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.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙭𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 – 𝙗𝙞𝙜𝙗𝙖𝙡𝙙𝙗𝙚𝙣

Charles theorises…

What is music? “Wait, wait, wait a sec… You’re actually going to talk about music??” – I know. You’d think I’d be sick of music by now. But no, I ain’t the blasphemous kind. “But you NEVER talk about music in your intros.” – Yes, I know, I usually write about something like ”How to overcome the pressures of the world”, or “What came first, the chicken or the duck?”, or “Have you noticed the increasing presence of the hip flask lately?”… But this time I thought I’d go all out and speak about music. It is, after all, the time and the place. So. Back to my initial question… What IS music? This is something about which people will argue forever. But I’m not going to go into avant-garde nonsense that in my eyes (ears) is simply not worth bothering with. I am talking about REAL music. Ya know, instruments and all that. Something that doesn’t make one scratch one’s head, and something that one actually enjoys, as opposed to reluctantly putting oneself through, for the sake of being kind to the “artist” or in an attempt to broaden one’s horizons. One’s horizon is probably quite big enough, and does not need broadening. So you’ve got your instruments, be them analog or electronic. You’ve got yourself a singer. Bravo! That’s basically done, right? Well, you’ll need a place and a means to record. Okay then, CHECK! Got all of the above. Hit record, we’re ready! “Okay guys, what’s the name of the song?”, the engineer says through the studio’s intercom.

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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.

𝙏𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 – 𝘼𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙤’𝙨 𝙇𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨, 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙠𝙤 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙨

Charles ch-ch-ch-ch-changes…

Let’s face it. Everything is changing. Perhaps everything has already changed. But then again, this would suggest that things have stopped changing, and that all is stagnant. This will never happen. Whether you like it or not, things are always changing. Sometimes for better. Other times, well, not so much. ’Tis zee vay of zee vorld. I have never quite understood the definition of the word “progress”. I used to think it meant improvement, but now I realise it is more just simple evolution. To progress. To move forward. Not necessarily brilliant, but ultimately vital. I can’t explain why, but it is seemingly and apparently necessary as a civilisation, I think. Right now, we have the dawn of A.I., poking and teasing us like impatient demanders. I won’t go into this because I cannot bring myself to. The biggest change before that was undoubtedly the internet. A truly world-changing phenomenon. I think the first of these “modern” phenomena was electricity. It changed the world. It changed everything. The next big wave of movement – admittedly more of a cultural or societal nature – was possibly the liberation of youth in the 60s. They had power and money, for the first time. They were not tired from war, for they had never experienced it. To a certain extent, this changed a lot of the world. Our way of thinking changed. Younger people were taken seriously. And others who used to have status and respect were relegated to the old folk’s home at the grand old age of 48.

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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.

𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 – 𝙇𝙪𝙠𝙖𝙨 𝙆𝙞

Charles scatters cushions.

The scatter cushion. Why? I mean why do we call it this? I have nothing whatsoever against the humble cushion. But why must it be called a scatter cushion? I couldn’t suggest it were to differentiate between one to “scatter” (the very image!!) and one on which to sit. We have come a long way in chair design, and now have padded seats, thus, a cushion is no longer required for to soothe the aching bones of an anorexic bot like my very own. But okay, say I surrender to the term… “What were you up to today?” – “Oh, you know. Scattering cushions. The usual”. It’s just quite an absurd picture, to picture. Place cushions. Plonk cushions. Or even just plain old Cushions!! I mean, we don’t say a ‘sit chair’, a ‘wear jacket’ or a ‘cut knife’, do we? I don’t, anyway. And don’t get me started on the ‘pan-fried’ and ‘oven-baked’ tautologies – as if we have many other methods of frying or baking…! We do however say ‘juggling balls’. But this is to differentiate from any other kind of balls.

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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 𝙁𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙔𝙤𝙪 – 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙧 𝘽𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨

Charles is your dealer…

Sometimes you look back at things you’ve done and wonder how you managed. Sometimes it was a doddle to you. Other times it nearly killed you. But either way, you managed. The songs I wrote years ago were definitely more towards the former. The flatpack IKEA desk I built last week would definitely be more towards the latter. Sometimes you look back at things you’ve done, and you cringe. The face crunches up in repulsion. That song I wrote called ‘Library of Love’, for example… Sometimes you do things for a very specific reason, that seemed particularly important at the time. Sometimes things are simply forgotten. A moment in the past that apparently happened, but it either seems so insignificant that your brain hasn’t seen or realised any worth in holding on to that memory, or that it conjures deep, dark memories that you would rather not think about. This is how we deal.

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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.

𝙏𝙤𝙤 𝙀𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙮 𝘼𝙩 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮 – 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙧

Charles is pickin’ up good vibrations…

I found myself quietly affected this week. It will not be a secret as to why, and will probably not come as a surprise to many of you. No, it is not anything war related. Neither is it anything political. And it is nothing personal (not really). There has been much in the press and all over the internet about it. Can you guess? Well, how’s about this for a clue. A post I saw yesterday on the International Singer Songwriters Association Facebook group sums it up pretty well: “I have two busts on my Steinway. One is Beethoven. The other is Brian Wilson”… Says it all. I personally might choose to have a bust of someone else on my Steinway. But one, I don’t have a Steinway, and two, I’m not sure Marilyn Monroe would be too happy with my placement of her bust. She’s giving me the excitations, but let’s get back to business. The chap who made this post evidently rates Brian Wilson as one of the true greats of all time. And he’s not alone in thinking this. In the past week, Brian Wilson passed on. I was hit with a silence when I found out. It wasn’t an incomprehensible loss of senses and inability to string thoughts together, like when the Queen died, but I felt strange. I felt like the past was slipping away from me. As if I was pulling on a rope gripped tightly with both hands, but someone had oiled the yarn. “The nearer your destination, the more you’re slip slidin’ away”, as Paul Simon once sang. Wilson is another great gone. Such a kind man, known for his honesty, childlike manner, and playful charm. What we really mourn though, is the loss of a sensationally talented man.

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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.

#𝙎𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙋𝙖𝙮𝙤𝙡𝙖 – 𝙀𝙙 𝙀𝙖𝙜𝙡𝙚

Charles bucks the trend of love…

So it’s love day. So of course, Charles is going to write a soppy piece about love. Well obviously. What would you expect from someone so predictable as CC. Well I’m not going to, you see. I’m just not. Not because I don’t like love. I LOVE love. It’s the most perfectly wonderful thing ever in the history of the world and probably beyond. If you believe in love beyond Earth. Ah, I see where he’s going with this. It’s going to be another piece on Space. Alien love. He’s going to review a funky song about aliens making love, probably called Alien Love Making. Oh, as if I would write about something so crude as that. Besides, I’ve probably done that before. I’ve written about a lot of things, ya see. In fact, it can be difficult to come up with something entirely new, week after week after week. Love is love, and we all know it. Hallmark, Cadbury’s Milk Tray, Interflora and Durex have taught us well. So I feel it is time for something a little different. An alternative message of love to our founder and to all of you. Here goes…!

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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 𝙁𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙨 – 𝙒𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙋𝙞𝙣𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙋𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙩𝙨

Charles gifts a gift by means of a gift…

Friday saw the release of a new Ed Sheeran album. Never mind.

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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.

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.

𝙎𝙪𝙗 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙖 – 𝘽𝙧𝙮𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧

Charles is under wraps…

Some of the best things are done in private. Equally, so are some of the worst. Honest privacy is a good thing. Secrecy is often not so good. It can be good for the element of delighted surprise (like when I was given an album review by 18 people), but usually a secret is to stay a secret. It is never to be known. But when one does something in private, it usually doesn’t mean one has something to hide. It is simply that we wish to be left alone while we do whatever we are doing. Call it “me time”. This is very different to shady people and their shady practices. Almost everything I do, I do in private. But I am not MI6. I hold no state secrets. And if I was, and I did, I wouldn’t be telling you. Which has possibly got you thinking. Could CC be one of those spies you’ve read about? Is he working for the British government, yet pretending to lead a relatively normal life…? He can be everywhere one day, then suddenly disappear the next… Is he really just mixing and producing? Does he really just write these weekly articles out of the kindness of his heart? Surely there has got to be an ulterior motive… You’ll never be able to read his private messages in order to find out. Besides, all you’d find there is chat from clients about mixing and production, and gratitude from reviewees for having written these articles. You won’t find such a message from last week’s reviewee however. Kind! But I digress. So, am I a British spy? You will never know. Shh, it’s a secret.

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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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