Welcome all to ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ, 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 ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ผ๐ง๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ฉ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฉ playlists.
๐๐ง๐ช๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ช๐ง๐ฉ๐จ – ๐พ๐๐ง๐ช๐ก๐๐๐ฃ ๐พ๐๐๐ข๐๐ก๐๐ค๐ฃ, ๐ ๐ช๐ก๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ก๐๐ฃ
Charles says it how it isโฆ
Have you ever told a lie? If you said no, your answer is yes. We have ALL told a lie. Even the saintliest angels have told a lie at some point or other. It simply HAS to happen. There is no getting around it. But lying is an inherently bad thing to do. Does this make us all inherently bad people? No. Well, some, yes. But on the whole, not in the slightest. It all comes down to our reasons for lying. If the lie comes from the possibility of someone finding out that you have done something bad, that is wrong. If the lie is simply for your own personal gain, that is also wrong. But there are times when the lie can have good intentions. While this might seem oxymoronic on the surface, there is an honest simplicity here. Sometimes it is kinder to lie, where more pain can come from the truth than the lie itself. If your life is going down the pan and someone asks of your howabouts, do you open up and shed your woes? They asked, after all! Imagine the asker is in a fabulous mood; would you want to bring down their mood with your own? Or how’s about if the asker is in a dreadful way… Would you really like to stack your own dreadful way on top of theirs? And so we tend to dumb down our answer. Is it a lie? Technically, yes. But does it harm anyone? Quite the opposite.
So is the truth overrated…? I think the problem is habit. The more one lies, the more it becomes natural to do so. There is less judgement of a specific situation, and out pops another casual lie, all nonchalant as you like. And before you know it, youโre a serial liar. Like an ex of mine – ahem. Okay, so letโs just imagine you have lied your way through many a situation where you thought it kinder to lie than to tell the truthโฆ Nothing serious. No murder cover-up or anything. But that these little white lies are building a bitโฆ The problem is, lying with good reason can get sticky further down the line. It could be something so seemingly unimportant, like if a music artist asks you if their drums sound good. You listen, and think they sound like muffled pencils on a concrete slab. Yet you say โYeah, they sound great to me! Rock on, dude!โโฆ They release the track as is, and the track flops. Assuming it canโt be because of the drums, they release a new song with the same โgreatโ drums. Again, it flops. They then seek advice from someone else a little less tactful, and theyโre told โWell, for a start, your drums suckโโฆ It dawns on them that they were lied to beforehand, even out of kindness, but that the lie didnโt help them in the slightest. In fact, it hindered them. It slowed down their progress and ruined what was potentially a great song (two great songs). The thing is, they felt good initially in being told their drums were great, and they felt lousy latterly in being told their drums suck. But they also felt annoyed (potentially angered) that they werenโt told the raw truth in the first place. So, you see: a right sticky situation. Proving that while the truth hurts, lies are conceivably more painful in the longterm.
Sometimes itโs better to know; sometimes itโs better not to know. It simply all depends. With this weekโs pick, weโre going with the truth, no matter how painful it might seem. From Sweden last week, we cross the channel and visit the North and South of this queer shaped isle. Is there any other country in the world that contains yet more countries? Such a weird thing I have never heard anyone talk about. The United Kingdom is a country – it doesnโt feel that united, but a damned sight more united than some other countries. It contains four separate countries. Weโre going to visit the uppermost and the lowermost ones. Please welcome Cerulean Chameleon (the kilt), and Julie Hicklin (the skirt), with their brand new collaboration, โTruth Hurtsโ! Iโd be lying if I said this song was full of bagpipes and Celtic jigs, but the truth is, itโs thoroughly electronic. Of the doomp-tick variety, but the good kind. It ainโt five minutes of monotony, but instead a well-honed three-and-a-bit minute song. A song predominantly started by the Celt, and finished by the Anglican. The thing is, Julie (or Yulie, as I have been known to call her) is a songwriter and a singer at heart. While she might have an idea of how she would like a song to sound, she knows that it is probably best to ask a pro to produce. And so, she surrounds herself with a merry band of producers she knows she can rely on. This time she opted for seasoned Haggisian, Scott Hood (aka Cerulean Chameleon). Scott often works with readymade vocals from elsewhere, but I must say, by FAR his best work is with other singers (not a fact, but Iโm sure most would agree). This is where his productions come to life. This is probably because both artists can work together, rather than simply having a file to work with. A bond is born from a new musical relationship.
Despite โTruth Hurtsโ being a VERY โproducedโ song, the emphasis is very much on the vocals. It is vocal driven. Scott knows when to sit back and let Julie shine. Synths and vocal effects are at the fore for the intro – thereโs no beat and no proper vocals yet. Itโs enough to say โsomething big is coming, and there ainโt nuttinโ you can do about itโ. There is a certain grand luxury sweeping through the atmosphere in anticipation for more. The driving beat begins with sparse accompaniment, leaving a great deal of space for the bold statement that is Julie. She appears, wearing a floor-length leather coat and a hell of an experienced attitude. Itโs hardened wisdom in that first line, โTruth hurts, but lies hurt more. Been too many times, too many times Iโm rawโโฆ And itโs this rawness I really do hear. Itโs not a withered raw, but a whatever-doesnโt-kill-you kind of raw. There is understated passion and drive in her vocals. But those vocals: phew!! Her tone, her seductive quality, her warning, she REALLY knows how to sing. How to just GET you. There is thrust and punch, but itโs always short of aggression. Itโs more like heavy persuasion. A coaxing of kinds. Meanwhile, Scott is riding the waves, knowing when to come up, and when to come down. When to add excitement, and when to rest. The trick is never to rest, but to instead be vigilant, hand on gun, ready if needed. Verse two brings a stereo bounce, pushing and pulling with Julieโs lead. Itโs entrancing!
We take a brief breather at around 2 minutes in, as the kick pulls in for a pitstop. Scott serenades us with galactic synths, in order for us all to catch some well deserved breath. He smiles, rubs his hands together, and sets to clapping the night away. The kickโs pitstop is taking longer than usual, and his palms take its place for a short while as Julie comes back for some sultry understatement. And yet, you canโt look away. The build is lightening the load off your legs. Youโre up, youโre moving. Youโre ready. Julie brings you close, but not close enough. Itโs a build into a build – Scott steals the reins again as Julie falls back into her chair, heels stretched out. She picks up the mic with just a finger and a thumb, and rejoins the surrounding electronica. Weโre all ready for that final inevitable bout of effervescent satisfaction. Close to popping! And finally, that kick is as good as new, pounding to the pulse like a leader. Weโre there. Julie is standing and stomping, gripping the mic with white knuckles, giving it her all. Scott is pumping his fist to the air like a DJ at a festival! WHAT a delectable plate of mince and tatties THAT was!!
While youโre debating whether or not to release the naked truth, Iโm busy dancing like a right oxymoron.
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