Welcome all to ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ, 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 ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ผ๐ง๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ฉ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฉ playlists.
๐ฝ๐ฎ๐! - ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ก๐
Charles bids you all adieu.
Saying goodbye is rarely easy. Saying farewell is often hard. Leaving the room for good is a tricky thing. Leaving a partner can be worse. Sometimes itโs for the best. Sometimes itโs one sided. Sometimes itโs amicable. But often this mutual parting agreement can be fuelled by hatred and resentment. Why were they ever together? Was it ever good in the first place? Was it initial attraction and fun times, followed by bickering, turning into serious slam-door arguments? Should this sound even remotely familiar, one should never actually wish harm to the other party. One should wish them well, with the hope that they find someone more suited. If however there is to be a mutual separation, who does the dumping? Youโve hated each otherโs guts for so damned long, but youโre used to each other. Itโs routine. Habit, if you will. Well now itโs time to kick that habit. Youโve rid yourself of that foul odour and those shamefully stained fingertips, and now it is time to shed another burden. But that burden is feeling the same! โMy, how the turn tablesโ. It reminds me of Sam and Diane in Cheers. The constant argument of who dumped whoโฆ We all want to get there first, but sometimes they just get there quicker. In which case, โSOD YOU!โ - and what a relief it is to be rid of this curse.
Most of us have been through something similar in our longer or shorter lives, and this weekโs guest (or star) is no exception. Our dear friend and master (he detests that attitude), Sir Ed of Eagle (he resents being called Sir) is our โDumpee of the Weekโ! Of course, this is all in jest, and right now the chap couldnโt be happier in life. Ed has just released his third original single, aptly titled, Bye! And what a joy it is! I was fortunate enough to have heard a rough demo of this track many weeks back (or months). This was due to us not only being good chums, but also because we regularly work together. I love and respect what he does, he loves and respects what I do. Mash it all together and we get a great big pile of love and respect, for all to enjoy. The blues number (with more than a smidge of country) is quite subtle and pared-down, at least at first. But even in these moments of lightness, there is weight - like a tonne of parakeet feathers. Why parakeet? Why not! We have one guitar and one voice. Both Ed. Nothing more. It is stark, but has the feeling of something yet to come. As the bass (by Cliff Foster) and drums (Brad OโDonahue) roll in as one, the waltz gathers momentum and has a very Abbey Road feel to it.
As we enter chorus number one, the heavier guitars show their face, and a crowd of Eds joins the real McCoy. Itโs big, bold and brazen. It has a bite of โIโll do what I wantโ - arrogance in the best way possible. Not that Ed Eagle is arrogant. He is proud, yet also quite humble. He shouldnโt be humble, but he certainly should be proud. Letโs get back to the music. Segueing back into the verse, this is where I jump in on the piano, doing my very best Billy Joel/Paul McCartney impression. As the song is now in full swing, it is time to take it to the next level. I think I have not only been hugely influenced by Sir Paul, but also by Sir George Martin (they never minded being called Sir). I wanted to warm and sweeten the piece, and make it grand. Time for the cinematic French horn swells. If Mantovani had ever worked with horns over his usual strings, it would probably have sounded a little like this, with a touch of John Williams. You see, I like to incorporate classical harmony and nuance into pop music. It worked with The Beatlesโฆ! I felt it just complimented Edโs vocals at this point and somewhat surprisingly made it more personal; it added heart.
But the chorus is no subtle thing. In the way of classic era Bowie, it was time for the thick, heavy guitars and bass to be bolstered by the fart of the baritone sax and trombone - farting in the best way possible. This is by far not the only thing to dig in hard. A whole choir of Ed Eagle fans from the New Artist Spotlight join in for the โgang vocalsโ - an obscene term. It is a wonderful moment because there are so many people involved in making this fabulous sound, and it is all done out of love. The willingness to come together and make a good thing better. Even the cover art was painted by Ed's daughter! And now Iโm shiny-eyed. Moving on, Ed takes not one, but two rip-roaring guitar solos. โFace-meltingโ, Ed likes to call it - and I can see why. The first is as if Noel Gallagher has joined a blues/metal band, and the second is the finale of the song, bar one last shock (youโll have to listen to find out). It is this solo where Ed does indeed melt my face. Donโt worry, itโs nothing permanent - just post-Halloween trauma.
The whole song conjures a wealth of temperatures, and satisfies even the unbelievers. But as if this wasnโt enough to quench your need for goodness, there is a visual project released only yesterday! Sir Jimmy of Wretched Pinhead Puppets (I donโt know if he minds being called Sir) has completed this rather large project by creating a mind-blowing music video with such style. What I find most pleasing is when quality is of the utmost importance. It is set in the future and is entirely animated through his very own magical wizardry. There isnโt even the slightest point in me explaining it. Just watch it, and prepare yourself for amazement.
As to the actual sound of Edโs anthem, well you judge for yourself. I was very content with my mixing (winky smiley face).
As to my initial statement, โI donโt know why you say goodbye, I say helloโ - Iโm not going anywhere.
Listen to ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐! on the ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ Spotify playlist HERE!
Listen to ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐! on the ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ Apple Music playlist HERE!
Watch the official ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐! video HERE!
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