Book I Book II Book III As we watch the opening scenes of 2024 unfold, let's get this continuing tale of good and exceptional music back on the road with some classic progressive rock. The Songs & Tales of Airoea is a triple album by a Norwegian band calling themselves The Chronicles of Father Robin.…Read more The Songs & Tales of Airoea
Signs of Life
Is it alive? I am going to give Signs of Life the highest accolade available to me: after one spin it was ordered for the Crotchety Collection and will soon make a small dent in the bank balance. It's a curious beast, though. More an album of poetry than music. And it sits well off-centre…Read more Signs of Life
I Inside the Old I Dying
Looking back; looking forward. Times past; times still to come. Those are the thoughts that occupy our minds as one year fades away and the tick-tocking clocks beckon another. Was '23 a good year for you? Will '24 be any better? Let's ponder this with PJ Harvey as she sings the enigmatically titled track, I…Read more I Inside the Old I Dying
From a Fading World
There's a programme called "I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue" on the BBC's Radio 4 channel. It's a comedy show, described as "the antidote to panel games". In each episode, the host (currently Jack Dee) gives the four panellists silly things to do for no other purpose than to entertain the largely intellectual audience of…Read more From a Fading World
White Buses
White is the colour of innocence and purity. It was the colour of the Red Cross ambulances that brought Scandinavian prisoners of war from Nazi concentration camps to safety in Sweden at the end of World War II. The "White Buses" humanitarian operation rescued 15,345 internees during March and April 1945, including at least 425…Read more White Buses
Stairway to Heaven
I've just received this from a member of Loughborough's Little Big Band. It was published just a few days ago and has already clocked up well over 150,000 views. You won't want to miss it, believe me! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPDkz3l_CSE
Wrapped Up
On Friday (1st Dec), The Guardian carried an article about the Spotify Wrapped personalised listening summary, which is delivered to Spotify subscribers as an animated video every year. In the announcement email, Alex Petridis wrote: "The annual summary of your listening habits has become a phenomenon – but aside from being a marketing wheeze, Wrapped…Read more Wrapped Up
Intrigue …
"Don't be so condescending. Our village life is a hotbed of intrigue and drama." - Mary Nickson If the blogosphere is only a small region of cyberspace, then music blogs are just a village within that surprisingly sprawling subcontinent. And, if we focus in on one decade in one nation, the soundscape bubble shrinks even…Read more Intrigue …
Omission
Shh ... Don't say a word! This blog's mission is to fill in the gaps ... in your listening and mine. The unintended and unforgivable omissions from our collections must be purged. To that end, I would like to bring to your attention an acoustic guitar track by the jazz musician, Julian Lage. https://open.spotify.com/track/3k5DKMMsGADkmtIVa72D7p?si=88e0f6d4328c4321 A…Read more Omission
Black Classical Music
The lounge TV was tuned in to Later ... with Jools Holland. On the bill were some names I recognised (Róisin Murphy, Nitin Sawhney, Suggs) and some I didn't (Tom Walker, Yussef Dayes, English Teacher). When Jools announced the fourth act, the camera focused on the saxophone player in a 5- or 6-piece band. Taking…Read more Black Classical Music
Crotchety Man 