𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 - this week: The Point - Nicholas Karl McNally

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 𝙋𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 - 𝙉𝙞𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙨 𝙆𝙖𝙧𝙡 𝙈𝙘𝙉𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮

Charles remains blunt yet pointy…

Last week I made several points; and I’m sure you did too. I thought that would have been enough for the time being, but it seems there are yet more to uncover. Let’s call this an unofficial “part two”, as I seem to like ordering things by number these days. Let us say that last week was unfinished business. Last week I spoke of 2024 being my new found discovery of classical music. Better late than never, as they say. Saturday evening was a special little treat for my mother, my girlfriend and myself. We went to see the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The programme comprised an overture by Verdi, a piano concerto by Rachmaninov (yes, THAT piano concerto), and finally, the pièce de résistance: The Planets by Holst. The whole concert was wondrous and very special indeed. Basically flawless, but in a good way. It was organic and very real indeed. Jupiter (if you are familiar with The Planets) had me watery-eyed and tingly all over. Despite the hall’s vast size (capable of holding 2,700 people - and it was jam-packed), the sound was surprisingly dry. Although a purist might not go for this lack of humidity (reverb), I found it refreshing. Refreshing because most concerts and almost all traditional recordings of a symphony orchestra are full of the sound of the room. Everything usually lingers in the air quite a time after it has been played. But not in the case of the Royal Festival Hall. This meant that there was more clarity and precision in the sound. While this might not be ideal for Verdi and Rachmaninov, it was certainly most welcome for Holst. You see, The Planets is often very rhythmic and tight. There are many spiccato notes which might be lost in a large hall that actually sounds like a large hall. For those who might be unaware, here is a brief rundown of three articulations for strings. Staccato is a brief bow of the string. Staccatissimo is an even briefer one. While spiccato (the briefest of all) is more of a bounce - as soon as the bow has hit the string, it is back up in the air. And it is THIS articulation that might have been somewhat lost in a wetter room. Cue the sprinkler jokes…

So, all in all a grand experience? Well, yes. BUT!! Not quite. You see, with this dry sound comes lack of masking. It means that EVERYthing can be heard. Orchestrally speaking, this is good. Audience-wise, not so much… There we were, right bang in the middle of the hall (especially good for sound and balance), and so there we were, surrounded by 2,697 people (a claustrophobic’s nightmare - not that I am one). Music lovers, supposedly. Yet I couldn’t help but feel they were there because they felt they should do what people are supposed to do, rather than for the natural pleasure and want of such a thing. It felt on the whole like a forced audience. A herd desperately trying to be middle class. Or “moreover”, middle class of old. I say “moreover” in inverted commas because I am desperately trying to be more upper middle class. No no, I said it because the word amuses me. Let me get to the point. One of my favourite bands ever is a band called Everything Everything. They have a song called Cough Cough. It’s brilliant. This title has been stuck in my head ever since Saturday evening. Because whenever there was the slightest pause in this beautiful classical music, or even simply a softer section, all I was really hearing was Cough Cough. People just wouldn’t stop coughing. And I don’t mean the odd subtle clearing of the throat due to dry mouth. I mean full-on hacking one’s guts out. It was like a macho competition at one point: “Oh YEAH?? I can cough louder than that. Listen to THIS!!”…… Forget covid, I was beginning to wonder if I had inadvertently stepped into the birthplace of the brand new strand of Bubonic plague! I mean, were all these people really that ill that they needed to cough with such gusto so as to show their jealousy of the trombonists' forte fortissimo dynamic?? I must say, I’m not sure who won. The thing is, we all know they were not really that ill, or even ill at all. Yes yes, a tiny minority might have been under the weather, but you know what I mean. I said I was getting to the point. I have yet to do so. My point is manners. If you are choking, please cough. If you would like to clear your throat, either do it discreetly or wait until either a very loud section or the applause. The same goes for old whistle-nose next to my girlfriend. Have some manners and think of others around you. Blow your bloody nose! I suppose I could have given my mother a tissue… No no, it wasn’t her. It was some big bloke who sounded like he had just run a marathon but his mouth had been taped shut. Okay, okay. Maybe he has a deformity of the nasal canals and cannot help it. I do not know as I did not ask him. Despite all of this, though, I did not let any of it spoil my experience. It was a fabulous evening. I have become accustomed to blanking out such irritations (to an extent), but sometimes it is tricky. In the end, the music took me over. Good old music saved and made the day.

In (and out of) the New Artist Spotlight, I have seen much manners from some, and very little from others. I have read beautiful messages; I have read rude messages. We are all different, and we all have a different point of view. This is normal. But so too should manners be. Eurgh - yuk. What an awful sounding sentence. It’s either perfect English of an earlier era, or it is lumpen foreign speak. I can’t quite tell, so I shall leave it as it is. Back to manners. Or “moreover”, respect. In the past I have heard great music by NAS artists but opted not to review them because of their manner or lack of manners in general. I have seen valid points made, but in a rude manner. I have also seen invalid points made in a rude manner. But then there is the other side of the coin. And THIS is the point. No, I mean this is The Point, by Nicholas Karl McNally! Please welcome this very well-behaved chap from Canada. Yes, another Canadian!! This country of theirs really does churn out the talent. Canadians are also known for their manners. Just like the English used to be (huh, used to be). So, was it Nicholas’ manners that made me choose him for this week’s CC Top 1? Nope. It was the music. Always music first. I was doing my usual Monday morning trawl of new music, when I came across this gem of a song. Released just before Christmas (a few weeks ago, if you had already forgotten), it hit me immediately as something built from experience. So I explored further into the artist. I was expecting this to be a track from his fifth album, or something. Lo and behold, it is his very first release! Good God. And then I thought… Oh no, 2024 was the year that people started pretending they had written and performed songs that were actually spat out by a robot. I know HAL (A.I.) is getting so realistic now, so I had to start my usual (mandatory) detective work. It takes longer, but it’s worth it. It’s real! It’s him! Oh, what relief (I bloody hope I’m right about that!). Now to the community (more research); is he worthy of such praise…? Oh cripes, he’s brand new. Just one week on the NAS. “Hmmm”, I thought. “Hmmm”. So I read on. I delved deep into messages and all sorts of guff, only to find that he is a thoroughly lovely chap full of optimism, support, love and a general all-round good attitude. That was the clincher. Manners and respect in every single message. It then dawned on me that it would be wonderful to promote someone new and great. This is just the push they might need for familiarity in the community. Well-earned praise for Nicholas Karl McNally’s first release. THIS was the point.

Now, let’s finally get to The Point. And WHAT an impressive point it is. We start with a sitar drone, quickly followed by a guitar. But this is no ordinary guitar tone, for the guitar does not usually sound like a harpsichord with guitar strings…! At first I thought it was a 12-string guitar, but upon closer inspection it sounds more like the part has been doubled and then retrospectively pulled up an octave. I think. Could very well be completely wrong. Throughout all of this, there is much “wow” and little “flutter”, creating a wide dreamscape. I am instantly immersed. Sucked in. Indian percussion brings in the low end, completing the pulse with a subtle shaker and an occasional piano note for interest. As soon as Nicholas’ vocal joins us, we are already willing to donate ourselves. We are his. Such a smooth, soothing voice that you really want. The kind of voice YOU love. The kind of voice that belongs in your prized record collection. A forever voice. All this lushness is made yet more ethereal and almost psychedelic by the vari-speed processing on the vocals (a technique you will no doubt have heard on Sgt. Pepper among many other classics, but will probably not have realised). At some point over a minute in, the bass decides to play along, melodic as Paul on the Hofner. Believe me, this song is made for headphones. It’s special. It will take you away. At 1:39-ish, vocal harmonies tuck in neatly underneath the lead, but with this constant building journey, it is at 1:52-ish that the drums enter the building. This is not the usual drum line you might expect. At 2:06 a sort of panpipe/wooden flute-style sound is brought in for a brief “solo”, only adding to this mystical place in the sky. But at 3:25 there is a shift in harmony. It reminded me of an unreleased song of mine (again, the end of the song). It goes dark and Eastern. This piece is truly evolutional! Everything is upfront and clear, yet always with a surrounding, calming presence. A very impressive mix. An impeccable production. The only potential influences I can really hear are José González, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. But even then, only to a certain extent. It is basically very original, and yet feels almost designed for me. I do hope it has the same effect on you as it has on me. As with last week’s track, there are times when things are not perfect in terms of timing, which only adds to the movement and quality, somehow. This is rich professionalism right here, and I can only assume that Nicholas has been quietly making music for a long time but wasn’t ready to release anything until now. Due to his sister, father and grandfather playing guitar, he naturally couldn’t help but pick it up at the age of 8. His entire childhood was clothed in music from records and radio, so it is to no surprise that he has become such a great musician over the years.

So THAT was The Point.

Ahem, ahem. I think we’ve got a rather special new artist in our midst, ahem, ahem. Watch this space. Ahem ahem - I mean Cough Cough.

Don’t worry, I’ve tested myself. I do not have Bubonic plague.

Listen to 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙋𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

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