Could this be Olivia's Shop? Let me introduce you to Olivia Ruth. She has a shop that sells everything you'll ever need. Or so Brendan Perkins tells us. https://open.spotify.com/track/2z5dCwXmkbhenm5YAA1sZB?si=7299d11393094792 A track from Brendan Perkins new album, Stories from the Old Church Lane. Now, the name Brendan Perkins is new to me. But, apparently, his latest…Read more Olivia Ruth
Kontraster
It's not often that you find multiple genres on a single album (outside of loose compilations, of course). And it's even rarer for two bands with contrasting styles to each provide one half of an album. But that's what the Norwegian bands, Jordsjø and Breidablik, give us with Kontraster. And to challenge prospective listeners even…Read more Kontraster
A Symphony of Amaranths
A symphony of colours, but probably not a natural Amaranth flower. A Symphony of Amaranths is a collection of jazz tunes composed by Neil Ardley. It's the kind of jazz that serious composers would recognise as carefully constructed, high quality music, even if they didn't warm to it themselves. It is scored for an orchestra…Read more A Symphony of Amaranths
Phantom Limb
If a ghost loses an arm or a leg, would he still feel the pain of a phantom limb? That's a tongue-in-cheek rhetorical question - I don't believe in ghosts - but perhaps the Swedish band, Hooffoot, would like to tell us why they chose to call their latest album, Phantom Limb. That probably does…Read more Phantom Limb
Emergent
Who's emerging from the Gordian Knot? Emergent is the second album by Gordian Knot, a band with a fluid line-up assembled by Sean Malone in 1998. Malone was an exceptionally accomplished multi-instrumentalist, proficient on bass guitar (fretted and fretless), Chapman Stick, guitar and keyboards. He was the American equivalent of the UK's Steven Wilson. As…Read more Emergent
Newsflash
Several upcoming gigs in Nottingham caught my eye recently: Zopp, 10th April at Billy Bootleggers The Ks, 8th May at Rock City Fyfe Dangerfield, 10th May at The Grove These are all highly recommended by the Crotchety Music Preview Panel. Further information on these artists can be found in these earlier Crotchety Man blog posts:…Read more Newsflash
I Advance Masked
Long before Covid appeared on the scene in late 2019, Andy Summers (The Police) and Robert Fripp (King Crimson) stashed away a stock of masks - sonic masks that hid what they were up to in their more famous bands. You might say, they were ahead of their time. They certainly pushed the boundaries of…Read more I Advance Masked
Sanju
Celebrating Holika Dahan, the Hindu festival of fire and renewal. The Anglo-Irish folk band, Flook, have just released a new album. Its title is Sanju, which seems to be the name of a Hindu priest, an Indian cricketer, or a film about a Bollywood actor. The connection between Irish folk music and the Indian subcontinent,…Read more Sanju
Harm / Terms
Out of curiosity, I looked up the difference between the terms "Actual Bodily Harm" and "Grievous Bodily Harm". 'Grievous' implies injuries that are severely detrimental to the victim's health; 'actual' is the same, but less severe. I think I'd want more guidance than that if I was the judge in an assault case. Listening to…Read more Harm / Terms
Curious Ruminant
Pondering the big questions in life? Jethro Tull released their 24th studio album on Friday. It's a collection of ruminations on life and the human condition, told with Iain Anderson's characteristic wry humour. What more appropriate title, then, than Curious Ruminant? https://open.spotify.com/album/1m5tTXkBOzJEiwDz1TyPIG?si=BOxHlIXaSSajWSMKMrgoDw The band was formed in 1967. They released one album a year from…Read more Curious Ruminant
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