mark Oliver Everitt, Eels’ lead singer. Which to me can only be a good thing. In October of last year, I mentioned the idea of how Michael Jackson would have sounded in the ‘60s… Well, now I again seem to be brought back to the same concept, but this time with a different artist. ‘Save You’ is how I imagine Nirvana to sound, should they have been around in the ‘60s. It’s a funny idea, but I must say, I do like this little game of placing a certain artist in a completely different era, then imagining what they would sound like (I also have images of them in my mind, and it’s quite amusing). This is far more fun than not bothering with the imagination part and just requesting HAL (A.I.) to make this happen before our very eyes. We mustn’t have substantial brain rot before the decade (or year) is out. This will happen naturally – just give it time.

’Save You’ is a song about helping people. It’s incredibly upbeat without being soppy in the slightest; mainly due to its fist-thrust-high manner with a rocking riff to match. But it is not without hippie sentiment, man. After an instrumental chorus for starters, these verses chime high with that clean Rickenbacker-like jangle; vocal melodies to the fore. Harmonies bloom as though it’s Mother’s Day. And then our bright sun rises for the chorus! The intro riff comes into fruition with spectacular tight vocals: “Do you, need me, to save, to save you?” – it’s earnest, honest and willing. Proof that once we are okay within ourselves, we will naturally come to the aid of others. How’s THAT for optimism?? After two rounds of a chorus fit for a pub singalong, we’re pretty much at the halfway mark. Too early for a bridge, surely… Nope. It certainly feels like the right point for a change. This bridge does just what a bridge should do: it’s an alternate flavour of the same ilk. We haven’t journeyed to a foreign land, but merely moved to the garden for a change of scenery. And like all pro bridges, it segues perfectly back into the next chorus. The thing is, normally in “song-form” this would be the final chorus… There’s a reason that bridge came earlier than usual… We have enough time now for a brief but excellent guitar solo! NOW we get our final chorus. The thing is, this song wouldn’t really hold together without Terrence’s part. The mix is solid, unified and enjoyable. You probably won’t be aware of the mix… While sounding like an affront, this is in fact high praise for any mixing engineer. The mix should be invisible. And doesn’t the duo work well as a twosome? I should say so; they grew up together, having known each other for 45 years!!

‘Save You’ is just so fun! Full of exuberance and vim! The perfect song for my wander in the English sunshine.

There’s a fresh, new zeal to it all. The old zeal is Dutch.

Listen to 𝙎𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙔𝙤𝙪 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

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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.

𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙥 – 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚

Charles is knitting with wool…

“If the shoe fits, wear it” – so the saying goes. If the shoe doesn’t fit, wear something else. Makes sense. But most tend to opt for an uncomfortable in-between… If the shoe doesn’t fit, wear it anyway. These are my thoughts of the day. Confused? I know EYE am. In fact, I’ve always been a little confused. Mainly because things tend to make sense to me in a different way. Or they don’t make sense to me in the slightest. Still confused? Yeah, I can see your furrowed brow from here. I am talking about the way EYE am versus the way most others are. And this applies to you too. Do you find that you look at the world a little differently to others? Of course you do. You’re an artist. We tend to be a little different in many ways. But it ain’t just art and artists; it all stems back to school…

Were you the one with long hair when everyone else had short hair? Or vice versa? Were you the one who’d rather stay at home and play guitar than go out and play sports? Were you always listening to different music to your peers’? Ringing a bell yet…? How about at home? Family usually has that family connection, no? Where each member tends to have similar views, thoughts, feelings…? But not you. You always had your own way of seeing the world. And because of all this, you were treated differently at home, in school and in later life? The odd one out? The weirdo? The wretched outcast? The black sheep…?

“Fitting in” is something we naturally do (or attempt to do) as a teenager. You weren’t the only one. Everyone you knew was trying desperately to “go with the crowd”. Of course, there were the leaders and the followers. The leaders were often just as inauthentic as the followers; those leaders were usually just attention-seekers. Those followers were just trying to be part of something. The thing is, there are many of us who tried fitting in, failed to fit in, and instead just did our own thing. That’s where most of us come in. My question is, whether it is weird to be different? Surely it’s NATURAL to be different, no? We’re not clones… Just because most of your friends left school and got office jobs, doesn’t mean that YOU should have to do that. Rather than “them” being the “normal” ones and “us” being the “weirdos”, I like to think of it differently. How’s about this (to make you feel a bit better about yourself)… YOU were honest with yourself. YOU’RE one of the few who DIDN’T bow to peer pressure and “the system”. Those who chose to continue wearing the ill-fitting shoe, will potentially regret their decision as they hobble through life. But you? You’re a lone wolf in sheep’s clothing! EMBRACE the black sheep in you! Welsh need not apply.

THIS black sheep seems to have wandered aimlessly into a field of music. Mehh (says the sheep). Okay, it seems this sheep is not impressed. But one artist seems to stand out… A chap who although born Dutch, is based in Manchester, England. Please welcome your new favourite black sheep, Julience. And yes, his latest release is called ‘Black Sheep’, but I think you’d gathered that by now. This man has appeared 3 times in my “maybe list”, but has never quite managed to arrive on this page of mine. So, as I stick a gold star on Julience’s lapel, I smile.

I’m going to morph into Billy Shears and reveal what’s underneath this ‘Black Sheep’. My previous two reviews have covered unusual songs with complicated structures. THIS, is the complete polar opposite. It is proof that great songs don’t always have to be complex. In fact, most of the songs you find yourself humming day-in, day-out, will probably be pretty simple songs. ‘Black Sheep’ shows off such a forté. If you’re gonna use just two chords, THIS is the way to do it. It is time to rock in a classic way. That’s right, we’re stepping back to somewhere between 1970 and 1976. We start immediately with a riff that conjures the spirit of Messrs. Jagger and Richards. Specifically ‘Start Me Up’. That’s in the left ear. But just one round in, we’re introduced to the rest of the band with a second guitar on the right – one that sounds as though Mark Knopfler has borrowed Richards’ other guitar. Bass right down the middle, and drums that sound straight outta ‘All Right Now’ by Free. Yes, complete with unmistakable COWBELL!!! But PLEASE don’t make the mandatory (they’re not mandatory) cowbell jokes in the comments. The cowbell is feeling a little put upon. But now we come to the voice. Imagine the attitude of Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott and Bruce Springsteen with the vocal tone of… ah damn, I can’t quite get it. Can you? Maybe in the comments? Is it Roger Daltrey with a large sprinkling of Peter Gabriel? You tell me. My final comparison is probably not one that anyone else would come up with… Daft Punk, anyone? No, I’m not joking. There’s a song called ‘Fragments of Time’ by Daft Punk & Todd Edwards that for some reason feels somewhat similar to me. The sound is entirely different. So is the genre. So is the entire song. And yet there is something there. Almost certainly complete coincidence, but I like to make these little comparisons – it’s just the way my brain works. I hear you already: “Coincidence?? You’re completely insane! They’re nothing LIKE each other, you twat!”

But… Two chords… How does this work? How can just two chords make a song great? I’ll tell ya. When we sing songs, we don’t sing chords. We CAN’T sing chords. Instead, we sing melodies. Melodies with words. Which is two thirds of what makes up “the song”. Other than the chords, the rest is performance and production. Rock is in Julience’s veins. Which isn’t about virtuosic ability, but a feel. Jagger did not have an incredible voice, he made a thrilling sound. Richards was never one of the greatest guitarists of all time; he made a thrilling sound. It’s more about attitude and rock ethic than anything else. You have to feel it to believe it. I felt it in Julience’s recordings, so I definitely believe it. The playing and the singing is everything, here. The performance. When it comes to rock, the performance is everything. Anyone can play Beatles songs, and “the song” always shines (admittedly never as brightly as the original). But with rock, when a mediocre rock combo starts to play a Stones tune, the actual song usually falls flat on its face. Because it’s simply not the Stones. The performance is why I adore Queens of the Stone Age. No one could take the place of Josh Homme, just like no one could take the place of Julience. His passionate singing voice, his edgy guitar tone, his masterful basslines, his sneaky OWgan parts, his fabulous drum fills, and yes, his cowbell; these are all of the things that make up ‘Black Sheep’. The fact that it’s just two chords becomes largely irrelevant. It’s a rocking little record (how many of you sang the next line?)… And speaking of lines, those lyrics are so integral to this being such a corker of a song – most of us relate. We’re all alone, together. Not as the song suggests, but as colossal woolly mammoths!

I did it!! I actually wrote a short(er) article!!!

If ever you’re feeling like you don’t belong, remember: Black Sheep Matter.

Listen to 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙥 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙥 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Apple Music playlist HERE!

Watch 𝘽𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙥 on YouTube HERE!

Follow 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 on Instagram HERE!

Follow 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 on TwiX HERE!

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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.

𝙍𝙪𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙒𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝 – 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙊𝙬𝙚𝙣

Charles is speaking artfully…

Over the course of the last few years, we have witnessed the progressive speed of A.I. and generative A.I. (what I habitually like to call “HAL” for simplicity’s sake). This has been faster than any other cultural change. Not just in how quickly we have altered our way of doing things, but how fast the technology has improved. It was seemingly weekly leaps. Which is frankly too fast for average humans to keep up with, or even be comfortable with. On the whole, we humans cannot comprehend this kind of progression at such a rapid pace. We need time to mull it over and work it all out. Most of us do not think in terms of ones and zeros, but instead in terms of light and dark and question marks; the good, the bad, the “I don’t quite understand”. And the “I don’t quite understand” is not just the technical aspect, but more often elongated to “I don’t quite understand WHY”.

Artfully speaking, the last time we had THIS kind of speed in progression was in the early 1960s. At the dawn of said decade it was decreed that guitar groups were on their way out, with no mention of any replacement. At this point, a “guitar group” was thought of like The Shadows: an instrumental band, or a backing band for a singer. No one foresaw the idea of the singer/s being part of the band itself. Songwriters were odd-job men or classically trained surnames atop cheaply printed sheet music. Writers were writers, players were players, and singers were good-looking actors playing a part as the lead role. And then a group called The Beatles came on the scene. They wrote, they played, they sang. But they were repeatedly told “guitar groups are on their way out”. What the system had not been able to comprehend was that this unknown group was the start of something new. The “guitar group” as we now know it, was only just getting started. From 1963 to 1969 there were vast leaps just every few months. It was a true revolution in art, designed for the young, but quietly pricking the ears (and eyes) of the middle-aged (then thought to be anyone from the age of 28 to 50 – basically any possessor of a cardigan and a pipe).

What we were witnessing, was young, brilliant, eager minds at work. As far as teenage fans were concerned, songs just happened. Back then (unlike in more recent years), people weren’t familiar with or even aware of what went into making such records, for this was all behind closed doors. Studio doors. Interviews with band members – or as the stuffy old BBC would likely have called them: “banned” members – very rarely had questions about the music itself and the whole process of making it. Instead, it was more “So how are you enjoying your tour of America?”, or “Do you intend to grow your hair indefinitely?”. And yet, behind the scenes, the most magical movement was bubbling and blowing up. The writing was fresh and wild. The guitars were making sounds that compelled lab-coated engineers to frown and sweat. The singers were convincing microphones to contemplate suicide. Until the last few years, it seemed impossible to ever witness such a leap so great as the decade from 1959 to 1969. Yet here we are. The biggest artful leap in history has been during the last few years. I say “artful” not in the correct sense of the word (clever and crafty), but more in a literal sense. And yet, these past few years have shown very little to do with actual art. Those years of ’63 to ’69 were vitally human. Which is exactly what the current climate is not.

We keep being told by various tech CEOs that HAL removes the “laborious process” of making music, leaving us with a fully formed piece of music to listen to. There’s only one problem with this. Well, actually there are myriad problems, but let’s just deal with the one. That “laborious process” – spoken of like sticky detritus – IS the art. It is the everything that makes the final result have any point, purpose or worth. And so, inevitably there has been kickback. While I did expect this technical progression to be lightning speed, what I didn’t foresee was the speed and ferocity of said kickback. For some, it’s an angry, deep-seated rebellion. A revolt against such sickenings that feel akin to betrayal. But for many, it’s simply that they never changed. They ignored the masses and the hype, and just got on in their usual way; the only way they ever knew. HAL is ignored largely by older people; cast aside as a fad; a gimmick. Much in the same way many of these older artists observe social media; a cheap waste of time that has absolutely nothing to do with them. These artists are not trying to be trendy. Fashion has always been a young man’s game (and so it should be). Being older has its own known drawbacks, but it does lend the benefit of authenticity. Interestingly, it hasn’t always been this way. Back in the 60s, those young members of The Beatles and The Who were not following trends; they were inventing them. The older ones tended to do what they saw as being expected of them, rather than what felt right. And so, with this “have pen; will write” attitude, I feel quite content in being decidedly middle-aged. Yes, I can finally admit to myself that I am most definitely middle-aged. Sigh. Unless I live to the age of 104, in which case I still have another decade to hit the dreaded “M.A.” – “Stop it, CC; you are what you are”. Quite right.

And here’s another artist who is what he is. Please welcome Robert Owen to the stage! Apologies for the slightly longer-than-usual pre-amble, but I thought in this case it was quite important to truly set the scene. Now, despite the name, Robert Owen is not British or even American. He is from Berlin. I have been quietly keeping my eye on him for a while. His music always intrigued me, but until now I always felt there was something somewhat incomplete about his releases. A disconnected sound, potentially intentional, but not quite to my taste. There was, however, always something about his sound that teased me. I think I was waiting for “the one”. His latest single, ‘Rubber Mask of Holy Wrath’ is, I believe, that one. And I further believe this song to be as far away from HAL as it is possible to be. HAL is good at copying the sound of real instruments. It is also good at copying mainstream sound. But it is not good at capturing the human mind. Probably because it does not know what’s coming. We are but weird souls. And when HAL does “weird”, it just misses the mark. I think the reason for this, is that it has never held a light bulb. While it might not be easy to work out if a song is HAL, it is definitely (at least so far) easy to tell if it is NOT made by HAL. And ‘Rubber Mask of Holy Wrath’ is NOT made by HAL. While I have no doubt that HAL has its uses, generative HAL has no purpose in art that I can see, aside from fakery and dupery. When creating a piece of music and you wish for something to be a certain way, what better way than to do it manually? A true artist CANNOT rely on HAL to “save time” by doing it for the artist, unless we actually get to a point where HAL can read the artist’s mind… But even then, where would be the fun in that?

Speaking of an artist’s mind, let’s look at the mind of Robert Owen. His influences are both clear and unclear. Clear, because I can hear the essence of certain artists; but unclear, because the sound is simultaneously so disparate from those influences. A drop of vanilla essence makes a difference to the overall flavour, but does not make the dish taste of vanilla. I believe this is how influence should be, rather than simply being something from which to copy. HAL, take note. Actually, no. HAL, please do NOT take note; stay as you are. However, just to give you an idea of the sound, try and picture (in no particular order) The Beatles, 10cc, Joe Jackson, Peter Gabriel, Kaminski, Jeff Lynne, Sparks, Blur, Tears for Fears, McCartney, Alan Parsons, Madness, David Gilmour, Eno, and the minds of Bowie, Cave and Waits (but not necessarily the music). Then mix in some coldly organic electronica and the occasional strangely satisfying dissonance, and you might get halfway there. Much like last week’s CC pick, there is constant change in Robert’s way of writing and producing. But unlike last week’s pick, this man is not even attempting to appeal to a mass audience. This goes beyond pop. For me, this is “weird” done right. There is a forever sarcastic smile. Like Stravinsky and Picasso, one has to know the rules in order to break them. Going headfirst into “weird” will usually end badly. Which probably explains why we tend to get the slightly older artists making the unusual material. The foundations and experience must be there in the first place in order to go further. That’s how The Beatles were able to migrate from ‘She Loves You’ (Yeah, Yeah, Yeah), to ‘I Am The Walrus’ (Goo-Goo G’Joob).

A warning: ‘Rubber Mask of Holy Wrath’ is not for those who suffer from the curse of the short attention span. Remember, Robert Owen is not trying to appeal to the Swifties. I suspect that he is not really trying to “appeal” to ANYone. He is making the art that he needs to make. Should anyone wish to join him on his journey, they’re more than welcome – I’ll be on that train. The song is 8 and a half carriages long. Sorry, minutes. But peculiarly, it doesn’t drag at any moment. And what I find a REAL joy is the lack of pretension that can so often be synonymous with this style of music (should this style be categorisable as a “style”). I hesitate to call this a song, because it fits no usual verse-chorus-verse form; but as unusual as it stands, it still somehow remains a song. Length is a hindrance in this streaming world, because royalties are paid by the stream. Hence the main reason why we have shorter songs these days. If royalties were paid by the minute, I suspect that the world would have gone all Pink Floyd a long while ago; pretension intact. ‘Rubber Mask of Holy Wrath’ is simply the length it wishes to be, while concentrating more on girth. This thing is full fat with a restrained belt of respect.

What can I say about the music itself? The piano is heavy-handed after a false start. But this lumpen way of playing seems to impress upon us the confidence of its player, rather than show off the ivory amateur. It is very much intentional, this proud way of playing. Actually, while I’m here, nothing in this song is wispy. Everything is defined and calculated in that comically cliché German way, yet nothing is ever robotic; it’s simply efficient. Nothing is wasted, and everything is there for a reason. This is how a pro producer works. Like last week’s pick, the bass and drums are what keeps everything together within the superb mix. But I suppose what really brings me so close to this piece is the voice. Robert (who does everything except the backing vocals) has a voice that might seem like a friend to you. At least it does to me. And do bear in mind that I have never spoken with this chap in my life. I know almost nothing about him. For all I know, he might not exist and this is all HAL. In which case I might go the way of the above spittle-drenched microphones. But we have to take some things at face value, or we will all go insane. I would love to hear that Robert Owen is in fact the brother of Kaminski, but I highly doubt this will be the case. Let’s briefly get back to the music. Robert knows how to control everything he has at his disposal, whether it’s the use of a physical instrument, or the means to express the melody or sound in his mind through some sort of synthesiser. Nothing is over or underdone. As for those beautifully fresh, wide backing vocals, they are courtesy of Maria Maier, Stefanie Sagert and Heike Bollig. It feels to me like this song took quite a while to put together. More of a condensed opus than a song. But believe me, Robert, every effort’s second was worth it. It’s the kind of astounding piece that would warrant a “Making Of” video.

And then there’s the words!! Golly, they’re just absolutely- ah damn, we’re all outta time. You’ll just have to listen for yourself.

I wonder if 104 seems likely… Wearing my cardigan, I glance at my pipe: “Nah, probably not”.

Listen to 𝙍𝙪𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙒𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝙍𝙪𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙒𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Apple Music playlist HERE!

Watch 𝙍𝙪𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙧 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙠 𝙤𝙛 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙮 𝙒𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝 on YouTube HERE!

Follow 𝙍𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙩 𝙊𝙬𝙚𝙣 on Instagram HERE!

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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.

𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡’𝙨 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙 – 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙

Charles spies with his little pies…

Have you ever wondered if someone you know is perhaps not quite who they seem? Someone you have known a long time? Someone you feel you know well, yet at the same time you realise you know very little about them? Someone who perhaps has to disappear for brief bursts? They say it’s business, yet you’re never actually quite sure what it is they do, other than “business”. Does this ring a bell? It’s somewhat familiar to me. I know a chap who goes away regularly. Seemingly every few weeks. Actually, not seemingly; this happens. He’s always extremely busy, yet able to fit in anything that life hurls at him. If you want something done, ask a busy person – so the saying goes. Sure, he could simply be doing his job in “business”. Sure, he might simply not be interested in talking about said “business”… But I can’t help but wonder…

Wonder about the ins and outs of his business? No, no, no. That’s deadly dull, and I’m not remotely interested. I can’t help but wonder if this “business” is a usual sort of business. You see, I have a somewhat overactive imagination (it makes life more interesting). I’m also natural inquisitive, and (unfortunately) naturally suspicious. Okay, let’s just say what I mean. I think my friend might a spy. This is based entirely on precisely zero. There is pretty much no reason why I should be thinking this. Perhaps it’s just me trying to make life a little less dull; who knows. Perhaps it’s because I quite like the idea of knowing James Bond. But then again, there is always the chance I am right. Yes, it’s doubtful, but it could very well be true. I will probably never know. Should he actually be a spy, I should hope he’s on the right side. It would crush me to discover that not only had he been a spy for all these years without mentioning a word of it (he’d be a rubbish spy if he had), but that he had been working for the “other side”. Only just very recently have I learnt that the chap is moving. He and his family are going to live in a faraway land. A place with an entirely different culture and way of life. And it was THIS that confirmed my suspicions (without actually confirming a damned thing). He told me in person, over a pie. Suspicious, no? A pie is smart, neat and nonchalant on the outside, yet filled with secrets. Had my friend been a pie all these years?

So, this pie of mine. I went into my novelistic mind as I imagined him crossing that border; something he does frequently. The difference being, this pie had always returned. Not this time. I gather it is to be for roughly two years – I assume the length of the “Top Secret operation”. Once he arrives there, he will be a new man. A man with no past. A man with no acquaintances. He will be welcomed as a “man of business”, not a “pie of business”, for to them he has no secrets. There, he will seem much as he had seemed here. Just a businessman going about his duties. And yet, still, I can’t help but wonder. Is he sharing secrets? Is he secretly filming at all times through his electronic glasses? Is he taking coded notes? Is he seen to enter a café at 1pm, only to leave at 6pm through the back door? But then I wonder about something else. He is my friend, you see… I wonder if he is safe? I also wonder if he is armed…! But then I start to wonder further… IS he my friend? Does his family actually exist? Is everything simply an illusion formed from a manner and what I have been told? Or am I just unhealthily suspicious, bordering on paranoid? I suspect I am simply using my powers of observation and imagination, blending the two to best feed my creative compulsion. My pie is probably not a pie, and instead as blatant as a roast beef dinner. What you see is what you get.

On the subject of pies- sorry: spies; allow me to welcome you to something refreshing in all ways. The song is ‘Devil’s Right Hand’. The artist is a duo called Crash World. They have never appeared here before, despite having released some excellent songs over the years. These two Vancouverites (or Vancouverians, as I like to say – pronounced Van-koo-VAIR-ee-ans) both have Scottish roots. Although a duo, these two make sure to hire other musicians as well for the recordings, so it does still sound like a full band, rather than an acoustic duo. I have always gone for their music; mainly because they take it seriously. Some artists make music that sounds like a casual afterthought. Something that occurs briefly while they’re stirring their tea. But to make something really worth listening to, one has to put in the time and effort. The days of the repeated-four-chord-sequence must surely die soon. The lyrics that slumber without so much as a turn from night to morn. The predictability that bears the question: “What for?”… I like artists who show their worth. Artists who challenge themselves. Artists who bother. Artists who genuinely know how to make great music, through their own years of experience. And this is just where Crash World comes in. These two Scottish Canadians have a certain confidence in their sound and manner that doesn’t come close to arrogance. It’s more like “What, you mean YOU can’t do this? I thought we ALL could”. When something is so natural to you, it seems impossible that anyone else might struggle with it.

These two eccentric lads are Glen MacLeod and Graham MacDonald. Glen is the writer, guitarist and also does backing vocals. He’s the one with the style. Graham is the voice of the band. He’s the one with the weighty backbone. I suppose in a way, Glen is the Paul, and Graham is the Lennon. To be fair, both Glen and Graham are not only eccentric, but both very stylish. They both look inherently cool. Whether it be Glen’s facial hair (imagine if Salvador Dalí had opted for a beard), bowler hat, black suit, black shirt and white tie, or Graham’s heavyset, imposing stature, snazzy Las Vegas jackets and sporting what seems like a colourful yet flattened hedgehog atop his otherwise shaven noggin, the name of the game is style. And a style of their own. But putting all this aside, it’s the music that brings them together (or at least keeps them together). And it’s the music that lured me in. Despite the subject matter being frankly fascinating, I must admit it was the music that initially tugged at my elbow, yelling “Pick Me! PICK ME!”. And so I did it pick it. Of course, the pro sound made the experience pleasing and more enticing than some other releases, but it was the songwriting that kept me listening. As to the lyrical theme of the song, it’s about the idea of a spy in a foreign land, from the spy’s perspective. And yes, this spy is seemingly working for the other side. I don’t know if I have ever heard a song about that!! Just SO refreshing.

But what else is refreshing…? The music. How it’s written the way songs USED to be written. Sections within sections, lines leading to other lines, one chord setting up a new chord, unexpected constant change, but never feeling awkward or jazzy. Most songs these days feel like a triangle: walk for one mile, turn left, walk for one mile, turn left, walk for one mile – congratulations, it’s over. Where’s the JOURNEY?! It should feel like a train trip through the Scottish Highlands, not a flight from London to New York. Here’s a load of timestamps for ya: 0:00, 0:05, 0:10, 0:15, 0:26, 0:33… Just over 30 seconds in, and we have already had all these surprises. Fast forward to 1:00 and we get 1:10, 1:21, 1:26 – it’s just constant change. This is what songwriting was always supposed to be. Not just four chords ad infinitum. Music is supposed to evolve, not repeat. Sure, we need the hooks to repeat through the course of the song, but it shouldn’t be possible to condense a whole song into 20 seconds without missing loads out. So, yeah, that’s the writing side of things – it’s exquisite, and it frankly kinda gives me hope for the future of music. As to the singing and the playing… Phwoah! Graham has just one job here: singing. Boy, he belts like caramel. At first I was thinking he sounded like a Texan Bryan Ferry, but then I realised he’s actually more like Elvis – as he might have been had he lived through the 80s, and eaten fewer peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwiches (I still shudder every time I hear that concoction). As to the instruments, they’re sublimely played. Glen has already been busy with the writing, but his layers of guitars are session-man-good, with a couple of cracking little solos in the second half. But what really grabs me in the instrumentation is the bass and drums. The drums will be more obvious to you, but do try to pay attention to the bass. Much of the time it is neatly bold in the low end, but other times it has the most fabulously nosy manner! It’s like an eager garden mammal when faced with the prospect of just so many nuts ripe for the picking. Yup, that’s how I’ll end this piece.

That garden mammal is full, and so am I. Look, I started with a pie, and finished with two Big Macs.

Listen to 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡’𝙨 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙 on the Connolly’s Corner Spotify playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡’𝙨 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙 on the Connolly’s Corner Apple Music playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝘿𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙡’𝙨 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙣𝙙 on YouTube HERE!

Follow 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 on Instagram HERE!

Follow 𝘾𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 on TwiX HERE!

Please share this post and let me know your thoughts in the comments below

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.

𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 – 𝘽𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧

Charles goes from hero to zero…

To say “We are all heroes” would be a very positive, modern way of making us all feel good about ourselves. It would also be a conscious lie. While many of us might be doing very well in life, we can’t all be heroes, or the word loses meaning and status. We must however all HAVE heroes. It is important to have someone to admire. This is mainly for two reasons. One, because we all need aspiration; we need to strive. And two, with no one above you, your ego will spiral out of control. So, those heroes really need to be solid. They need to be impossibly perfect. Choose wisely! We want a flawless glaze, not chipped china.

How, then, do we find such a “hero”? We’re all a bit rubbish… We ARE human, after all. We are fallible in so many ways. We do the wrong thing from time to time. But does this make us inherently bad people? Well, that all depends on intention and awareness. Being unreliable due to having ADHD does not make you a bad person. But being unreliable because you don’t care, perhaps makes you a selfish person (not necessarily “bad”, but it’s edging that way). So, when choosing a hero (we rarely consciously “choose”; it just happens), we need to find the person or people with the least flaws. But even then, it can be difficult. Say you’re a businessman and you look up to Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk, it ain’t because they’re kind, lovely people, but because they are absolutely superb at business (whatever their methods). And let’s face it, aside from “my mum” (oh come on) or “my dad” (you’re just saying that), most people’s heroes are celebrities. Sorry, what’s that? Apparently the phone lines have lit up due to complaints about the previous parental comment. Okay, you’re quite right. I very much look up to both of mine. I just feel like a hero should be disconnected and untouchable. A bit like a god. So when one of those parentals asks me why all their emails have disappeared, it’s not quite the god I had in mind. I do however wholeheartedly apologise for any distress my previous comment might have caused (I believe that’s the standard plastic response we’re meant to use these days).

With most of us being artists, our heroes will probably be famous artists. It stands to reason. However, in art there is always this difficult balance of art versus artist. While the art may remain pure, it can be tainted within our minds because of the artist’s personality or even wrongdoing. Yes, I have touched on this before, but in this increasingly scandal-driven society, it seems more and more pertinent. When connecting with an artist’s art, we tend to connect with the artist. I completely understand that it is hard to love the creation if you despise the creator. But why? Why do we automatically associate one with the other? We all know Picasso’s work, but because he lived a little while ago, you probably don’t know much (if anything) about the artist, so the personality becomes irrelevant and we concentrate solely on the art itself. Which is brilliant. These days, though, I wonder if he would survive the inevitable chastisement for his hot and cold adulterous behaviour. In this present climate, being a celebrity is a VERY dangerous game, it seems. Can you imagine being surrounded by suspicious eyes hunting for flaws? Can you imagine the hateful judgement around every corner? Some celebrities are almost ousted from society for not smiling when greeted by a fan. Other celebrities are hated for wanting to change the colour of their roof. But then there are the genuinely bad celebrities. The ones who have committed horrific crimes. This is where things really do get serious. How can you continue to love and admire someone who is a convicted rapist? This heinous felony is no error of judgement. No mistake. No “whoops, I made a boo-boo”. And yet, their art remains innocent. THIS is the problem. We feel let down. And it’s a CRYING SHAME!!!

One such rapist is an artist called Br-… PHONE LINES!!!! Whoops, I made a boo-boo. I wholeheartedly apologise for such a joke in incredibly poor taste. Or whatever. Oh, the joys of NOT being a celebrity. Bryan Cooper is a good friend and a fabulous musician. He is also fully equipped with a wonderful, dry, English sense of humour; something he took with him when migrating from chipped china to judicious Japan. We’ll get to my pick of the week (‘Heroes Let You Down’) in a bit. First, though, let’s step back and have a look at the bigger picture. You see, this is not just an isolated song release. And neither is it even a new song. It is a remastered version of a single from 2022, as part of a compilation. This album is the release. Once I had spotted its existence on Thursday, I assumed it was the complete collected works of Bryan Cooper thus far. After further delving, I realised it was only 11 of his previous 20 released songs – so by no means the complete collected works, but the SELected works of Bryan Cooper. I kind of wish it had been called ‘Natural Selection’, but then again he’d have the crows chewing on his shoulder. Going by his choices, I would say it is less a “best of”, and more just simply “musings on a theme” – musically they are of the same ilk. So, although a compilation, it still “reads” like an album. Which I like. Mini review of the album (‘Transmission Coda: Selected Works 2022-2026’)…? “Bloody brilliant from beginning to end. Just supoyb. Go (and) listen!”. Now let’s get to the song at hand.

‘Heroes Let You Down’; the title is not a question, but a statement. Which did interest me. It suggests the inevitable, rather than the potential. There are various ways of looking at the song’s meaning. There is, of course, the way I stated above. But then there is the rather more manipulative way, which seems to be more how Bryan means. How the stars are portrayed, versus how they actually are. This is not a new concept by any means; look at 1950s Hollywood: the impossible dream… In Bryan’s own lyric, he seizes that vital word: “Propaganda”. But this conspiracy theory isn’t just related to artists. This could be about a politician, a business entrepreneur or a member of the Royal Family… But then again, let’s just suppose it IS about an artist. We’ve all been there. The artist you have adored since age 11. You had all their records, you had the posters, you went to see them live several times. You even posed in the mirror doing impressions of them! I see those red cheeks of yours. Then years later, you find that the whole industry has known bad things about them for such a long time, but for the sake of money and scandal they’d chosen to keep those secrets locked up, until even the big boys could no longer contain the horrible truth. My question has always been this. Should we dump the art with the artist? That art is still the same art it was when you loved the artist. It makes me think of when a murderer’s home is demolished because it belonged to that murderer. Surely the house wasn’t in on it… Are people that superstitious? Or is it just an association that is impossible to shake…? Probably. Which is so sad. Innocent art made by guilty creatures.

Thankfully, here we get both sainted art and saintly artist. The best of both worlds. One of the disadvantages of Bryan being such a great songwriter, is that it can detract from his brilliance as a guitarist. One is so absorbed in the music, that it’s often easy to gloss over the playing itself. And that’s how this song begins. A guitar melody that sounds as though this axe is just another limb. It’s as though his fingers are singing. His technique was never learnt but simply there. Much like we never learnt how to feel. This is all amplified by relentless yet subtle bending of the pitch, as well as the layers of manipulated guitar underneath. Simply put, this man knows his tools. But the song is underway with bass and drums soon enough. It is all setup for the confident, heavenly vocals, 28 seconds in. Even these have been layered for texture. Such a personal voice, but it knows you’re listening. It’s not personal like a soft, private conversation you were privy to through crossed wires. It’s more like a captivating performance by the only trustworthy candidate. After several verse/chorus type things (it’s never quite as simple as the norm with Bryan), we hit the masterful guitar section at 1:05, which continues for about 30 seconds. It’s like a demonstration on how to flick. The most unique way of playing. The only guitarist who plays even close to this style, is Graham Coxon. But what I find captivating is just how many notes Bryan is able to fit in, while never coming close to sounding annoying, show-offy, or jazzy. It always just works, and it sounds as natural as playing a slow major scale. I feel like the guitar is his closest friend. Every flick is like a ruffling a dog’s submental region. No, that’s not what you think it is. Oh look, just listen. And while you’re at it, set aside the 32 minutes it will take to listen to the whole LP.

If you’re currently looking for a new hero, I might strongly suggest Bryan Cooper. There’s enough disconnection, he’s kind and honest, he’s never made a bad record, and he knows how to use his email. He won’t EVER let you down.

Righto, I now have to recover my god’s emails, despite having an itchy submental region. PHONE LINES!!!

Listen to 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Apple Music playlist HERE!

Watch 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘿𝙤𝙬𝙣 on YouTube HERE!

Listen to the 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙖: 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨 2022-2026 LP on Spotify HERE!

Listen to the 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙖: 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨 2022-2026 LP on Apple Music HERE!

Listen to the 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙙𝙖: 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙨 2022-2026 LP on YouTube HERE!

Follow 𝘽𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧 on Instagram HERE!

Follow 𝘽𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧 on TwiX HERE!

Please share this post and let me know your thoughts in the comments below

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.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝘿𝙖𝙮𝙨 – 𝙅𝙖𝙨𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙚

Charles commands his audience…

“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players”. Wise words from The Bard. I think more so than ever, we take this literally. Life has become a theatre. While we used to warm to the comforts of tradition and still calm (the predictable status quo), these days we seem to crave unexpected newness; whether it be desirable or not. We are glued to our screens when horror strikes. But another way we seem literally to treat life as theatre, is the way so many of us act so naturally to the camera. We speak to its lens like a close friend. We exaggerate movements and expressions in order to garner views and comments. We need the rapturous applause! Basically, we are anything but content behind all the content. Monotony is no longer meditative, but an unliveable torture, as if you have been told “No more heroin for YOU, little miss missy”…

For me, very little in this world is more exciting than art. Art is what humans create for humans to enjoy. It is a connection and a bond between us all. Nature is fab and all, but we can’t quite have the same respect and awe as when it is created by we mere mortals. With nature, it just happens, no matter how incredible and beautiful it is. Great art is more than the art itself. It is the expression of man. The skill of man. The experience of man. The ingenuity and originality of man. Yes, of woman as well (obvs.). So… Why is it that so much art these days is so dull and so tedious? Within the last couple of years we have watched HAL (A.I.) copy humans. But in more recent times, I have noticed something quite frightening. More so, I mean. Humans seem to be sounding more and more like HAL. It is as if we are copying the copy. But the original copy was already inferior and quite plastic. So what we end up with (in the copy of the copy) is something so utterly predictable and frankly pointless, yet still created by man. It is like we are making art for the sake of making art. “Art for art’s sake (money, for God’s sake)” – thank you, 10cc. Are we to go on in this manner? To plonk another piece on the pile so as to make it taller…?

I think somewhere down the line we lost something. Despite us all being actors these days, we seem to have misplaced the theatre. The audience is ready and willing (can you hear them chanting from the auditorium?), and yet there is no stage. The good news is, this isn’t universally true. We still have pockets. Few, but deep. Shall we look at the theatre of music? No, I don’t mean musical theatre. I mean theatrical music. We’ll gloss over the 1950s because the only theatre we got was gyrating hips set to 3 chords. The 1960s brought us The Who, The Doors and Pink Floyd (the early days with Syd Barrett). Even without seeing these acts, the music was definitively theatrical, exciting and fuelled by drugs. The 1970s was really the most theatrical decade of relatively recent times. Even normal people were sporting platform shoes, flares, sideburns (less so the women) and any manner of flamboyant wear. And in music, we had Queen, 10cc, Kiss and David Bowie. Does it get more theatrical than these acts? The 1980s realised ways of bringing theatre into true pop music: Toto, Michael Jackson, Kate Bush and Prince. The 1990s decided that anything could be mainstream, as long as it was new and magnificent; cue Björk, Blur and Slipknot. The 2000s saw a return to the classic days of theatre in music: Muse, Lady Gaga and Rufus Wainwright. Now, the 2010s is where it all gets a little tricky. This is when things started to go a little plastic and sterile… We can’t blame HAL for EVERYthing… There were still a few excellent theatrical music acts, though: London Grammar, The Dear Hunter and Benjamin Clementine. But we had such hope for the 2020s. That we might resume the magic of music; but HAL ruined that. The good news is, the human excitement is genuinely coming back. It started with Billie Eilish, but latterly we rely on acts that aren’t strictly “pop”: Wolf Alice, Jacob Collier, The Last Dinner Party, and RAYE. Of course, you’re all screaming and shouting that I missed out “this” and I missed out “that”. There will be TONNES of ones I’ve missed out. But I’m not the Encyclopaedia Britannica (or the theatrical equivalent: Wikipedia).

RAYE is the one that really made me think about all of this. Her latest album is an absolutely staggering feat, rocking the mainstream world, hopefully worrying the likes of Ed Sheeran etc.. Isn’t it lovely that Ed Sheeran is FINALLY out of favour? ENOUGH of the deadly dull. OUT with the utterly predictable!! RAYE managed something of all eras, yet somehow wholly modern. I really hope this makes the mainstream try a little harder, but not COPY HER!!! We need exciting originality. I crave it constantly since you took away my heroin. Thankfully, this love of theatrical resonance is here in the independent world. Not in abundance by any means, but there are smatterings of it hither and thither. One such smattering was delivered to my ears many months ago. Last year, in fact. An artist I have been quietly following from last year to this day. Every release simply different from what we usually hear on various playlists. And I don’t mean it’s just full of weirdness and dissonance. There’s plenty of that, but not here. I am speaking of the English rose, Jasmine Catherine. She has a history of actual musical theatre and is classically trained to boot! She must therefore be rather good at booting. Every single one of Jasmine’s releases is theatrical to the extent that each could be included in a Lord of the Rings film. Some have said Disney, but I think it’s rather more sophisticated than this. I sort of think of it as opera for the modern pop ear.

This is ‘The Dark Days’, released in October of last year. Of course, she has had several releases since, but I thought this particular one would be a good introduction for you all to understand what it is that Jasmine Catherine creates. Have you heard of her? Perhaps not. Should you have done? Absolutely. Hence THIS. I called her the English rose because she is from England, but not just because of that. Her features are pure, with long, naturally red hair, bright blue eyes, and the kind of skin that screams “sun, be GONE!!”. Her speaking voice is just the kind of English accent we all hear in Harry Potter and Hugh Grant films, but rarely in real life. With this voice she even reads audiobooks! She is obsessed with fairytale and fantasy. She does not scroll at 2am. She reads at 2am. She seems to have two obsessions: reading and making music. Jasmine is of a mythical past. But from this idyllic era, let us turn to ‘The Dark Days’.

The piece (I can’t quite call it a song) is unique. In a way it is classically filmic, but in other ways it is somehow modern. Vocally, there are similarities in fellow indie artist Jessica Mia (singer for Jane Marie’s songs), but I think one sings differently when the piece is self-written. It is nearly impossible to compare this piece to any other artist, because of how original it is. But if I had to, I would mention London Grammar, Wolf Alice and The Last Dinner Party in terms of voice, Kate Bush in terms of daring, and RAYE in terms of being able to blend musical theatre with something more accessible and altogether cool. I am beyond impressed with the sophistication of the writing and arrangement. Very adulty, yet so youthful. The backing vocals also have a teensy-weensy bit of Billie Eilish. What astounds me about ‘The Dark Days’ is how it is less than four and a half minutes. Too much happens in such a brief amount of time. And yet, the whole piece takes its time. This isn’t by any means some sort of frenetic jazz nutcase of a piece. It is ultimately beautifully classical, but the writing and production take it places you just weren’t expecting. Take, for example, the opening distant violin ostinato (which is absolutely perfect)… It could go anywhere from here, but alongside Jasmine’s initial line, there is something very dark indeed. At first I thought it was a bass trombone, but within seconds I realised it was perfectly following her vocal melody. More than the melody, in fact. It is – I believe – her very vocal recording, pitched down by two octaves. It’s just NOT what you would expect to hear from ANYone! Then just as you have settled into the current climate, the weather changes (such is the way in England). Jasmine sings the line “And you ask yourself, are these the dark days?”, and there is a pause. Up to this point, the voice is coated in a soft but lush hall reverb, but at the point of “days”, it is switched off – reminding you that we can do anything in the 21st century, and that all is not perhaps as it might seem. The orchestra ensues, complete with deep strings (both bowed and plucked), timpani, tubular bells, and a choir. This violin ostinato (played by Adrian de Lima) runs through most of the piece for momentum. From this moment the production (by Nicole Gisbourne) sets sail, and from this moment, the unstoppable sea crashes on, despite numerous obstacles. I could of course go into SO much more detail, but I understand, you all have things to do. At least make sure that one of those things is pressing play. And if you still have a bit of time, make sure to catch up on ALL 9 of her releases so far. I’m very much looking forward to Jasmine sealing them all together in a neat little LP – if she chooses to do that.

And now the curtain falls to close
The story of an English rose
With English eyes and English nose
I hope you liked my English prose

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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.

𝘼́𝙧𝙗𝙤𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙚𝙣 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙧 – 𝘼𝙙𝙖́𝙣 𝙍𝙖𝙢𝙞́𝙧𝙚𝙯

Charles discards his inner geek…

In my line of work, I listen to a great deal of music. Nah, let’s start again. I listen to a great deal of music. I always have done. But even more so in recent years, perhaps due to my line of work. Yeah, that’s better. And what’s my line of work? Some of you may chortle at such a question because to you it’s very much known. But I have come to realise that many newer members of the community actually have no idea what I do, other than writing these weekly articles. I’m a mixing engineer, a fixing engineer and a producer. This is what I do for my pennies, in order to retain that flapping roof over my head (and I don’t mean a combover). I also make music of my own – although there haven’t actually been any new releases in quite a while. Friday did however see the release of a new Bernice Marsala song, which features me in various ways. It’s called Crazy One. So that’s one shameless plug done. The other shameless plug is this. Should you feel that your music could do with a little oomph, un petit peu de pizzazz, or even just a little loving (early in the morning), feel free to get in touch with me. Whether it’s just a little vocal tuning or click removal, whether it’s a general mix, or even a full production; maybe the song just needs a bit of balancing… I’m here to help. I’ll stick a link at the bottom of the article for anyone who might be interested – here you’ll find more info, a playlist of my mixes and productions, and some before/after videos. Right. Shameless plugs are done. I don’t really like doing this, but occasionally promo is necessary – I am notoriously poor at promotion. Apologies to those who thumped the table with a clenched fist while muttering profanities. You can unclench now.

Where was I? Oh yes. Listening to a great deal of music. This is what I do when I’m not working (working is also a time of constant listening). I have noticed a change over the years in how I listen to music. I used to listen like normal people. Hearing the song as a whole. Just simply enjoying the music – or not, as the case may be. But it was just about enjoyment. The joy of music; the reason I fell in love with music in the first place. Lately, however, I have found myself zoning in and analysing. I have naturally turned into a bit of a geek. Sure, I still can’t help but hear the song itself, but I tend to concentrate on the nitty-gritty. This is something I simply cannot help. It is my job. It is my life. I am fascinated by how a piece is put together. Compelled by production techniques and mixing magic. I think one main reason this is happening now and not, say, a decade ago is because artists tend to (seemingly) concentrate more on the sound, the performance and the feel than the writing itself. Meaning that there is more emphasis on production and mixing than the bare bones of the song. The wow factor has changed from “Woah, that melody makes me tingle” to “Woah, it feels like it’s surrounding me” (or “Woah, that bass kicks ass”). And I believe to a certain extent, that this is the case for many modern listeners – we have all become a bit geeky.

Occasionally, though, the technical aspect takes a backseat and we are overwhelmed (in a good way) by the art, and not by the craft – like we used to be. Of course, the sound is still absolutely vital, otherwise its flaws can be a distraction from the art. The best mixing is invisible/inaudible. The best production is simply inseparable from the song itself. Have you noticed that you pay attention to the mixing on independent releases more than mainstream releases? That you concentrate more on the song itself with mainstream releases? This tends to be because they have a team of 10 people making sure that everything is perfect, regarding the technical aspect, leaving our ears free to admire the mediocre mainstream song itself. Because, yes, writing has undoubtedly gone downhill when it comes to the mainstream. They tend to rely on around 3 of the world’s hottest mixing engineers to save a weary song from drowning. And that’s where independent music tends to shine… The writing. The best is leagues above the mainstream. But then the sound can sometimes be lacking. Which (for me, at least) is a mighty shame – hence my initial second plug above. Ahem. Great, balanced sound allows your unique song and artistry to shine. Adding great sound to great music trumps the mainstream.

That feeling of being taken over by the music, is something to which nothing else compares. When the only distraction is a welcome one: the music becomes a distraction from life. But you know what also makes a welcome change? Listening to something different. Something you might not usually choose to listen to. Something that wouldn’t even occur to you. Take, for example, classical music. Honestly, how many of you have actively put on a classical piece of music, album or playlist in the month? I would imagine, relatively few of you. And I get it, there’s no solid beat to nod to, no vocal line to sing along to, no lyrics to identify with, no swanky OWgan solo “with which to get funky” (thank you, Homer Simpson). But where it has none of these familiar pleasures, it has plenty of potentially unfamiliar ones. Sure, classical music can be a bit daunting if you’re not used to it. Or even if you ARE! There is just SO much, and some pieces can be an hour long. The automatic (and easiest) decision might be “Ain’t nobody got taam fo’ dat”, but if that’s the way you’re viewing life, then maybe you don’t deserve such goodness. We need to be open and willing, we need to be curious, and we need to bother. There is of course the risk that it doesn’t float your boat and you’ve potentially lost an hour of your life, but you don’t know until you try. You might kick yourself for having never given it the chance. It might be just what you need! When you eat out, do you always go for the same thing? Do you always opt for the tried and tested “safe option”? Or do you live a little and discover something new and fabulous? I understand that you might not like it, but it’s always worth trying new things.

This week’s new thing is not something that will take away much of your precious free time. I heard your sigh of relief as you unclenched once more. It is 2 minutes and 27 seconds, leaving you ample time to twiddle your thumbs afterwards. But somehow I doubt you’ll only want to play it just the once. In being such a brief piece, you can guzzle its goodness many times over, and STILL you’ll have plenty of time to do whatever you wish to do in your spare time. Please welcome Adán Ramírez to this particular Corner. Having appeared here once before, this Mexican man is not the type to occasionally release the odd ditty. Adán is evidently driven, as shown by his prolific output. Having done my fair share of writing over the years, I would say that it takes more time, effort and experience to compose a fully orchestrated classical piece, than to write and produce a pop song. And yet, Adán released 25 pieces, just last year! This new release of his – ‘Árboles en Flor’ – is his 7th of the year so far. Normally, with this kind of frantic output these days, I might naturally become suspicious. Especially if the quality holds up (which it does). Is this real music? Is this actually a plethora of human creations, or is this something rather more automatic, with the release being just as unfamiliar to the artist as it is to us…? Thankfully, Adán Ramírez prides himself on not using any HAL (A.I.) for his creations, because he sees that HAL has no place in the creative side of the art process. He enjoys this very process. That’s the whole point of a talented artist. And this particular one is highly prolific. While we don’t have many classical composers in the community, we do have a few. I do however consider Adán to be among the very best of them. Let’s look at ‘Árboles en Flor’.

Okay, let’s LISTEN to it, then. We commence straight in with a Spring field of woodwind. The bassoon cheekily and tentatively pads like footsteps up to no good, while flute, oboe and cor anglais (English horn) hold the windy melody in staggered harmony. Within just 12 seconds, the strings come into bloom. The piece translates as “flowering trees”, after all. By just 33 seconds in, we have soft horns marching carefully, so as not to compress the soil; their watering cans giving life to the strings that follow at 0:46, complete with cymbal swell and timpani roll. 0:54 gives way to the flutes, as they climb like a spiralling ivy with counterpart from the lower range woodwind. It’s like watching one of those mesmerising natural timelapses from an Attenborough series (Happy Centenary, Sir David!). The cor anglais and oboe then round off the flutes with a tip of colour. 1:35 sees a conversation between older, experienced strings and younger, eager flutes and piccoli. Our final 34 seconds is a culmination of everything as if it were truly Spring. A dazzling waltz! And yet… While the introduction seems somewhat positive and perky, this piece largely remains rather sad in a minor key, with doses of “maybe things will be okay in the end”. Perhaps this is Winter saying goodbye as it passes the baton to this new, fragrant season. As with all of Adán Ramírez’ work, he does everything himself, from first idea to final master. This is his way of sprinkling beauty on a world that needs all the beauty it can get. As usual, it’s pretty pointless to describe music, so you’d be much better off sticking on your headphones and listening. You might find your day to be that little bit more peaceful and enriched.

Do you think me insane for choosing a classical piece this week…? I can’t be the crazy one in the room…

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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.

𝙋𝙨𝙮𝙘𝙝𝙤 (𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙃𝙮𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙞) – 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙗𝙚𝙣

Charles is just being friendly…

Here’s one potential way of life that isn’t necessarily the same as your own (or even MY own, but is perhaps more a male way of thinking):

When we’re young, we have loads of friends. It’s normal. Apologies to those of you who didn’t when you were young. But it is – I think – pretty normal. As we grow a little older, many of those friends fall by the wayside. It’s nothing intentional or conscious; it just happens. Then work, life and romantic relationships take over. Friends become less important and more an optional extra. Then you just forget all about them entirely. And ya know what…? You’re absolutely fine with that. Friends just aren’t that necessary anymore. Or so it seems…

Pootling along without a care in the world, those young adult years with the girl (or boy) of your dreams, everything seems peachy. Sure, you don’t meet up with all those friends you used to, but you’re utterly fine. And you’re sure THEY’RE not losing any sleep over it. This is pretty much the status quo for quite a time. There’s even a blob or two that comes along, and STILL you’re fine. Sorry, “blob” is my word for baby. But eventually, something changes in you. You want more. And I don’t mean money or power, or rich experiences as you travel through the great unknowns in the deepest, darkest crevices (or crevasses) of the potentially unexplored world. I mean that you want something BACK. Something you used to have. Your dignity? That’s long gone, and it ain’t never comin’ back. Your hair? Ditto. Your posture and somewhat svelte physique? Well, this can be worked on, but it’s hardly a craving, is it… I mean something much simpler. Something that demands a lot less physical exertion. Something so honest, casual and timeless. It comes in the form of Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe… That’s right: Friends. That thing we nonchalantly cast aside and took for granted.

Friendship is without a doubt one of the most important things in life. Not necessarily hundreds or even scores of them, but a small close-knit band of them. Even just one or two – that’s all that’s necessary. But it IS absolutely necessary. It’s a bond, a chat, a good vibe. A time to vent, a time to lark about. A thing of warmth and reassurance. A place for honesty and frankness. Friends are who you speak with when talking to yourself just isn’t enough. While there’s a connection, there can be a fresh outlook or perspective. This friend is no Yes-man – otherwise you might as WELL be talking to yourself. A friend can make you feel less like a pawn and more like a courageous knight, themselves being the steadfast rook. That grounding is oh-so vital, hence the responsibility in being someone’s closest friend – they CAN’T let you down. And in being a traditional two-way friendship, YOU can’t let THEM down either… “I’ll be there for you, ‘cause you’re there for me too” – wise words from The Rembrandts. It’s funny: not long ago you used not to need this kind of companion. You were perfectly fine on your lonesome. But now, you find yourself going from lonesome to lonely. You just can’t be alone. Friends have made you a better person. You’re calmer, kinder and more fun. And yet when you’re alone, the old you seeps back in. So, when are you actually often alone…? In the car, maybe? Maybe… The resentment, the anger, the frustration, it all oozes out of the glove compartment (do we still actually call it that…? Ha!). You start to think. You start to OVERthink. You mutter and mumble to yourself, and then you scream at another driver (even though YOU were at fault). The devil emerges from within, and you yearn for a friend to come and put out the fire. But then you think back to a time when you were absolutely fine without those friends. You didn’t need them at all! YOU were that rook. What happened?! Did you get weaker and more frail as the years went by? Maybe, maybe not. The knowledge of “what happened” is something that frankly can’t be known. The funny thing is, you might not want to go back to those more resilient times. You’re probably better off as you are now.

There is however something to be said for being on one’s own. It’s often when we feel at our most free. Free from judgement. Free from self-awareness. Like when you escape life, once again dive into your car, lock the doors, press the “drive” button, then press the PLAY button. Firstly, the music takes over and you scream along to your favourite hits until you become hoarse (then scream along some more). Secondly, I have evidently never driven a car, because there is no such thing as a “drive” button. Yet. Anyway, THIS is when you let off steam and become a little bit more like yourself again. When you’re alone. The thing is, you might not like that “self” of yours. And before long, you need people again. You need company and interaction with others. It’s a balance, I suppose. A little bit of me-time; a little bit of us-time.

Let’s finally get to the music. Ben Wagner is the name of the game this week. But you’ll know him as bigbaldben, all lowercase because he’s just understated that way. In all seriousness, underneath that bigbald exterior lies an understated, affable chap of a man. A really modest soul with a gentle temperament. But when this Pennsylvanian rocks, he surely does ROCK!!! He’s extremely fun, you see. Please welcome our very own BFG (no, not Big Fat Guy), the Big Friendly Giant that is bigbaldben!!! It has been two whole years since Ben last appeared in my Corner, and since then he has released an entire 7-track MP (medium player) – ‘Thresher’ – piecemeal. But that’s old news. That was released as a whole in January. Get with the times, man! It’s April, dude! Wrong again – It’s May, dude! But on the 29th of April, Ben released what I can only assume to be the first of the next. The single is called ‘Psycho (in my Hyundai)’. But of course it is. What ELSE could you call a song about everything I said in the first few paragraphs…? Yup, unless I have got absolutely everything entirely wrong (plausible), that is exactly what this song is about. Friends, lone time and how it has all changed over the years. But ya know what else has changed over the years? Ben’s music! Sure, he’s still that heavy rocker with a penchant for intentionally sculpted dissonance, but this track has something different. It is a more honest, more adulty version of Ben. Normally he would never be seen without his triple or quadruple-tracked harmonies. He was never comfortable with the sound of his voice without that pad of harmonies. We all love those harmonies (and don’t worry, they’re still there in parts), but sometimes as artists we need to change. We need to journey. Sitting still is good in small doses. Then RUN!! And we can’t run very fast with a pack of harmonies on our back. Sometimes we need to strip to that singular unadorned vocal. It’s called “slimlining” (it’s not but it might as well be).

Middle-age is a tricky time in life (so I’m told – ahem). Some will decide never to change anything ever again – you tried that once, and look what happened). While others will feel suffocated by staleness, and finally bite the bullet. The pill is newness. Or in this case, the pill was singing lessons. Blimey! Who does that?? Who admits to themselves that they might benefit from singing lessons? Who Googles local singing lessons in their fifties?! Shall I tell you? Ben, that’s who. Ben was man enough to recognise and acknowledge what he saw as his own weaknesses (none of US thought that!) and thus sought advice in the form of singing lessons. Bloody amazing. Truly, hats off to you for doing this. ESPECIALLY in being a rocker. It had never even occurred to me that rock singers would train their voice, but of COURSE they do!! How else could they belt it out night after night, year after year, decade after decade?! Anyway, this training evidently gave Ben some new found confidence to try what he hadn’t really done before: let the backing vocals sit in the background, or even have a break for a bit. Good on ya, Ben! And ya know what? It turns out, less is indeed more.

This is much as it would sound if Ben was rocking out in his car, because in real life there is only one Ben. Until now, I have always heard Ben’s voice as a delicious chord. Somehow now it is more tactile. More human. I feel the words more because I can hear the human behind it all. But speaking of the human behind it all, this song ain’t a cappella… There is, of course, his quintessential guitar chugging. There is explosively slow and snappy drumming. There is that rumbling bass from a bassist who so desperately wishes he was Ben on guitar; coming up the rear, as it were. But as soon as we get to the first verse, aside from Ben’s vocals, we get what sounds like heavily filtered drums from a drummer desperately wishing to be a drum machine. I must say, though, the most impressive thing for me is the inventive writing coagulated with the guitar layers. Ben really knows what he’s doing. One thing I’ve always loved about ALL of Ben’s music is how deliberate everything is. This is song-craft with defined production. Nothing just happens to happen. There’s one repeated harmonic that reminds me of an ominous heart rate monitor in an X-Files episode – just before a black-eyed monster shoots out of the comatose victim’s throat. Or something. There’s a beep in there that sounds cool – coulda just said that. The irony of having fewer audible vocal harmonies, is that I find myself singing what would previously have been there – the harmony. But that’s because I do that. Not because it needs that. As to the actual overall sound, it’s pretty bloody flawless, due to producer/engineer Jack Fawdry, otherwise known as Jxckfruit (yes, that’s the spelling). Who he? Well, he’s worked with Sony and Universal, as well as the group Busted. I was very nearly the drummer of Busted. Or was it McFly? Either way, that’s a story for another time. The point is, Jack is the bee’s knees when it comes to sound.

Björk’s ‘You’ve Been Flirting Again’ lyric “Give her some time, give her some space” was right. But maybe there’s such a thing as TOO much time, and TOO much space… We need people. We need close friends. Otherwise we go insane, you see. La-la-la-la-la, boop-a-dee-boop-boop wa-wa-wa, sha-MONE!… Like that.

Apologies, Ben, if I got this all entirely wrong, and the song is actually about your wife.

Are you old enough to remember when I wrote that spoof episode of Cheers? I bet you’re pleased I didn’t do the same for Friends. Could I BE any more longwinded?

If a friend contacts you after so long and asks “What happened?”, just tell them “We were ON a BREAK!!”

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