If you believe that certain things are simply ‘meant to be’, then the comin… Read Full Bio ↴If you believe that certain things are simply ‘meant to be’, then the coming together of Superball Music and singer/multi-instrumentalist Charlie Barnes must’ve been concocted in the cosmos light years ago. For both parties, Mancunian progressive rock heavyweights Oceansize and Amplifier have been hugely influential to their chosen paths, and where Superball ultimately signed both groups, so Barnes has gone onto work with the latter as a live and occasional studio collaborator, before hiring Steve Durose – a man famed for his work with both bands – to produce his debut LP, More Stately Mansions.

“Steve's been a big influence on a lot of my decisions about song writing and direction over the last few years” Barnes says. “I don't think I had fully realised the importance of a good melody until I started spending more time listening to music with him. We started passing basement demos back and forth between us, and it was his arrangement for the choir part at the end of ‘Sing to God' that made me and the other guys in my band realise we needed to dramatically up our game.”

Disorientating and captivating in equal measure during early appearances in Student Union bars and basement venues either side of the Pennines, as well as at European festivals Melt and Reeperbahn, the Leeds-based artist’s early performances took on the guise of a man vs. machine solo rock opera. Songs were constructed on stage as he writhed about on his stool like Silver Apples on uppers - the transmissions from his web of loop pedals, keyboards, pads and samplers seemingly coursing through his body’s contortions. More Stately Mansions hasn’t changed the process much, it’s just that – as he puts it – “the extra pairs of hands aren’t channels on a loopstation or sample libraries anymore, they’re owned by other people with their own ideas.”

Mostly recorded at Chapel Studios in Lincolnshire, with vocals put down in an isolated cottage in the middle of Wales, More Stately Mansions deals with unashamedly bold brush strokes. Songs like ‘Sing To God’s’ gossamer strings strike delicately amidst rumbling percussion and several moments of histrionic guitar malevolence that recall those aforementioned teenage influences; the title track’s layered vocals hark back to Queen in their mid-70’s pomp, while ‘Macbeth, Macbeth, Macbeth’ rises and falls on a series of scything post-hardcore riff acrobatics.

“I've never really been interested in stuff that just stays on a level and sits in the background,” Barnes admits. “I like music that really commands your attention and listening, and for me that's very rarely music that doesn't have a sense of width to it. I'm never happy with the idea of just doing the verse part again and then the chorus part again and cracking on with the next song. I always want to explore the ways in which things can continually build and then be knocked down.”

All of this is cut through with a climactic vocal that bores out vestiges of Jeff Buckley, or even Freddie Mercury, delivered with an overwhelming sincerity that goads its audience out of apathy and into a reaction, an expressive way of performing that Barnes has embraced since childhood. “I remember being seven years old and hearing the first few bars of 'It's a Hard Life' by Queen and being completely blown away by how Freddie Mercury's voice holding those huge, intense notes made me feel. I’ve certainly had an aversion to the trend of singers who would heavily manner their voice to sound unique or idiosyncratic too; I’ve always found it incredibly powerful when a human voice is creating the emotional drive in a piece of music.”

ruins
Charlie Barnes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let me tell you
Any old blade
Could cut the atmosphere in here
So full up with hates and hopes oh
Load up what guns
You could lay your hands upon
To back up that steel shot tongue

Don't you dare ask (?) question like that

Even the great
Will drop the ball from time to time
And all that it burns you up so
Don't throw your hands
Up like you're clear of every charge
Your words will come back to haunt you

If you so adore the (?)
Will you keep your teeth sunk in too?

Just like that
And everything you've worked for
Goes up in
Smoke so black
And for the love of god or
Anyone

Don't you dare ask (?) question like that

(?)

Just like that
And everything you've worked for
Goes up in
Smoke so black
And for the love of god or
Anyone

Hold your tongue
Or fist before you're left with
Ruins
And one last thing
If you could spare a thought for an
Old friend and

Don't you dare ask (?) quest like that

(?)
Let me tell you

Overall Meaning

In "Ruins," Charlie Barnes warns against the dangers of speaking recklessly and the consequences it may bring. The song alludes to a toxic atmosphere filled with negativity, anger, and resentment. The opening lines suggest that the words spoken have the power to cut like a blade, and the singer advises arming oneself with ammunition to back up one's words.

The chorus highlights the theme of consequences: those who speak recklessly are likely to fall short and face the consequences of their words. The lyrics warn against assuming superiority and pride, as they will ultimately lead to one's downfall. The closing lines urge the listener to hold one's tongue and fists, warning them of the ruins that can result from fanning the flames of anger and negativity.

Overall, "Ruins" is a warning against the dangers of recklessly wielding words and emotions, emphasizing the importance of self-restraint and reflection.

Line by Line Meaning

Let me tell you
I have something important to say

Any old blade
A simple thing can cause damage

Could cut the atmosphere in here
The tension is palpable

So full up with hates and hopes oh
Emotions are running high

Load up what guns
Prepare for battle

You could lay your hands upon
Use whatever you have

To back up that steel shot tongue
To support your sharp words

Don't you dare ask (?) question like that
Don't challenge me

Even the great
Even successful people

Will drop the ball from time to time
Make mistakes

And all that it burns you up so
It can be upsetting