It wasn't hard to find photos to illustrate this week's choice of music. Pictures of refugees are never far from the news bulletins these days. Whether it's Palestinians driven out of their homes by the Israelis, those fleeing the wars in Ukraine and Sudan, or families flooded out of their homes in the Far East,…Read more Refugee
Speaking in Song
Of all the singers known to Crotchety Man, Leonard Cohen has to be the one whose songs speak loudest. But there's more than one way for musicians to get a message across. In their recent album, Speaking in Song, Musictellers dispense with words altogether. https://open.spotify.com/album/4WiGa7ZR3JnNtdutwYSodL?si=Q_qd0cWAS-ipOt4MBKoU2A Eight songs without words (1st July 2025) The band is…Read more Speaking in Song
Black Light Syndrome
Sitting in a backwater of my CD collection, there's an album called Situation Dangerous by the 'supergroup', Bozzio Levin Stevens. I don't remember how I acquired it now, but the mental index card has it down as heavy/prog rock, and the attached sticker says, "a very pleasant surprise". Just recently, Cirdecsongs, brought to my attention…Read more Black Light Syndrome
Self Titled
Quite often, when an artist releases a new album, the reviews say "this is their most personal yet". Generally, though, you can take that with a pinch of salt. The writer may just be searching for something to say that would give you a reason to listen to it. In the case of Kae Tempest's…Read more Self Titled
Luminous Giants
GoGo Penguin's compositions often have an astronomical theme. I was drawn into their orbit in 2018 when they released their album, A Humdrum Star, and I've been floating around them ever since. When they chose to call one of their latest tracks Luminous Giants, they were almost certainly thinking of a type of red giant…Read more Luminous Giants
Son of Glen
Jakko M Jakszyk had an unusual upbringing. His mother was an Irish singer, Peggy Curran; his father an American airman that Peggy has always refused to identify. The baby was born in London and named Michael Lee Curran. At the age of 18 months, Michael was adopted by a refugee couple who met and settled…Read more Son of Glen
Nightfires
Suddenly, as the music reached a climax, one of the dancers careered into the fire, releasing a million sparks up into the air – nothing to protect him except the magic of the fire. Up and up they went, rising high on the thermal column pushing up into the darkness, mingling as they ascended, as…Read more Nightfires
Dragonfly
Here, in the Northern Hemisphere, it's early summer. A time when our gardens are full of insects, creeping across the lawns, buzzing through the air, pollinating the plants. And the most spectacular of all is the big, brightly-coloured dragonfly. The Welsh poet, W. H. Davies, was so impressed by a specimen of Odinata anisoptera that…Read more Dragonfly
A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson
My first encounter with King Crimson was at a free concert in Hyde Park, London, in 1969. They were the only band to make enough noise to fill the open arena, and they stole the show, playing In the Court of the Crimson King, 21st Century Schizoid Man and Epitaph. I have been a fan…Read more A Romantic’s Guide to King Crimson
Truce <3
In these burdened days of climate change and political upheaval, the divisions between us grow ever deeper. Misogyny and racism fuel social media; armed conflicts break out around the world. Death and devastation spread across the globe. And, in the midst of it all, the voice of truce is but a whisper in the deep…Read more Truce ❤
Crotchety Man 