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.

𝘿𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧 (𝘼 𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙢 𝙀𝙢𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙚) – 𝘼𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙯𝙯𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞

Uninvited, Charles quietly passes through a memorial service, to breathe in the emotion.

Death, is the one and only thing we can be sure of. Those who have been fortunate enough to join this Earth, will eventually leave it. Or at least move on to greener pastures, depending on your view. It is an inevitable fact of “life”, that it will cease. We only hope that it comes late enough to give us time to have a rich and fulfilling life beforehand. Our dear friend – the Gentleman of Rock – Charlie Watts, passed away very recently. This was very saddening, what with him being the rock of the Stones, but he certainly could be said to have lead a full life, and managed a whole 8 decades before removing his Savile Row suit, to sleep. This will be The Last Time.

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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.

𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙪𝙢 – 𝙁𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙝 𝙎𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨

Charles takes to the waves of psychedelia.

Last week we discovered Sabrina’s Barreto’s magnificent ‘Colourblind’. This week I can see again in glorious Technicolor! It is time to ditch the comfort and normality of the grey 1950s and shoot forward at terrifying speed, through an era that encompasses the swirling beauty of the 60s, 70s and 80s. I have always had a retro side – many of you may know – but it has subsided a little in recent years for a more level-headed concentration of the sober, sterile modern day. White walls are dull, cold, boring and unimaginative, yet almost every household has them. Clothes are drab, dark and ill-fitting. A hoodie is little more than a thin duvet with sleeves and a string. We do what we do because that’s what we do. There is no thought. No care. No light! People are so self-conscious these days and afraid of not fitting in. Why should one fit in? I enjoy colour. I enjoy art. I love clothes that are different, without purposely being “different”. I admire natural style. I admire a different personality, unless they make me uncomfortable. I am not a sheep. I like people who are not sheep. To me, the opposite of standard normality is, well, the opposite. To be oneself. Let me take you down, ‘cos I’m going to……

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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.

𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣 – 𝙏𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙙 𝘼𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢

Charles meets his alter ego…

So the legend goes, we are all apparently born with morals. So they say. The obvious, clear differentiation between good and bad. A young baby – as opposed to an old one – is as innocent as the bright blue sky. It knows what to do and what not to do. Admittedly it doesn’t really know HOW to do it, hence the green mush all down its front. But at least it TRIED to get said mush in its pie-hole. As a baby, it simply wants to be content and happy. There is no gain in doing something “wrong”. Everything is there for them. Food, warmth, fun silly colourful plastic things to poke in to anywhere they’re not supposed to go. This in itself could be construed as “doing a bad thing”, but this young bundle of joy is really just being inquisitive. Finding things out. All innocent enough. When toddlerdom comes along however, it discovers a cheeky side. It realises that doing something “wrong” can make them giggle. And who doesn’t like giggling?? Or – a wondrous phrase my girlfriend came up with – “I wasn’t laughing, I was just smiling out loud”. Inspired! Back to our toddling friend. It is only when it sees gain, and ways of gaining said gain, that things start to change. It is by now, a young child. It can reach the cupboards and the fridge. It has had dinner. It knows it is not supposed to eat something straight afterwards. Not due to an uber-trendy vegan diet, but simply because it shouldn’t turn into a fat pig too early on. This naughty young thing is still craving a certain sweetness. To get said sweetness, it is to be anything but sweet. It knows that if it asks for the sweet treat, the answer will predictably be “No”. Not because the mother is Lois from Malcolm in the Middle, but because this little person has had this treat five times within the week, and so she feels she has to lay down some rules. No one wants a spoilt chubba-bubba – as cute as it is to squeeze Sweet Cheeks’ sweet cheeks.

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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.

𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝘾𝙧𝙮? – 𝙍𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝘼𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙣

Charles sees beauty in sadness…

Shit happens. Americans eloquently spout this wisdom so often, that it has seeped into the vernacular of so many nations. But as simple as it sounds, it somehow manages to sum up every part of the feeling when something bad occurs. When things are out of our control and take a downturn, predictably or not. It is a phrase not usually used for the abominable sinkholes that life so generously donates, but more for the little nuisances. The pains. Les petits bastards. These things tend to simply make one swear, before muddling through and sorting out the problem. Say for example, if you drop a hammer on your toe whilst working in the outhouse, you will most likely not shed a tear, but tear the shed to pieces in revenge. Stupid revenge, because it was not the fault of the shed. But basically, it is fine. This minor pooey occurrence will be relatively brief and inconsequential. Shit, does indeed happen. However there are times when this mandatory colloquial utterance will not suffice. Say, for example if one experiences years or even decades of the deepest, darkest depression. Or if someone close to you dies unexpectedly. This is not the same as your phone not turning on. This is serious stuff. There will be no swearing. There will rarely be any initial anger. There will be no “sorting out” of the problem, because it will seem like there is no answer. But there will be tears. And plenty of them. The feeling is so deep and complicated that our brain can barely cope. We are not in control. And so the emotional side takes over the rational.

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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.

𝘿𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙚 – 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙠 𝘼𝙝𝙡𝙢

Charles is all caught up…

The following piece is simply my views and my views only. It says nothing about the New Artist Spotlight and its views (of which it has none). I promised myself I wouldn’t talk about the war. But since it was only a promise to myself, I don’t feel too guilty for breaking it.

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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.

𝘿𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙚 𝙄𝙨𝙨𝙣𝙚𝙪𝙣 𝘿𝙖𝙚𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙥 – 𝘼𝙡𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙤 𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙖́𝙣

Charles talks science – and art…

We’re so often reading about “The Science” in the papers. The news seems to speak of it like this impossibly unreachable superpower that only the special people will be able to comprehend. Or like it is a filthy rag that no one wants anything to do with. “The Science”: there’s always this slight pause before those two words are delivered. As if it were to be a warning to brace yourself, or to pinch your nose tightly. It also seems as though this pause is for comical effect, as if those two innocent words were to make us corpse in hysterical laughter once uttered. But aside from all this polite observation of mine, it is really just an easy save these days in politics. “Our team of experts has looked at ‘The Science’, and the facts are indisputable”. Huh. Handy get-out clause. Noyce. Blame “The Science”. It is easy because most of us DON’T understand it, so we simply can’t argue. Facts are facts, right…?

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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.

𝙀𝙙𝙜𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 – 𝘿𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙅𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙖𝙡𝙚𝙢

Charles imagines a journey…

I am writing from the comfort and safety of my own home. Well, not my OWN, but “my own”. I dwell here for as long as I keep up my monthly chunk of pennies. I OWN nothing. Not a brick of it. But here, I sit. Peacefully and calmly. This chair of four legs, dutifully upholding this body of two. Day after day after day. This is the life of a producer. Or rather, the life of THIS producer. And despite all that I relentlessly produce, what with my own music, other artists’ music and indeed these very articles, I cannot help but wonder what lies outside these walls. I see it all through the window. The light, the dark. The rain, the shine. The angry drivers shouting at each other at the junction. Sunday was a particularly sunny, warm day and I was waiting to hear back from a client about his thoughts on my mix. I was “between jobs”. I decided to see what the outside was actually like. After snatching my earphones and sunglasses, I ventured out for a wander. A much needed breath of air. A chance to make my legs go Left Right Left again. I realised there and then that if life were a journey, then I should perhaps start moving and see where this journey takes 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.

𝙀𝙡𝙡𝙞’𝙨 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 – 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙮 𝙇𝙖𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝘽𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙚𝙧

Charles looks better on the radio…

I think I’ll start by being a crashing bore. One of my many talents. Just 4 weeks ago, I wrote about Kaminski’s latest fabulous track “A.I. Jesus”. I based the entire piece around A.I. (HAL, as I like to call it). I just wanted to briefly (I promise) step on HAL once more. It is awful. It is wrong. It is bad. It is fake. It is deception. And it is all too bloody easy. But I wanted to lean towards this idea of deception. In fact, it is not an idea. It IS deception. The real threat of HAL lies in the lies. Some people say the use of HAL is completely fine as long as users are honest about it… But who is going to do that?? That’s like finding a way of making flawless undetectable fake banknotes, then telling the world how they made them, and that it was all just proof of concept. They are OF COURSE going to conceal the fact, and use said banknotes to buy mucho sweeties. Moving from banknotes to artists, it feels good to have talent. Those who don’t have talent can get jealous of those with talent. So they steal talent by means of a machine, and pass off this work (no work at all) as their own. So that’s fraud, then. But this would be to the general public. To real artists, this is personal and it hurts. To be duped. To be lied to. As if it were not painful enough to have a machine that can make art as well as a talented human, we have to also deal with the deception. The machine ends up having more morals than the human! And on top of it all, these fraudsters then make money (admittedly not a lot) from streaming royalties!!! And of course, they lap up the praise for the work they did not create. It is sick. And not “sick” in the more modern sense of the word, meaning cool. And not “cool” in the more traditional sense of the word, meaning colder than tepid. I mean it makes me feel sick. Like BLEURRGHH. That kind of sick.

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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.

𝙀𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙮 𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙨 – 𝙇𝙪𝙭 𝘿𝙪𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧

Charles remembers it well…

Memories. We all have them. Well, except for those with Alzheimer’s. But even then, some memories will remain. Usually earlier ones, as they tend to be cast in stone. And it’s those earlier memories on which I would like to dwell. Not the memories of a few months or years ago, but the memories of another era. An era when those who have now passed were still among us. An era when things were done differently. An altogether simpler time, when all generations were – to an extent – in sync with one another. When older people taught the young, as opposed to the other way around. A time when experience actually meant something. When one could spend decades building upon one’s skill without fear of said skill being surplus to requirements. When the word “entertainment” meant a board game at home with the family, or a few bottles of ale with the lads in the smoky local, as old Joanna played the old Joanna in the corner. Not THIS Corner; another corner. A time when going to work meant physically going to work, and when work was not optional. A tie was not only for job interviews and weddings. Footwear was either leather or a gym shoe. Smoking was seen simply as an alternative form of air, and buildings looked like buildings. They also smoked.

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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.

𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙 – 𝙀𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙮

Charles is in mourning…

I very nearly did not and could not write this. But if I did not write this, there would not have been a “review” this week. Small though it may be, this is my duty.

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