𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 - this week: Truth Hurts - Cerulean Chameleon, Julie Hicklin
- Charles Connolly
- 21 hours ago
- 6 min read
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.
𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙃𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙨 - 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙤𝙣, 𝙅𝙪𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙃𝙞𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙞𝙣
Charles says it how it is…
Have you ever told a lie? If you said no, your answer is yes. We have ALL told a lie. Even the saintliest angels have told a lie at some point or other. It simply HAS to happen. There is no getting around it. But lying is an inherently bad thing to do. Does this make us all inherently bad people? No. Well, some, yes. But on the whole, not in the slightest. It all comes down to our reasons for lying. If the lie comes from the possibility of someone finding out that you have done something bad, that is wrong. If the lie is simply for your own personal gain, that is also wrong. But there are times when the lie can have good intentions. While this might seem oxymoronic on the surface, there is an honest simplicity here. Sometimes it is kinder to lie, where more pain can come from the truth than the lie itself. If your life is going down the pan and someone asks of your howabouts, do you open up and shed your woes? They asked, after all! Imagine the asker is in a fabulous mood; would you want to bring down their mood with your own? Or how's about if the asker is in a dreadful way... Would you really like to stack your own dreadful way on top of theirs? And so we tend to dumb down our answer. Is it a lie? Technically, yes. But does it harm anyone? Quite the opposite.
So is the truth overrated...? I think the problem is habit. The more one lies, the more it becomes natural to do so. There is less judgement of a specific situation, and out pops another casual lie, all nonchalant as you like. And before you know it, you’re a serial liar. Like an ex of mine - ahem. Okay, so let’s just imagine you have lied your way through many a situation where you thought it kinder to lie than to tell the truth… Nothing serious. No murder cover-up or anything. But that these little white lies are building a bit… The problem is, lying with good reason can get sticky further down the line. It could be something so seemingly unimportant, like if a music artist asks you if their drums sound good. You listen, and think they sound like muffled pencils on a concrete slab. Yet you say “Yeah, they sound great to me! Rock on, dude!”… They release the track as is, and the track flops. Assuming it can’t be because of the drums, they release a new song with the same “great” drums. Again, it flops. They then seek advice from someone else a little less tactful, and they’re told “Well, for a start, your drums suck”… It dawns on them that they were lied to beforehand, even out of kindness, but that the lie didn’t help them in the slightest. In fact, it hindered them. It slowed down their progress and ruined what was potentially a great song (two great songs). The thing is, they felt good initially in being told their drums were great, and they felt lousy latterly in being told their drums suck. But they also felt annoyed (potentially angered) that they weren’t told the raw truth in the first place. So, you see: a right sticky situation. Proving that while the truth hurts, lies are conceivably more painful in the longterm.
Sometimes it’s better to know; sometimes it’s better not to know. It simply all depends. With this week’s pick, we’re going with the truth, no matter how painful it might seem. From Sweden last week, we cross the channel and visit the North and South of this queer shaped isle. Is there any other country in the world that contains yet more countries? Such a weird thing I have never heard anyone talk about. The United Kingdom is a country - it doesn’t feel that united, but a damned sight more united than some other countries. It contains four separate countries. We’re going to visit the uppermost and the lowermost ones. Please welcome Cerulean Chameleon (the kilt), and Julie Hicklin (the skirt), with their brand new collaboration, ‘Truth Hurts’! I’d be lying if I said this song was full of bagpipes and Celtic jigs, but the truth is, it’s thoroughly electronic. Of the doomp-tick variety, but the good kind. It ain’t five minutes of monotony, but instead a well-honed three-and-a-bit minute song. A song predominantly started by the Celt, and finished by the Anglican. The thing is, Julie (or Yulie, as I have been known to call her) is a songwriter and a singer at heart. While she might have an idea of how she would like a song to sound, she knows that it is probably best to ask a pro to produce. And so, she surrounds herself with a merry band of producers she knows she can rely on. This time she opted for seasoned Haggisian, Scott Hood (aka Cerulean Chameleon). Scott often works with readymade vocals from elsewhere, but I must say, by FAR his best work is with other singers (not a fact, but I’m sure most would agree). This is where his productions come to life. This is probably because both artists can work together, rather than simply having a file to work with. A bond is born from a new musical relationship.
Despite ‘Truth Hurts’ being a VERY “produced” song, the emphasis is very much on the vocals. It is vocal driven. Scott knows when to sit back and let Julie shine. Synths and vocal effects are at the fore for the intro - there’s no beat and no proper vocals yet. It’s enough to say “something big is coming, and there ain’t nuttin’ you can do about it”. There is a certain grand luxury sweeping through the atmosphere in anticipation for more. The driving beat begins with sparse accompaniment, leaving a great deal of space for the bold statement that is Julie. She appears, wearing a floor-length leather coat and a hell of an experienced attitude. It’s hardened wisdom in that first line, “Truth hurts, but lies hurt more. Been too many times, too many times I’m raw”… And it’s this rawness I really do hear. It’s not a withered raw, but a whatever-doesn’t-kill-you kind of raw. There is understated passion and drive in her vocals. But those vocals: phew!! Her tone, her seductive quality, her warning, she REALLY knows how to sing. How to just GET you. There is thrust and punch, but it’s always short of aggression. It’s more like heavy persuasion. A coaxing of kinds. Meanwhile, Scott is riding the waves, knowing when to come up, and when to come down. When to add excitement, and when to rest. The trick is never to rest, but to instead be vigilant, hand on gun, ready if needed. Verse two brings a stereo bounce, pushing and pulling with Julie’s lead. It’s entrancing!
We take a brief breather at around 2 minutes in, as the kick pulls in for a pitstop. Scott serenades us with galactic synths, in order for us all to catch some well deserved breath. He smiles, rubs his hands together, and sets to clapping the night away. The kick’s pitstop is taking longer than usual, and his palms take its place for a short while as Julie comes back for some sultry understatement. And yet, you can’t look away. The build is lightening the load off your legs. You’re up, you’re moving. You’re ready. Julie brings you close, but not close enough. It’s a build into a build - Scott steals the reins again as Julie falls back into her chair, heels stretched out. She picks up the mic with just a finger and a thumb, and rejoins the surrounding electronica. We’re all ready for that final inevitable bout of effervescent satisfaction. Close to popping! And finally, that kick is as good as new, pounding to the pulse like a leader. We’re there. Julie is standing and stomping, gripping the mic with white knuckles, giving it her all. Scott is pumping his fist to the air like a DJ at a festival! WHAT a delectable plate of mince and tatties THAT was!!
While you’re debating whether or not to release the naked truth, I’m busy dancing like a right oxymoron.
Listen to 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙃𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙨 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!
Listen to 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙃𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙨 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Apple Music playlist HERE!
Listen to 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 𝙃𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙨 on YouTube HERE!
Follow 𝘾𝙚𝙧𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙤𝙣 on Instagram HERE!
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