Name: Chanson De Charleroi by Voltage Poetry Project in ENTIRE INBOX: Batch 416
Duration: 3 min 17 s
Description: A very lofi synth outing recalling fond memories of working in Wallonia...

Any artist is welcome to send us a track via freshonthenet.co.uk anytime between Monday lunchtime and Thursday morning (or when we receive 200 submissions, whichever is sooner) - and all our moderators, including Tom Robinson, will listen to every track. This is our full inbox from the week beginning Mon 6 September: from Friday afternoon you'll be able to hear our shortlist and pick your favourites on this week's Listening Post which will appear at freshonthenet.co.uk/batch416

If a track you submitted does not appear in this list, it’s probably because another of your tracks appeared in our Fresh Faves or on the BBC Music Introducing Mixtape during the last three months — we ask that artists featured on either wait three months before resubmitting to give others a chance. We also don’t accept short previews or SoundCloud GO tracks that can only be heard as 30 second previews, and tracks made private after submission, which cannot be included in playlists. You will be able to resubmit the track in future. Tracks that have been previously submitted and tracks from banned artists will also be removed.

ENTIRE INBOX: Batch 416

Music video: https://youtu.be/zhbhe5iF91k Purchase: https://itskelpmusic.bandcamp.com/ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6LboIg5d66U6wICDu8Wwqv?si=cf61eea4522f4f5e
"...From here I had to make a choice. Obviously, I was aware of a long-standing history of Latin music which is as rich and as saturated as any musical folk tradition. I had to avoid submitting a whisper to a room full of shouts. The way I would do this would be to bend/fuse genres and opt for atypical instrumentation. I had to keep some classics as I felt the more I strayed from tradition, the more I would lose what I had set out to create, so there was a balance to strike. What you’ll hear I ended up with is a sort of traditional latin rhythm section supporting some synth lead, bass and arp. It’s drum heavy with 808s battling traditional mambo percussion and synth bass fighting upright bass for listeners attention, and salsa piano bridged with cascading tango synth runs straddling the line between a meringue dance recital and an EDM breakdown, or something; Dancing about architecture is like tyring to music about writing.
So anyways, when the song was nearing completion, I started to think about its context and what it meant and what it would be called etc. I had a note saved on my phone which simply read ‘jardines tropical’. And I was like “I really want this to be the title of a song”. The aesthetic the song brought up for me was inauthenticity. Because it was so clearly lacking in its attempts to “be latin” it made me think of like Irish pubs in Spain, or walled resorts in difficult places in south America, where the interior, not only doesn’t reflect the exterior at all, but fails to be what it thinks it is in the first place. The song looked like a disused swimming pool, or cheap clay souvenir stall in a tiny shop down an alleyway in Chania. It looks, sounds and smells like the real thing, but there’s an uncanny quality that suggests it doesn’t represent what it claims to, at all. This is the MIDI programmed, digitally synthesized piano, sampled percussion and ARP pretending to ambass the old country. I thought this was a beautiful concept and actually, something you see it everywhere you go. A thousand pubs in any one region claiming to be the oldest pub in [insert your country here] Come in and try our local delicacy which none of the locals would ever dare touch. 
Then came naming the track, I wanted it to have cutesy, neatly tied up little name that represented what it “claimed it was”, something the marketing partners would sign off on. Something like Coco Cabana. I went back to the note in my phone ‘jardines tropical’ – Tropical Garden. It definitely had the right feel, it promised what the song was definitely not going to deliver. The finishing touch was to include a spelling mistake. I ended up with Les Club Tropicales, which is a poor translation between French and Spanish with a butchered plural, of the Tropical Club. The Tropical Club has a modesty to it, promises little grandeur and is a clumsy, cumbersome sounding thing. Pluralise the wrong word and you get The Tropicals Club. How beautifully incorrect that sounds. But translate it badly and you get Les Club Tropicales. To someone like myself who only speaks once language, it sounds like it has just enough prestige to perfectly let me down. When I read the title I feel like a yank who has never been to Ireland walking into an Irish pub and thinking this is what it’s might really be like there.
So from there it sort of transformed in my imagination as this actual place – Les Club Tropicales. Welcome to the most inauthentic experience available in your resort. Come and experience insincere and foreign beverages in a venue whose theme doesn’t remotely resemble its location, even slightly, and this is the soundtrack.

Les Club Tropicales

This may be an unlikely title for a catchy singalong, but “Is not everything morbid?” could be Joe's biggest song yet!

After a couple of years where nobody can pretend everything is going great, maybe this is the time to embrace the darker side of things. His new song does this, but also celebrates what we can achieve, nonetheless. 

The song takes its inspiration from American early twentieth century writer Djuna Barnes, who led a very unconventional life and when she was accused of her writing being too dark replied: “Is not everything morbid?” Joe's message here is that no matter how dark and bleak things are, we can confront them and create something new. We can push back against those things in our lives that are unfair and oppressive, but only if we recognise them.

Is Not Everything Morbid?

About ‘Villain’

Garvie is a singer-songwriter who spent too much time playing video games during lockdown… now he’s trapped in one. 

The 8-bit indie hero’s second single ‘Villain’ is an anthem in using your frustration and anger for good. Garvie’s blunt lyrics and songwriting pull no punches here as he proudly proclaims ‘you’re my villain, and I love to hate you so’. Here’s Garvie’s account of that lyric: “We’re always told we shouldn’t get angry. I think anger gets a bad rep – it can push you forward and motivate you more than a lot of other feelings. Whether it’s a celebrity, politician, an annoying co-worker or your ex - we’ve all got our villains. Sometimes it’s OK to embrace that.”

Villain’s production takes the swagger of AM-era Arctic Monkeys era and the soul of Jack Garratt, blending them in with Garvie’s pure pop sensibilities. Here the producers and Garvie’s co-writers Jamie Biles and Props (a Spotify ‘Fresh Finds’ favourite) strip the driving beat down to it’s bare essentials, leaving Garvie’s storytelling abilities and soaring falsetto vocals space to breathe.

Garvie’s debut single ‘Bad Person’ has so far picked up support from BBC Radio 6 (Tom Robinson called it ‘an irresistible earworm’), Amazing Radio, BBC Introducing and Panic! At The Disco/Weezer producer Suzy Shinn amongst others.

Who’s your villain?

Bad Person was written by Joe Garvey (Garvie), Mark Gilyead (Props) and Jamie Biles, was produced by Jamie Biles and Mark Gilyead and was mixed by Jamie Biles. It was mastered by Hallam Robinson at Abbey Road Studios.

25/08/21

Villain

Belly

A very lofi synth outing recalling fond memories of working in Wallonia...

Chanson De Charleroi

The next album from Time. Space. Repeat. - the soundtrack to a utopian society, destroyed by hubris and unforeseen events. Everything has its consequence.

Bossa Never

You can sit wherever you like, but
Don't distract the autopilot
For your safety and mine
Please be orderly behind the line

The future's bright
And the past is dead
Put your trust in the power of rust
At least I think that's what he said

Please can I politely advise you
To do whatever the autopilot says
Please relax and enjoy the ride
As we plummet to our fiery deaths
We could try to fight or run but
I guess it all depends
If you value your freedom or comfort more
It's all the same in the end

The future's written
And the past is gone
For your safety and convenience
The camera is always on

Invest your every movement with meaning
That's the only way we'll beat them
Are you certain who you're talking to?
Are you certain that you've thought this through?

The past is yours but the future's dead (repeat)
Ah I think that's what he said

Don't distract the autopilot

You can sit wherever you like, but
Don't distract the autopilot
Or he might bring your vehicle
To a sudden stop

Don't Distract the Autopilot

(Music & Lyrics by Annika Elting
© 2 May 2023
E-guitar, Bass Ukulele, Vocals: Annika Jayne
Cover Art: Annika Jayne, picture taken from Canva

This is my SINGLE submission for the Album Writing Club of 2023. 

Here's the complete playlist containing all entries: https://on.soundcloud.com/GLd3t
VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE 3 HERE: forms.gle/o9NTgKWpqWqKVx7x9

I guess it's true when they say "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". I was very, very angry at someone, not because they rejected me, but because they were holding me back from making music, so much so that I was starting to lose myself. As scary as that was, it also made me realise that I need songwriting and recording like I need air to breathe. And in this song I make sure that I'm back and more determined than ever. It's like a lot of people say: With all the pain and misery they put me through, they only pushed me towards my destiny. I suppose I should thank them for that.  So instead of channeling my anger into something destructive, I channeled it into creativity.

In Moments Like These

I'm On Fire

I'm On Fire SINGLE ALBUM WRITING CLUB

This is my single submission for the 2023 Album Writing Club.

Here is the complete playlist of the entries: on.soundcloud.com/GLd3t

Please vote for your favorites (up to three) here: forms.gle/o9NTgKWpqWqKVx7x9

Dark horse, came from nothin’
Disregards whatever makes his life complete
Black sheep, started runnin’
Traveled far, searchin’ for something to beat
Black eye, hindered vision
Head aloft, forcing us to understand
Boxed ears, you never listen
Shouting off whoever wants to lend a hand

What a struggle when you’re always right
How difficult that seems
If only all of us would see the light
We could start building your dreams

Reelin’ mad, so pathetic
Debate is trash when winning is the only goal
Feelin’ bad, sympathetic
Watching as you spiral down a rabbit hole
Honor bound, keep on talkin’
Right or not, you’re acting like a total douche
Turn around, just start walkin’
Haven’t got the energy to deal with you

Can just imagine all the bridges burning and fences you’ve built up
Walls and chambers, battlements as you refuse the drawbridge lowered

Fair play that fateful Tuesday
Shot a dove and pushed away an olive branch
His way or the highway
Makes a peace sign with his fist and calls it righteousness
Can’t miss the looks and comments
I’ve been catchin’ all the salty vibes you’re sendin’ me
If this is how he treats us
Just imagine what he visits on his enemies

All the demons and the feral winds that you loose upon your home
Can maybe chalk it up to arrogance as to why you die alone

Scenes From an Empty Stage

Fences

Man is a song I do with my band Ruby Dawn. This is a take of the song but more like in an experimental sampling way. I've only used the line Man Where's Your Heart and followed a totally different structure mood and emotionality.  I really love experimenting with wordless vocals, or mixing some words in with no language based melodic lines. This way the music remains universal, and I can express an emotion without articulating it in any language.  Man is made of mostly harmonic voices and instrumentation. 

All parts recorded performed played and mixed by Carola Baer

Written, performed and produced by Ian Allison.

From the Marzihu EP 'Four Minute Warning' – a snapshot of the lives of four people at the moment of the Four MInute Warning. 'Sysiphus' is the story of a woman whose relationship is ending due to relentless, monotonous, unsupported, thankless domesticity. Told in the style of HP Lovecraft/Geezer Butler… Lyrics:

Have you… ever been to a dark place?
A place of promises and lies?
She sits, all alone with the vaccuum,
It’s where her hopelessness resides.
Her dreams feel like ashes in the morning,
She dusts the dust, to earth it must return.
She waits for an absent invitation,
Ignores the place… where fires used to burn.

Now even Sysiphus must die!

Sysiphus

This Ep was made for the  #AlbumWritingClub 2023,

For this album I wanted to make a (dark)ambient/experimental EP.
I wanted to make a bit of a sci-fi experience and give you the feeling as if you are in outer space/another universe.

With this album but I wanted every song to be unique and to have every song it's own story

I hope you enjoy this EP

Signals From The Universe

The Kiss of the Enchantress 

High up in the Sierra			
both sides are terrified			
It’s so hot in here 				
the snow waits outside 		

Sweat drips from the ceiling
Blood slips on the floor 	
Fear takes its icy grip		
The wolf is at the door		

Release me from this fever		
Release me from this spell		
High up on a snowy mountain 	
But my angel fell				

Like a Murnau movie 			
Monochrome and vivid red 	
The Kiss of the Enchantress 
An evil crown on your head

KISS OF THE ENCHANTRESS

This song is about introspection, facing your fears while using the wilderness and moon as a backdrop.

Sing To The Moon Draft - Chenél No.1

The partners of HJJW present to you Playing Office from their business themed album ‘Sound Investments’. Combining the skills of Andrew Hartshorn, Cosmic Bos (the Jackson brothers) and ASeaWarren, this musical slice of modern office life takes you on a journey through the 9 to 5, examining the existential crisis of work life balances and overtime taxes, timesheets and insurance policies, major lifts and minor falls. The themes of the album are directly represented in Playing Office, with its references to Michael Scott and David Brent, and a couple of other hidden Easter eggs for the office media savvy, the job is what you make it, so make it fun.

HJJ&W are here to represent music made by the people for the people, vote for Playing Office and help HJJ&W become the legitimate musical firm they are destined to become.

PLAYING OFFICE by HJJ&W

Went to the music market today
We did a business and came away
With a bag full of bass lines and half whistled tunes
A four to the floor that we accent with spoons
Tidy melodies all stocked and shared
Progressive chord structures harmonically paired
Time to play office, we’re cutting it fine 
Under a tight rapidly approaching deadline

I wanna be Jim
But I’m probably Dwight
Or Michael Scott at threat level midnight
It’s entertainment 
Clear for all to see
We’re victims of the industry 

But it’s okay, we are artists at heart
Our dedication needs to be to our art
We’re playing office so we can pay the bills
While in our spare time keep developing skills
Turning hobbies into business is hard
Your wits must be sharp and always on guard
Reading contracts when you’re just a bard
That makes albums in sheds in a tiny backyard 

Feeling like Tim
But acting like Brent
So much time paid for and poorly misspent 
Wake up like Dawn
Take charge like Pam
The sweetest of sounds always spread like jam
Be your own boss
Bend all the rules
Stop playing office and start playing school
Learning’s cool
We are all fools

Break the habit, break, break the habit
Chase the rabbit, chase, chase the rabbit
We’ve never had it, never, ever had it
We blinked it bolted and no one could grab it

Change the pattern, change, change the pattern
Pass the baton, pass, pass the baton
It’s bound to happen, bound, bound to happen 
Right on the seats that we’re sat on

I wanna be Jim
But I’m probably Dwight
Or Michael Scott, Threat Level Midnight all right
Feeling like Tim
But foolish like Brent
Time milked for money just to barely scrape rent
Waking to Dawn
Open like Pam
Doing the business and not falling for scams
With my red stapler
I’m going to town
Say otherwise and I’ll burn the whole building down

Playing Office

Alternative Facts

Delusional Safety

Lo-fi songs on synths. BlueSky @voltagepoetry.bsky.social Bandcamp: www.voltagepoetryproject.bandcamp.com

Fresh On The Net is a music blog hosted by Tom Robinson and Team Freshnet, offering independent artists an open door and a level playing field for their music. Our inbox is open at http://freshonthenet.co.uk every Monday to Thursday morning - if you share a track with us there it will be heard by every member of our moderation team.

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Chanson De Charleroi

Voltage Poetry Project

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