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.

𝘼𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝘿𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢 – 𝘼𝙧𝙣𝙤𝙡𝙙𝙤’𝙨 𝙇𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 (𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙩. 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙟𝙤𝙮)

CC travels to the US. OMG…

I wave goodbye for now, to my reliably unreliable land of Eng, to sail across the Atlantic with a view of hope. A horse is there to meet and greet me at the East Coast. Funny place to find a horse, but there you go. Her name is Old Faithfull. She insists on first name terms however. All right, then: Marianne, it is. We chat for quite a time about this and also that. I say “chat” – she ain’t much of a talker. And so my external monologue begins. Poor mare. So here we are, in the Ewe Ess of Aye, with a long way to go. It got me pondering out loud to this trotter without a choice. America. What a land. What a place, with such a lot of history within such a relatively short time. Of course, I am already prepared with stiff leather Stetson and boots, complete with sharp, shiny shpurs – Marianne is all too aware of their close proximity, hence being particularly well behaved…

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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.

𝘼𝙗𝙮𝙨𝙨 – 𝙈𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙧𝙤𝙥

Charles journeys down into the abyss. As ya do.

Enough of lighter times and better days. Let us curl up into a tight quaking ball, and roll into the deep.

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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.

𝘼𝙞𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 – 𝙋𝙊𝙇

Charles plays with words…

A couple of weeks ago I went into the idea of the enigma, and whether it is always a good idea to solve them. Well, here’s something a little more accessible to most of us, and certainly something where the goal IS to find the answer. Word games. We have all at one time or another played word games of a sort. Whether it be the humble and utterly pointless “word search”, or perhaps something a little more taxing like anagrams, I believe there truly is something for everyone. My father, for example, completes The Times Crossword on a daily basis since his 20s. As WE are munching through a bowl of cereal in the morning, there HE is, eating words for breakfast. I count my own wordy pastime as being these very reviews. You may think of this as not really being much of a puzzle, but if you think about it, I have all these words in my head: I just have to select the appropriate ones and put them in the right order. This is the tricky part. Lucky for me, though, there is no “one answer”. Just like in music: there is no definite good or definite bad. No definite right or definite wrong. But speaking of definite rights in music, let’s (once again!) take our good old friends, Joan, Pol, Stodge and Wrongo. The group’s very name was a play on words. Or on word, anyway. “It’s Beetles with an A”, said Joan. emphasising the “Beat”, as it were. Hilarious! Well, not hilarious. Pretty darned awful, if you ask me. But luckily their music turned out to be pretty darned good, so the name was hardly important by this point. The Who? A splendid little cleverity. The Rolling Stones? Poetically justified. Coldplay? Well, I get the feeling they hadn’t read the instructions, meant to come back later and finish it, but never did. And then there’s U2. There’s always someone who goes too far and spoils the party. Thank you, Bono. Words form our entire existence as humans, but few use them further than a means of conversation. How’s about a little less conversation: a little more action, please. We can hide things in the context of words. We can make fun things funner! Words are most of wit, for me. If a word is just a word, it doesn’t exactly excite, inspire or intrigue. But sometimes even just an innocent word can take on a new personality if viewed in a different way. Take the verb “Understand”, for example. Now split it in two. We have “under”, we have “stand”. Now think literally. When our legs are straight and in a vertical position, we are standing. What is under that? The floor. To floor someone, is to amaze and render them speechless. So the next time someone explains something wildly complicated, followed by “Understand?”, you can simply reply “Understood.”, despite not having comprehended a single syllable. But they have indeed floored you. Understand? No, I thought not. I will dribble on, regardless.

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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.

𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮 – 𝘽𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡

Charles reinvents the family…

My family is small. Absolutely tiny. No “Family of Two” jokes, please. I mean my full extended family. My father is an only child. My mother is an only child. My “aunt and uncle” are not my aunt and uncle, but cousins of a kind. They too are only children. Ah, it just occurred to me that some non-native speakers (foreigners, as we used to say) might not know the term. An only child is someone who has no brothers or sisters. It doesn’t mean they are merely a child. Anyway, so that least young generation is small. My parents had two children. My aunt and uncle had two children. Those two “children” also had two children each. Not together, of course. And then there’s me and my sister. She has around 14 children, give or take (or so it seems). Actually, she has four. I have zero (so far). So that balances the books nicely. But that’s basically my entire family, save the odd third cousin, twice removed (whom I’ve never met). Most people say they like their huge family. I like my small family. It seems we like what we have. While we have it, anyway…

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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.

𝘼𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙤𝙣 – 𝙒𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙠𝙖

Charles is off his face…

Drugs are what got me where I am today. Yep. I said it. Now, I haven’t said exactly which drugs, but I will speak further on the matter – that in itself will not surprise you.

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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.

𝘼𝙥𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙥𝙨𝙚 – 𝙀𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙮

Charles rewrites history…

When everyone has quite calmed down from being so progressively and obsessively modern, we might actually get back to reality. Not virtual reality. Reality! You remember. A life of people and tangible things. A time when people actually used their minds rather than commanding a machine to do it for them…? It worked for centuries. It worked very well, in fact. Craft was high. Art was off the charts. Reading was the only way to absorb information. That and a good schooling and upbringing. If we were to go back to the 16th century, we would see people being people. Brilliant people. Hell, we could go back to ancient Rome and you certainly wouldn’t find cavemen. And speaking of cavemen, it used to be an insult to call someone a caveman – for obvious reasons. These days, I think it would be quite a compliment. To be compared to someone who used both their brain and their brawn in order to survive and pass the time. So would a modern individual smile and gracefully nod their head in gratitude of having been called such a thing? No, they would not. Grace is a lost manner. They would take great offence because they would insist this c-word to be archaic and sexist, and that the preferred term these days is “shelterperson”, if it has to be used at all.

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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.

𝘼𝙦𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙪𝙨 – 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠 𝘼𝙝𝙡𝙢

Charles is starstruck…

What a split world this is. One side versus the other; with seemingly very few in the middle. Anger and hatred up against hatred and anger. One nightmare mirrors the other. Neither is right, but neither is either entirely wrong? Did Google Translate understand that? Did YOU? There is something to be said for both sides of the argument, but both go too far. Emotions get in the way, like petrol to a flame; or Mentos to Coca-Cola. Emotion is what blocks logic and rational thinking. Being impartial is near impossible, because we all have our own history, experience and emotion. And there is one thing we must simply accept: it is impossible to please everyone. So what do we do? Well, WE can do very little. We are, after all, the little people, with no power whatsoever. We can but watch through slitty fingers. But what can THEY do? I’ll tell you! They can calm down, get off their high horses, and compromise! There is horror on both sides, but there is also merit in both sides. It’s this merit we need to bring to the surface. We need to keep the pendulum even, with as little swing as possible; as dull as this sounds. I know that to many of you, this will seem obvious; and yet, it is very rare in reality. That’s why you must believe. Okay: hope, then. We’ve just got to stay positive, or we will drown.

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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.

𝘽𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚 – 𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙀𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙯𝙖𝙝

Charles rediscovers youth…

Another week has passed. Another week of not hearing from the artist I reviewed that week. It’s astounding how common this is. I think maybe some of you might understand now why I sometimes settle back into reviewing “the same old artists” time and time again. They are most grateful. I do really like to leap into the unknown and review someone that barely anyone has ever heard of. But very often I feel like my efforts were wasted. I’m never asking for heaped praise, flowers, or gold-plated gifts, but simply some sort of acknowledgement that they read it, they liked it and they were appreciative. Sharing the thing is proof that they liked it, but isn’t it kind of NORMAL to thank the person who spent around five hours writing the damned thing…? Anyway! Rant over. I do try not to dwell on these things (certainly not in public), but considering how common this is becoming, I couldn’t help but let my feelings be known. I am NOT a robot. These are NOT written by a machine. Those of you I have reviewed who HAVE messaged me afterwards, you must understand that this is obviously not aimed at you, and that you are in fact the model of respect and manners. And I thank YOU.

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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.

𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 – 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩

Charles celebrates the good times, for there are no bad ones…

Birthdays are a thing. Whether you’re 7 or 70, they simply cannot be ignored. We all have one. In fact it’s one of the few things we all have in common. They all happen once a year, every year, but unlike Christmas, they are all different and are spattered throughout the year. When this day arrives, it is imperative that you do what my Birthday Song says: “It’s your birthday. You can do what you want. No one there to tell you what to do”. In other woyds, it is the one day you are truly allowed to be selfish. A similar sentiment to Lesley Gore’s 1963 hit, It’s My Party (produced by Quincy Jones – not a lot of people know that). Sometimes though, it is not about being selfish. Sometimes a birthday NEEDS to involve others. And sometimes it needs to, because the birthday is shared. Like twins, for example. Twins might choose a different way of spending their birthday, in which case they will either have to part ways for the day, or one of them will be unhappy. And we can’t have that. However, a differing choice is unlikely with twins, as they are so mentally connected. Mentally though – I’m not talking about conjoined twins here. So birthdays for twins will usually work out well. When it comes to organisations and companies, they too can have birthdays. They can and they DO! Every year, as it happens. And it is often these occasions where global happiness is NOT a thing. Too many different people want too many different things. And so there are bound to be unhappy chappies and chappesses. Usually. But some organisations are different. They are different because each individual is not there for the sake of the “job”. Each is there for the sake of the organisation and their love and passion for it. Let’s now ditch the stuffy word “organisation”, and replace it with “society”. Slightly less stuffy, and just a little bit more cultured and less businessy. Can’t stand business – as annoyingly important as it is. When discussing how to celebrate a much-loved society’s birthday, the decision is unanimous. Because they all feel the same. They all have belief, love and fondness for the society and everything it stands for. I am more specifically talking about the New Artist Spotlight and its “staff” celebrating its second anniversary. Happy Birthday NAS, you are now two years old! Let’s talk about that – thank you Rhett and also Link.

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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.

𝘽𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙨 – 𝙂𝙡𝙚𝙣𝙣

Charles is none the wiser…

To know or not to know… Is this the question? As our favourite Spanish waiter once said, “I know nutting” (nothing). Sometimes I really do empathise with those people who know very little. But at the same, I sort of envy them. You’ve all heard the phrase “ignorance is bliss”… Well it does seem to be that the happiest, most contented people are often the most unknowledgeable. Probably because of the thoughts of a “great” philosopher. Aristotle once said (can’t remember when exactly), “The more you know, the more you realise you don’t know”. Do you feel these “great” philosophers are somewhat over-immortalised…? I mean, I have said and thought similar things without having read their “stupendously brilliant” thoughts. Am I therefore also a great philosopher…? Nope, I’m just a bloke what finks. As are many of you (blokes and lady-persons). I would however alter his words to read “The more you know, the more you are depressed and crushed by doubt and perhaps fear”. Yet these less knowledgeable people skip through life seemingly without a care in the world. Ignorant to everything around them. Pure envy, I tell you! So this question of whether to know or not… It’s a difficult one.

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