The dead can be many things. They can be buried or incinerated; they can be forgotten or revered. They can star in zombie films. They can even be grateful. But there's very little that the dead can do. And yet, according to one Australian duo, the dead can dance. Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard formed…Read more Song of the Stars
Antiphon
Arguing with Antiphon History records Antiphon of Rhamnus as an orator in ancient Greece. He was, in fact, a professional ghostwriter, writing speeches for disputants in the courts, and was regarded as perhaps the finest exponent of rhetoric in Athens at the time. Curiously, though, he only addressed the public directly once, when he was…Read more Antiphon
Run For Cover
Crotchety Man has been exploring Hubzilla country for about three months now. I've come across interesting artefacts in all the arts, including literature and painting, but I haven't ventured much beyond the celestial music sphere so far. Even in this relatively confined space I've been introduced to all sorts of hitherto unknown wonders. Hubzilla seems…Read more Run For Cover
The Ghosts of Pripyat
The Pripyat Post Office - then and now At 01:23:40 hrs on 26th April 1986 there was a catastrophic incident in the No. 4 reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Some of the safety systems had been disabled so that an emergency procedure could be tested. Having completed the test all that remained to…Read more The Ghosts of Pripyat
Airbag
Airbag is a Norwegian progressive rock band. Originally formed in 2004 they released two EPs in 2007 before signing with Karisma in 2008 and releasing their first full album, Identity, the following year. According to their website their music "is best described as scenic, epic rock"; reviewers consistently compare it with Roger Waters era Pink…Read more Airbag
Poison Heart
This Blondie video appeared in my Diaspora feed yesterday. It was in one of several posts from channels I'd not come across before and that was puzzling because there hasn't been much traffic over there since I signed up two months ago. Still, I'm always happy to meet new online friends that share my taste in…Read more Poison Heart
Radar Blips
My Release Radar this week included several interesting new pieces by not-so-new artists spanning a wide range of styles. I'm featuring them in another Spotify playlist this week. But before we get to that, I must pay tribute to Peter Green, who's death was announced yesterday. Rolling Stone placed the blues/rock guitarist born Peter Allen Greenbaum…Read more Radar Blips
Butterflies
Summer has returned to central England. The sun is shining, the grass is green, the flowers are blooming. In the corner of our garden there's a large buddleia bush full of blossom and the butterflies love it. So, by way of celebration, here's a short playlist of 'butterfly' songs. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_hAakygTXsEDpHf_cKehh-wAqVTVEAWJ Tracks (with Spotify links) Dog…Read more Butterflies
Vimana
It seems to me that progressive rock and its close cousin, jazz-rock fusion, have undergone a welcome renaissance over the past two decades or so. Or is it just that modern technology has made it so much easier to find art that rises above the bland, the mediocre and the ugly? It's hard to be…Read more Vimana
Escape from Hippie Mountain
There's a genre of music called 'fusion'. It's what you get when molten rock dissolves in liquid jazz. But there's another way to combine rock and jazz - you can just bolt them together. Take Marbin, for example. Their stock-in-trade is a frothy layer of jazz firmly anchored to a solid base of rock. This tune…Read more Escape from Hippie Mountain
Crotchety Man 