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.

𝙏𝙊𝙏𝙀𝙈 – 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙧

In disbelief, Charles is inspired…

Some of you may wonder about my reviews. “Where does he get his ideas? Where does his inspiration come from?” Others of you might not give the slightest damn! Well I’m not concentrating on that impolite fraction. So, these ideas are usually me and my very best constipation face, until something good springs to mind. Then I simply jot it all down. This time however, it was sheer inspiration in being moved by the music. I couldn’t help but put pen to paper. Simple as that! Amaury Laurent Bernier has had much attention of late, in and around the New Artist Spotlight and the rest of the internet. Much praise, various interviews – you know. I like to go a little off the beaten track. So as not to repeat what has already been said elsewhere. Of course, there will be SOME repetition, because I did not entirely detest the record.

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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.

𝙏𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙩 – 𝙆𝙚𝙡𝙚 𝙁𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜

Charles eats stars for breakfast…

Alan Turing. One of the great minds of the 20th Century. I will be bold enough to claim that his brain even surpassed those of our more recent greats, Billie Eilish and Oprah Winfrey. But you’re welcome to argue that point, should you so wish. It just occurred to me that some of you might not know who Alan Turing was. Turing was a technological genius. He developed The Bombe (not the atomic kind); responsible for cracking the Nazi Enigma code used throughout WWII. It is questionable as to whether we would have won the Second World War without Turing. A vital asset, therefore! Note that we are not currently in the middle of a Third World War, while Billie Eilish and Oprah Winfrey just happen to be around. Coincidence…? Yes. A completely unrelated “coincidence”. Turing is also hailed for being the forefather of the computer as we know it. But this was all in the past. Most people were not familiar with the name and he went the way of obscurity. That is, until relatively recently as he has popped back into chit-chat over the last 15-or-so years. Was this because people thought it was about time he was truly recognised for his achievements? Well, I suppose there was a bit of that. But mainly, it was because he was gay. Never mind what he actually did! The point is, he was persecuted and prosecuted for being gay in a time when it was illegal to be gay. And so we now rectify that matter by praising him to the sky for being gay. I can see a flaw 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.

𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 – 𝙑𝙤𝙣 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙤𝙣

Charles falls into the groove.

Let’s play a drinking game. Those under the legal age, please leave the room and play with your toys. This is serious man stuff. No offence to the minors or the women. Actually, women are allowed if they think they’re man enough – lovely phrase. Right! Let’s begin. Every time I mention groove or anything groove related, you have to down a shot. Or at least, have a large gulp of your alcoholic beverage of choice. We’ll have none of that sipping lark, thank you very much. We are about to step into the groove. You should be on your fourth by now – this might get a little messy…

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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.

𝙏𝙤 𝙒𝙝𝙤𝙢 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙔𝙤𝙪 – 𝙎𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙛𝙛𝙮 𝙎𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙨

Charles begins the resurrection…

So that was Easter. For those who don’t celebrate it, Easter is a time for celebrating Coco, the god of chocolate. I therefore can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t celebrate such a thing. Unless you’re allergic to chocolate, in which case it may be best to treat it as any other weekend. Okay, there is no god of chocolate. It’s all about Jesus having risen from the dead – as ya do. Clever lad. I must say, I like the idea. But do I believe in it all? Well… It’s a hard one to swallow. I mean, the whole idea seems a little far fetched, no? But if you want to believe, then by all means, believe! There’s no harm in it. Whatever floats your boat. There is beauty in this idea. It is not morbid. Quite the opposite, if you think about it. And this is the side of religion of which I am most fond. The peaceful beauty of it all. The unworldly nature of it all. The magic. Just like when one watches children use their imagination. Does that still happen these days? Do they still use their imagination? Well, let’s just say they do. It is delightful, endearing and somewhat captivating. So in this sense I think of religion as holding on to that child-like wonder. And why not??

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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.

𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 – 𝙎𝙖𝙣𝙤 𝙃𝙞𝙡𝙡

Charles carries on regardless…

Lately, I have been a very busy bee. Mainly with my recent mixing and producing for other artists, such as CHVRLI BLVCK, Billy Lowry, Vida, Wanaka, Eleanor Collides, Steven Heath and Rich Allen, to name but a few. I have also managed to fit in the odd bit of my own stuff. That album ain’t gonna make itself… Of course there are the ongoing frustrations in life like technology, companies, systems and people. I mentioned this a couple of weeks ago, but it really does waste a lot of time and energy. And there’s food and standard daily chores. Having no butler, maid or slave, I am left to fend for myself in this regard. While this is perfectly normal, my job is perfectly abnormal. I have no office, nor lunch break. I don’t clock in at 9, I don’t clock out at 5. One of the best and worst things about being self-employed is that I have to manage my own time. Can’t stand the phrase/term, but this we rather unimaginatively call ‘time management’. I don’t like it, I’m not great at it, but I’m getting better. The problem is, that I get in the zone. Although to me mixing is an artful skill rather than an art (unlike production), I treat it like an art, in that I find myself wrapped up in it for hours, fully absorbed as I would be with art. And as each hour passes, it feels like 15-20 minutes. I take mixing seriously and I treat it as preciously as if it were my own music. I know some clients of mine find it difficult to point out things they want altered in my mix, BECAUSE it is personal to me. They don’t want to offend or upset me. But they mustn’t think like this. I have rather quickly realised that it is the client’s views and wants that are to be adhered to. Not my own. For the duration of that mix, they are my boss. Besides, a lot of mixing is simply taste. It is not right or wrong. If an artist wants their lead vocal upped by 20db, then the artist shall have their lead vocal upped by 20db. I will suggest that this perhaps isn’t the best idea (and explain why), but ultimately they have full control – as they should.

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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.

𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 – 𝙀𝙙 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙤

Charles contemplates time and its association with the stigma of age.

Youth is everything. Youth is the very essence of life. Youth is vital. But it is the ever-diminishing tight boundaries of its definition that concern me. I am all for praising the young and their talents, but why should someone aged 25 be made to feel middle-aged? Are they destined to depart this Earth at the age of 50? People only live longer these days, so that can’t be right. Despite this embiggened life, our “youth” continues to truncate. Surely it would only be better to live longer if we can have more of the good bits? Not to say adults of wise and experienced maturity are having a terrible time, but it is simply different. Almost ALL emphasis seems to be on youth and youth only, in this modern era. The world is tackling racism and sexism at an enormous and rather astounding pace, but ageism is rampant and continues to grow with every year. I simply do not understand. Experience is in my opinion the greatest asset, and is by definition the one thing the young can almost never have. Age is also the ONLY thing we all have in common – we start young, we grow old. I will leave you to ponder that thought and mull it over.

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This week, Brad (aka Mercury Teardrop) takes over 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 to pay homage to Charles, the man, the myth, the legend… and to dive into “This is How the Story Begins”, his latest single featuring Wilko Wilkes.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝘽𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨 – 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙮, 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙠𝙤 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙨

Brad does his bit…

My early memories of music are some of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood. I was one of those kids who grew up surrounded by music. I remember sitting for hours in my parents’ living room, records all over the shag carpet and giant headphones hanging on my tiny ears, listening to album after album. There was the typical “pop” of the day in the house, but for the most part, I would listen to anything I could get my hands on. From ABBA to ZZ Top, I couldn’t get enough. At about eight years old, I started to buy my own records. For you kids out there – “kids” being operationally defined as anyone born after 1985 – this was not as easy as it sounds. It was an entire coordinated effort to save the money required, curate a list of albums you wanted, decide on the pinnacle of that list to spend your life savings on, and then, find someone who would take you to the record store. I would often wait for months before I could buy a single record. One of the first records I bought was “Out of the Blue” by The Electric Light Orchestra. I remember the day like it was yesterday.

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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.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙪𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧𝙨 – 𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙯𝙯𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞

Charles Connolly cries over hue…

Have you ever had a pet? I haven’t. Never. Of any kind. But I suspect this to be quite rare. I suspect that most of you – if not almost all – have at some point in your life had a pet of some sort. Were my parents thoughtless or cruel in not giving me a pet when I was a child? I would say not. The main reason being, that due to my severe eczema and asthma, as well as various allergies, a pet might have finished me off entirely. I am not sad or regretful though, as having never experienced the sensation, I cannot say my eternal lack of animal really affected me in any way. Personally, I was too busy being immersed in music (little has changed). Most children and teenagers have little to do, and so a pet will most certainly give you some sort of sense of purpose. Could a pet perhaps prepare you in life for being a parent? Or even, for being a partner? To naturally be forced to care for someone so early in life? It could be a lesser pet that is simply around, with less of a presence, that your mother (or nanny) looks after, and that you yourself have little to do with. But I will assume that most pets quickly become very much part of the family.

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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.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙧 – 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙃𝙤𝙧𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙯

Charles speaks of love from a distance…

Have you ever had a crush on someone? Obvs. Obvs, utts, totes, abs and deffo. Of course you have. You’re only human, after all. I certainly have, anyway. From my own personal experience, I can only speak from the perspective of a heterosexual male. I would love to say her name was Sophia, but alas… Let’s talk about Sharon. The glint quickly snapped from an eye. The way her hair just falls and bounces in THAT way as she turns around. The perfectly formed nose that wrinkles when amused. That slender, elegant neck forcing one’s eyes down towards her… collarbone. Proud shoulders that hang from invisible threads, not highly strung but still supported. The sweetest laugh that only I have noticed. An occasional cackle denoting a darker, more intriguing side to this wonder.

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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.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙂𝙖𝙢𝙚 – 𝙇𝙪𝙣𝙖𝙧 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙭𝙪𝙨

Charles plays a game…

This weekly thing of mine. You all witness it, but only in its finished form. None of you ever sees the process. It’s possible that many of you barely register there being a process of any kind. A bit like how my father never imagined Beatles songs actually being crafted and put together in the studio by his heroes playing instruments, manually and laboriously, take after take; rather that the songs simply came to exist. I don’t just tap the “make review” button, then tap the “post” button. If only. But “if only”? Would I really like that? Where’s the fun in that? Sure, it would certainly give me a lot more time to work, and not keep artists/clients waiting (I’m a producer/make-things-sound-gooderer, just in case you wondered), and it certainly would be nice not to have that persistent weekly pressure on my shoulders… But then again, isn’t this all part of what has turned it into a “thing”; like a PROPER thing? My little Corner has apparently become something special. Which makes me rather proud, I must admit. However, I see the column differently to you. For me it’s a weekly challenge, and one that I relish. It’s not an obstacle or a chore to be completed. The fun is in the process, but the outcome is just as important. But fun doesn’t mean lack of effort; hell no. The effort is what makes it enjoyable, both in the giving and the receiving. Basically, much like Solitaire, it’s a game I play by myself. By the way, did you spot all 11 card games in last week’s article (12 if you include Tarot)? That in itself was a game you probably weren’t even aware was being played!

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