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.

𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 𝙋𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 – 𝘾𝙃𝙑𝙍𝙇𝙄 𝘽𝙇𝙑𝘾𝙆

Charles considers the “Home Alone” effect…

It is coming to the end. I know this is infamously the bleak midwinter, but that’s not quite what I meant. What I meant was, the year is fast coming to a close. It is a time for collecting one’s thoughts. Yes, all of them. That’s a lot of thoughts. Let’s face it, we all started the year with plans. But did we all fulfil said plans? This time last year, I said I would release far more music. How many releases did I manage? Three. Three measly tunes in an entire year. And one of those I didn’t even write! Useless. So that plan fell flat on its face. Maybe next year. Next! I planned to go to Italy in the Summer. Did I succeed in doing so? Did I, heck. Maybe next year. Next! How’s about the hair? I said I would try my hardest to grow more hair on my head. No matter how much I held my breath and screwed up my face like a child who’s just swallowed a teaspoon of vinegar, it just wouldn’t grow. Ah well. We can but try. Next! What about the career? The mixing and producing? Well, I think I’ve succeeded there. In that respect, things are starting to take shape and come to fruition. Well at least that’s one thing. So I’m not a COMPLETE and utter failure. Okay, well I think that’s my thoughts collected – most of them have been collected already in my year’s worth of Connolly’s Corner articles (I’m not really calling them “reviews” anymore – despite each reviewing a song). So now that my thoughts are neatly filed away, alphabetically, chronologically and by mood, what is there to do? Well if there’s anything you really wanted to do in 2022, now’s your last chance. You have but a few days. I would suggest not choosing anything too daring, dramatic or adventurous, or you simply won’t have time. Also, sod that for a game of soldiers.

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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.

𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙗𝙤𝙬 – 𝙈𝙖𝙥 𝙤𝙛 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣

Charles finds a treasure map…

It is the beginning of July. Do you know what this means? It means we are truly in the thick of Summer. Well, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, anyway. In Britain though, we have a different way of looking at it. It’s very much the thin of it. We tend to look at Summer like a dream. Like, “one day I’ll be rich”. Like this impossibility for which we are eternally hopeful. An impossibility that is not only possible but highly likely in other parts of the world. I don’t mean a wealth of pennies. I mean a wealth of sunshine and of heat. In many parts of America, people right now are simply too dehydrated to bother with a rain dance. Besides, it would be a futile endeavour. The clouds are too busy migrating to Britain in small boats. It’s apparently where they belong. Italy though, as usual, has it just right: perfect clockwork weather. In Italy, Summer means Summer. In Britain, Summer is a bit like the Euros. We hope and hope some more. A few days of sunshine is like England winning the football on Sunday: enjoy it while it lasts. That could be it. We always hope we’ll get a proper European Summer. We always hope to win a major football tournament. And although the outcome is rarely terrible, we’re never left satisfied. This is the English way. Mustn’t grumble, but must mutter under our breath. Last week was Summer. This week? It’s all right. The usual meh. But still, we keep on hoping, in search of this mythical utopian season. If only we had a map of Summer.

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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.

𝙍𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙮 𝘿𝙖𝙮𝙨 – 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙨

Charles adds a little seasoning…

Think back not too long ago. That never-ending, heavy, lethargic summer. The relentless heat. The endless blue sky. The golden tan no longer a novelty; it’s a permanent ultraviolet stain. The trees all lush green with envy as they watch you sip your ice cold drink of choice. You’re slow. You’re tired. You’re raw. You’re just too exposed to the elements, and it’s been too long. “Pray for rain!”, we all cry! Pray for rain. But the next day, not a drop. Nothing but blissful blue. Nothing but scorching sun. Nothing but pure “paradise”… There is no hideaway in which to hide away. You wear too much, you overheat. You wear too little, you burn. You crave the days of change. The days where sweat is a sign of hard work, not simply of being. You wish for the leaves to come down to earth in hues of orange, of yellow and of red. You wish for a cool breeze not articulated by a rotating blade. You wish for a cloud, if only to break the monotony of blue perfection. You wish, you wish, you wish. But in reality, you wait, you wait, you wait.

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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.

𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙩 – 𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙇𝙚𝙚

Charles doth oft prove a prophet…

“To be, or not to be, that is the question”. Or rather, that is A question. A question into which I will briefly delve later on. To the world, William Shakespeare was a bard. To the English, he is The Bard. That is actually how we refer to him – should we refer to him at all (young Shakespeare is less in the modern narrative than when EYE was young). I know ‘English’ is a dirty word these days, but so far Shakespeare has been left unscathed by the modern obsession of screwing up the only good we have left from the past. He has not yet to have been found a slave driver, nor a hater of any race or gender. And nor was he a snob or a tycoon. Sure, he was apparently vain and pennily comfortable, but that is RIGHT! We are still allowed to mention him, talk about him, discuss and debate his work, without some whistleblower storming through the window with a tin of paint and a sign to spoil all the innocent fun and joy he has brought us all for just SO long. Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re reacting much as I would if I were to be accosted and threatened by a tribesman: “Don’t shake spear at me!” – well, tough. I am going to shake that spear whether you like it or not. Because, as long ago as his writing was, his greatest and most famous moments of inspiration are as potent as ever.

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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.

𝙍𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 – 𝙀𝙘𝙝𝙤 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙚

Charles momentarily forgets the past…

With the passing of time, time passes. This is without exception and by definition what happens. There is no time when time stands still. “Now” is instantly “then”. The future becomes the present, and the present becomes the past. Which is why people get so excited about the lottery, yet couldn’t give a damn about last week’s numbers. But with time comes change. Change in all ways, always. What was once so popular becomes so impossibly unfashionable. A young green fragile stem with but one leaf, becomes a great, grand awe-inspiring oak, towering above almost everything, given time. But given more time, its life is forced to a close, and it becomes, say, a table. Time is everything here. Without time, life is a photograph. Without time, there would be no war, no destruction, no death and no rush. But then again, without time, there would be no peace, no conservation, no life and no rush.

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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.

𝙉𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙤 𝙎𝙚𝙚 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 – 𝙐𝙣𝙤𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙

Charles winces and wonders…

It’s a funny ole’ world, innit. So much is going on, all the time, everywhere. Some good; mostly not. Yet we’re rarely aware of any of it. Sometimes it’s due to our own ignorance, but usually it’s because we’re kept in the dark. Why is it when someone says “nothing to see here”, there is always something to see there…? Most people take what they’re given. Most people don’t question. With eyes wide open, most people only see. They do not observe and they do not perceive. They do not think. If they argue, it’s because others are arguing. A sheep will stand not comfortably but not uncomfortably. It will simply stand there. It will only bolt if other sheep are moving at speed… So, why? Why do we react so automatically? Is it ease? Is it laziness? Is it trust? Or is it none of these…? Are we actually all thinking the same “that can’t be right”, but are too afraid to open our mouths? Are we perhaps simply scared of querying? Nervous of the potentially worse response? Maybe we just don’t WANT to know. Maybe the whole “ignorance is bliss” thing is safer in our minds. Calmer. We’re all in this together anyway, so maybe if there’s something bad, it’s bad for everyone so I won’t be alone…? That seems a rather strange frame of mind to me. Surely it should be more like the words of The Animals: “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place”, rather than to all go down together…

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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.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙝 – 𝙂𝙚𝙛𝙖𝙝𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙞𝙨𝙩

Charles goes to church…

For someone so irreligious as I, God and his troves do make quite a number of appearances in my articles. Please do not forsake me oh Lord, for not conforming to your scriptures, but I give thanks for leading me to my own weekly scriptures. Or some such rubbish. Let’s face it, there is something very satisfying and wholesome about this way of speaking. A church remains largely unaltered by the modern world, with the exception of a card reader in place of a donation box. Even the almighty Lord himself is not impervious to contactless payment… On/Off topic, when at the Roman Baths in Bath the other week, I did chuckle at the sign which read “Do not throw coins into the water, please instead use the contactless donation device located to your right” – completely missing the point of throwing coins into fountains and the like. As if to say that places without such modern payment methods would have dedicated evening staff fishing the pennies out of the water, in order to pay for that leaky roof. It gives a different meaning to Sinatra singing about “three coins in the fountain”… I would imagine the same goes for the “Love Locks” on countless bridges and railings all over the world – they are simply donating padlocks to the nation. That must be the reason. Now if only they supplied the key as well, then we’d all be secure. God almighty, I forgot what we were talking about! Oh yes: God Almighty. Aside from the beauty and romance of it all, even non-believers will turn to it for another reason. Desperation. When almost all hope is lost, one cries for help.

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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.

𝙊𝙡𝙙 𝙁𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙙 – 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙚 𝙃𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙

Charles is a dedicated follower of old fashioned…

The future. To some of you this might be exciting. However, I suspect to most of you it is bleak and depressing, or at least a big fat question mark. But it’s coming whether you like it or not. I’m one of those excited types walking around in my bouncy trainers/sneakers. Out with the old, in with the new. I’m always obsessed with the latest trends. You’ll always find me in the frontline of whatever protest is currently in session in Central London. My clothes are not too dissimilar to those of Jacob Collier. When it comes to interior design, I like minimal. I like clean-cut. I like white walls. I’m not too keen on colour in the home, and I don’t like clutter. When it comes to exteriors, the sleeker the better. All glass, if possible. Throughout the day I drink herbal tea made only from organic produce. The packaging must be eco-friendly, or I simply won’t buy it. I only really go for electronic music as real instruments bore me and frankly make me shudder at the way things used to be. My daily schedules and routines are managed by A.I., and I am truly looking forward to an A.I. future. I don’t touch meat, alcohol, caffeine or any other drug, as I want to be healthy for my future offspring, and set a good example for them and others around me. In my free time, I like to play video games, when I’m not scrolling through Snapchat and TikTok. And finally, I make a point of shaving at least once a day, because you never can be too careful.

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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.

𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮 – 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙤𝙣, 𝙎𝙪𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙇𝙚𝙚 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙨𝙤𝙣

Charles is mad for it…

What’s been the biggest news in Britain in the last week? Ukraine trucking on like troopers? Hamas doing what terrorists do best? Perhaps it’s the ever-growing bullet-pointed list of national destruction updated daily by Keir Starmer? Maybe the Paralympics…? No no; unlike the Olympics, the Paralympics rarely gets any news coverage. Well, it must be that Germany is – as the news outlets are less than subtly attempting to lead us to believe – about to “go all Nazi on yo ass”…! How about Trump, Harris, Harris, Trump, Trump, Harris? Mm. Meh. Nope. It wasn’t any of these. I’ll give you a clue. It was music related. “Oh no, has some mega rock legend died, and I didn’t know about it??” – nope, no one major has died. “Oh phew. Oh, you don’t mean…” – I do. While this has been world news (amazingly), Britain has seemingly had a delirious little fling with the relatively recent past. If you had read the English Press this past week, you might be forgiven for thinking that each and every one of the 68 million people in Britain was foaming at the mouth with the news of Oasis reuniting for a few gigs. This comes after many quotes from Noel Gallagher in recent years, stating he would never EVER get back with his brother and the band. The news also comes the very year after his £20 million divorce… Hmmm… Not suspicious at all. How is he possibly expected to survive on the remnants of his meagre fortune (apparently a mere £30 million left)…? Well, to Liam’s delight, Noel caved and reluctantly chose to accept the idea of Oasis making a purported total of around £50 million from these 2025 shows. We can’t have poor little Noel barefoot in the street, busking in Leicester Square. I’m not sure anyone would notice him: there’s always someone there playing Wonderwall.

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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.

𝙊𝙫𝙚𝙧 – 𝙈𝙖𝙡 𝙁𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙤̂𝙢𝙚

Charles shuts out the distractions…

You know what I can’t stand about the world, particularly these days…? Almost everything. I read a newspaper, open the door to the internet, walk down the street, and almost everything appalls me. Or at least makes me sigh. People are particularly awful, with their lack of manners, lack of care, and lack of just about anything that should separate us from wild animals. People are pigs, buildings are ugly, the economy is shot, politics is a joke, and it feels like all those masks we religiously wore have not been removed, but simply been placed higher up above the nose. People are seemingly blind to it all. Blind to their own piggishness, but also blind to the horror that surrounds them. Sure, there are pockets of niceness hither and thither, but one has to hunt, or by chance stumble on something so pure and simple and good, that it genuinely excites us, due to its rarity. Because of this, I find myself sheltering. Like old people do, oh so naturally, as each decade gallops with increasing speed. But I am not old. I shouldn’t be doing this. I shouldn’t have to do this. You might be thinking this is a depressing way to start what could have been a perfectly pleasant weekly read, but I rarely get the chance to rant. The New Artist Spotlight is a nice place. A good place. A friendly village through which we wander on a daily basis. We greet people we know well, and we nod and smile to the people we don’t. You will of course get the odd selfish little devil who wants to spoil it for everyone, but they’re shot on sight. Or at least dealt with in a manner conforming with the modern way. This might involve being overly polite and asking them to be reasonable, but with the inevitable failure of the “softly-softly” approach, they eventually find themselves walking the plank. We’re not vicious, we are just protecting the good guys while fighting the pirates. Behind the scenes, we moderators have to deal with far more than you might imagine, behind closed doors.

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