Connolly’s Corner

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.

𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙫𝙮 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩 – 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙣

In ignorance, Charles has a heavy heart…

A lot of bad stuff is going on in the world. Always. Even at the best of times, there is always bad stuff. Bad people, bad things, bad decisions. Even nature itself can be bad. It’s enough to flip that smile for a while. Each page turn of the paper; or scroll of your preferred news outlet can often lower the soul, despite it often being so disconnected from our own little world. So why not ignore it? Why not cocoon oneself within one’s own blinkered existence? Why not, indeed! Well, because we need this information. More than ever, these days we crave the latest goings-on. It has almost become “cool” to know exactly what is happening everywhere in the world, the split second it happens. But seemingly not in all ways. In many ways we stay within the comfortable confines of what we know and what we are happy not to know.

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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.

𝙃𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙄𝙣 – 𝙁𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙀𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩

Charles fishes for compliments…

Today, I’m going to be talking about sport. Which may come as a surprise from someone who neither plays nor enjoys it in the slightest, save the odd game of badminton on a balmy sunny summer’s day. But since we don’t get many of them in London, even those feeble serves are slim. I am not going to talk about something so common as football or tennis (Happy Centenary, Wimbledon), but rather something altogether less taxing. In fact, it involves little movement at all. Most would even struggle to bring themselves to call it a sport. And no, it’s not golf. Golf would maybe seem positively exhausting compared to this. It could be considered a team sport, though it is quite often and maybe usually achieved solo. And when I say solo, I mean there is no human opponent. But this does not mean victory is easy. In fact, it can be pretty brutal, usually resulting in multiple deaths…! Strangely enough, the sport is very often accompanied by a dozen bottles of beer. I know, this is really starting to sound peculiar. What is this drunken violence?? It involves a great deal of sitting, and very often in the rain. Suddenly it sounds rather less crazed and rather more stupid. The player has a long slender stick (more violence?), but much of the time said stick rests alone and remains untouched by human hands. From the stick’s narrowest point, a string dangles downward (as only a thing can dangle). It is kept taut by a weight at the end. This is starting to sound less like a weapon and more like an ancient mathematical instrument for measuring earthquakes. But earthquakes are difficult to measure in the water. Oh yes, did I not mention? This thread dangles below the surface of the water. It still sounds rather scientific. But what with the beer and the Kangol hat, it all starts to look like a bit of a practical joke. Oh, did I not mention the sun hat? But of COURSE! What else are you meant to wear whilst sitting in the pouring rain?

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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.

𝙃𝙤𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣 – 𝙒𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙋𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙨

Charles realises that practice makes perfect.

Teenagers have been known to occasionally learn the odd new word (I know, astounding!) and use it over and over again, usually in the wrong way or wrong context. Any teenagers reading this, feel free to take offence: I gather you’re rather good at that – winky smiley face. I went to school with someone who would constantly say “I don’t know… It’s a little bit dubious. I dunno man, I’m a little bit dubious.” Or “jewbyus” was actually how he used to say it. Confused me at first, then made me laugh, then inevitably drove me crazy. This went on for years. The same can be said for artists when they start to mix their own music. Not meaning that they say “jewbyus” at any given chance, but that when they find “the answer” in terms of mixing and production, they use it everywhere. Badly.

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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.

𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙏𝙤 𝙎𝙖𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 – 𝙋𝙖𝙪𝙡 𝙈𝙘𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙞𝙘𝙠

Charles reviews Paul McC…

I’ve been thinking about niceness recently. Niceness, politeness and good will. Kindness and honesty. Selflessness. I’m quite nice, but I’m no saint. I will quite naturally be good, but I won’t be a pushover. I will put up a fight if I believe in something strongly enough. But then again, sometimes I will lose that battle either because I’m not strong enough, or because I don’t have the energy, or, because my opponent is simply stronger; or stronger willed. And this is how I came to thinking about niceness. Are nice people too nice? Are they too good for their own good? Can being too nice be unhealthy or even detrimental?

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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.

𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙈𝙚 𝙊𝙪𝙩 𝙏𝙤 𝘿𝙧𝙮 – 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙁𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧

Charles won’t leave you hanging…

Do you ever get that feeling when you’re so totally alone? I don’t mean being lonely. I don’t even mean some sort of fear of isolation. I just mean when you see and hear everything around you, but it feels like no one else is speaking the same language… Does that seem familiar to you? Or how about when nothing specific has happened, but you feel abandoned, or even spat upon? Do you ever get that feeling? It could be personal; it could be very distant, yet still affecting. Sometimes I think about my country and my government, and they don’t seem to mesh. Sometimes I think about my health service that doesn’t work. Sometimes I think about my work and how previously good clients have shown a darker side in more recent times. Sometimes I think about my landlord and my neighbours refusing to do the right thing. Sometimes I think about the artists I have reviewed, refusing to do the right thing. And sometimes, I just think.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙄’𝙙 𝙍𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝘽𝙚 𝘿𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙁𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙚 – 𝙮𝙖

Charles wonders if decrypting the enigma is a wise choice…

Life is a big old thing. Or moreover, the world is a big old thing. A world chock full of billions of beings and trillions of things. We’re not put here to understand every single one of them. Even if equipped with the best of brains, it would be quite literally impossible. Just not enough time, and not enough interest to do so – not to mention the diverse cognitive ability to undertake such a task. It would hardly be a doddle or a walk in the park. The simplest things can baffle me, but I simply and naturally learn to accept it. I urge you not to be a pedant or an irritating little blighter when reading and possibly commenting on this article. Chances are, you are cleverer than I, and that you should be proud of this knowledge. Quietly proud. Allow me to be simple and unknowledgeable. Permit me to be contentedly lost in a world of people and things.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙄 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚 – 𝙃𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙍𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙤

Charles can’t help but care…

Sometimes, being topical is unavoidable. This is one of those times. The world has not been a lucky place in the last couple of years. Back in 2019, everything seemed to be bumbling along oh-so averagely. #MeToo was still very much a thing. Trump was being Trump. Brexit was on people’s lips. Notre Dame was in people’s hearts. Theresa May stepped down, and Boris Johnson tripped up. Then a great big pandemic came along. George Floyd lost his life and rose to fame, as the world’s people proudly showed their masked faces and threw their fists to the air. Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99. So did Eddie Van Halen, admittedly not nearly so old. It has been a hard and bitter time. Era, you could call it. So unique and unprecedented were the times, that the collective feeling was that of being lost.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙄 𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙆𝙣𝙤𝙬 – 𝙉𝙤𝙖 𝙂𝙞𝙡

Charles opens up, writes an honest review, and tells no lie.

As I have shed my filthy years of youth and grown less immature, I have noticed one thing dying and one thing growing. I speak not of hair and warts, but of lies and truth. Very few of us will have led a completely sin-free life. A young person might rarely see the wrong in telling a lie – or not telling the whole truth – but will often only see the benefits. There can be benefits! But is it therefore RIGHT…? Young people might not really care if it is RIGHT or not. But as I grow less young, I care more and more about honesty.

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙖𝙢𝙚 – 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙧 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨

Given the choice, Charles is unimaginative…

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

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Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly – an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 – 𝙈𝙤𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝘼𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙡

Charles packs it all in…

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

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