𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 - this week: Killing Time - Emily Gray

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.

𝙆𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 - 𝙀𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙂𝙧𝙖𝙮

Charles murders your precious little time…

“The leaves that are green, turn to brown” - thank you, Simon also ‘Gumfarkel’. It is officially Autumn. We know this because we all changed our clocks. Or rather, for those in the digital age, our clocks changed without us realising. Due to the magic technology of now, we can be even lazier than ever. We don’t have to change a clock. Not meaning you used to have to hurl your alarm clock out of the window and buy a new one. Not that kind of clock change. It’s that time of year when the clocks move back an hour. How do we know whether it’s forward or back? The saying goes: “Spring forward, Autumn back”. No it doesn’t. It’s “Spring forward, Fall back”. For merry cans call Autumn, Fall. And in this instance, I prefer the word Fall. In all other instances I prefer the word Autumn. This beautiful season is the easiest way to watch time passing. Day by day, the leaves change colour, and day by day the ground becomes obscured by leaves that have lived a life and felt the world’s climate. Providing it isn’t miserable and wet, Autumn truly is a beautiful season. I adore the views from my flat in London. Of course, Winter gives us stark contrast with the unlikely possibility of snow, Spring brings the subtle excitement of a new and pretty dawn, and Summer is simply ideally glorious. But Autumn is the velvet. The lush. The radiant. But it is also the brief. So brief that you must snatch it while you can, before it’s all gone. But of course, aside from today (the day of writing), it has been raining raining raining. Just seemingly constantly. It washes away those warmly daubed pigments and coldly reminds you of what follows Autumn. That bleakest Winter. So what do we do to while away the time until the sunshine lights these fiery trunks? Well, what DID we do this week? We got excited and listened to the new Beatles single, of course.

Time is of the essence here. Literally. There was the Beatles of then, and the Beatles of now. So what better title than ‘Now and Then’…? I remember listening to ‘Free as a Bird’ and ‘Real Love’ with my parents when they were released. It was a moving time. In fact, aside from perhaps Wannabe by the Spice Girls, these two singles were probably the last new releases my father listened to. Until now. I suppose one could say he has simply been killing time, just patiently waiting for something worthy of his ears. Or moreover, something more suitable for his discerning ears. He tried dangly clip-on earrings, but they messed with his hair. This is a lie. I hope. So, the song. Both my parents listened. I listened. We all listened. And the whole world has differing opinions. Which is utterly fine. I will suggest however, that you watch the official music video. That is what did it for me. Glassy-eyed magical specialness. I will say no more. CC lies again! Columbo style: “Just one thing…”. The disappointment of the song for me was rather astoundingly, the mix. Or rather, predominantly the master. Everything was being crushed into my ears, and I cannot imagine why. Even to the point where it distorts at times. Just so damned loud! One could argue that it was to compete with modern mixes… But the loudness war is long over. Streaming platforms normalise volume. And most modern music isn’t nearly as loud and compressed as THIS! That luscious production, spoilt by a knob. Ahem, or a fader. It was as if at the very last minute Paul had glugged the last of his tepid tea while listening, and leaned the empty white mug on the mixing console, pushing the limiter to the max, and no one realised! Now, I am not knocking the mix or for a moment saying I could have done it better. This will have been mixed by pros. But just back it off a bit! Let us relax into it. The Beatles don’t need to scream for attention. That would be Beatlemania!

Last week I mentioned that I had three definites for my Corner, but that I could only review one. This week I had four definites! The quality just goes up and up and UP in the New Artist Spotlight. And not one of them was too loud or “headachy”. They all sounded perfectly balanced to the point where I forgot about the mix. A mix should be invisible. One should admire the song, not the sound. But if the sound isn’t up to muster, it can be detrimental to the song. This was not the case in any of my four definites. And as always, there could not be four definites, but only one. It was crushing to have to set aside the other three (and around ten maybes), but with the passing of time, eventually just one stayed with me as this week’s pick. There is another crushing thing about it. I really REALLY didn’t want to review two in a row that I had produced and mixed. But to NOT choose it for THAT reason, would very much be unfair on the artist who made the song! I just want to be crystal clear here and outline that I am reviewing this because I think it was the best/my favourite. NOT because I produced it. Very sorry if this comes across as ‘me me me’. Oh, and to bolster this decision, I asked an outsider for an opinion. My girlfriend. She knew nothing about the tracks. I said nothing. I just played the songs. Actually, it was eight songs in total. Although having pretty much made my decision, I did not tell her my choice. She listened intently to all of them. Her pick was the same as mine. It was her fave, by a long way. She liked it far more than The Beatles’ single. My clients are very talented! What more can I say…?

What more can I say? Oh, a great deal. Here’s Killing Time, by Emily Gray. Yes, that same Emily Gray we all love, not just for her music but for her fabulously fun personality and joie de vivre. While Emily is known for her pared down, traditional (almost medieval) folk, she has recently been branching out into waters slightly deeper than with which she might have felt comfortable a short while ago. Than with which? What an uncomfortable sentence. Move on. There is no doubting that she is going more towards pop, BUT she is NOT losing that THING she has. That thing that makes Emily Gray, Emily Gray. I mean pop, in the way that it is perhaps more accessible and more suitable for a wider audience. Whilst strict folk might be a lovely thing, it is not for everyone. Don’t worry, she ain’t goin’ all Justin Bieber on yo ass. And I am SURE her folk is simply hibernating for the Autumn, rather than obscuring the ground in an orange hue. For now, at least, we have Killing Time. For me, it is by FAR her best song yet. Truly transcending everything of hers beforehand. In the same way as Patrik Ahlm. He was always great, but his latest has blown people’s minds. You see, the New Artist Spotlight is far from stagnant. We don’t just do what we do. Well, some do. Which is absolutely fine. But they’re not trying to make greatness. For them it is a satisfying hobby, complete with the wonderful feeling of having listeners and friends around. What bliss! But then there are the heavyweights. I don’t mean the fatties. “You can’t say THAT these d-” - ah shaddap. I am talking about the ones who really want to progress. The ones who will never be satisfied. It may be the goal of being signed and eventually becoming a rock god. It may be something more personal. It may be the true artist within them. Whatever their motivation, these “heavyweights” just keep on raising the bar. And so they SHOULD! Emily, I believe now to be one of these heavyweights. The only problem is, to stay a heavyweight, you must not lower that bar. The standard is set, and can only go up. The pressure is on. Horrible vile pressure. But look; greatness isn’t easy. It’s no wonder so many people do what they do!

Looking to kill time? Well you’re here, so you must be. Put away that weapon and leave time alone. What has it ever done to you, besides gallop? Stick on your headphones. It’s immersion time. These voices of the Emily choir will take you away. That’s where we start, complete with some sort of Billy Joel Rhodesy thing (an electric piano of sorts). The guitars pluck in time to set the metre (or meter). Our second round thunders in with one note on the bass, simultaneously introducing the delicate piano. BOOM! Reverb-laden toms flam us into verse one. Emily double tracks us to perfection with an urging, pleading, open and honest voice. Maturity walks in. The drums, bass and piano take their time, portraying experience with every note they play, and modesty with every note they don’t. The acoustic plucks hold it all together, acting as the rhythm section, while the voices are the backbone and strength of the song. I mentioned pop before; this is not really a “pop” song, but it is likely to be extremely popular, so maybe it is pop. The thing is, it is also soul, jazz, alternative, ballad and even rock (you’ll see if you keep those headphones on). Whatever music Sting makes, basically. And yet, there is still that quintessential element of folk. Emily doesn’t lose her roots. I mentioned the delicate piano… Delicacy is probably Killing Time’s biggest accomplishment. The subtlety and delicacy with which this piece has been treated; it is truly cared for. Similar to the love of one’s own child.

I won’t go into the details any longer. You can take it from here. Both in terms of listening, and in letting Emily know your thoughts in the comments below. I know she’s excited for this song.

Recently, I have been far too busy to start stabbing clocks. Besides, they do it by themselves these days.

I’m sure you’re all dying to know whether my father still listens to Wannabe. The answer is: Now and Then.

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