"A lot of those stars actually died millions of years ago. It's just they're so far away, the light they created before they died hasn't finished reaching us yet ... You're looking at a sky full of ghosts." Amie Kaufman Ghost stars. We see them, but they are not really there. They were there once,…Read more A Sky Full of Ghosts
Mordant Lake
Back in November 2022 I reviewed the Polarchoral album by Grice. In that piece, I noted that Grice is not backed by a big promoter and doesn’t do a lot of self-promotion. The implication was that this artist deserves more attention than you might think from the sparse mentions in the media. His marketing team…Read more Mordant Lake
Another Sweep of the Radar
Click the image for animation I love Spotify. Its collection of songs and instrumentals is vast. The Spotify app looks good, and it works beautifully well. It has even made a good stab at learning what I like. My only gripe is that its recommendations pull me towards the most popular artists (which almost invariably…Read more Another Sweep of the Radar
Oath Breaker
It's been a while since I used the track-of-the-week tag. I guess that's because there have been plenty of albums worthy of a spell in the spotlight here, and no one track has stood out above the rest. But, today, I'm going to feature a band called Alo̱r that, as far as I can see,…Read more Oath Breaker
Tom Penaguin
If you are wondering what a penguin has to do with a Zeppelin, read that title again. There's an 'a' in Tom Penaguin, and he's French, so his name is pronounced more like penaga than penagwin. And the airship is from the artwork for his experimental project, Soundtrack for Places I've Never Been Vol 1.…Read more Tom Penaguin
Strange Medicine
Get your snake oil here! Everyone who reads a music blog must know the pleasure that comes from listening to your favourite music. Some people even think that music is an effective therapy for a wide range of mental illnesses. But is it a miraculous cure for all your ills, or is it just snake…Read more Strange Medicine
Nina Simone – Resonances
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bRneoY4sYk A concert in tribute to Nina Simone. If you have a soul, you won't want to miss this 35-minute video.
Rising
Icarus Rising The stars must be perfectly aligned just now for London-based jazz saxophonist, Jasmine Myra. She released her second album earlier this month; she is currently on tour in the UK1; and (this is the clincher) one of my sources played an extract from the album for me a couple of weeks ago on…Read more Rising
Entelecheia
As far as I can make out, 'entelecheia' means "the realisation of potential". The idea is that many things in nature have potential, but it can only be realised when the conditions are right. So, for example, an acorn has the potential to become a mighty oak tree, but it can only fulfil that potential…Read more Entelecheia
White Wolf
There is a legend in several European countries that revolves around a white wolf. It has a number of variations, but the gist of it is this: When the king goes on a journey, he asks his three daughters what they would like him to bring back as a present. The elder two ask for…Read more White Wolf
Crotchety Man 