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
The Man Who Can’t Be Moved
Going back to the corner where I first saw you.Gonna camp in my sleeping bag, I'm not gonna move. Danny O'Donoghue, Mark Sheehan It's a bit late for Valentine's Day, but this is one of the most romantic songs ever written. The Man Who Can't Be Moved is a single released by the Irish pop-rock…Read more The Man Who Can’t Be Moved
Pictures At An Exhibition
Readers of this blog will, no doubt, have heard of Emerson Lake and Palmer's version of Mussorgsky's piano suite, Pictures At An Exhibition. And you may be wondering what Katsushika Hokusai's painting, The Great Wave, has to do with it. The answer, unsurprisingly, is not a lot. You see, the Tim Kliphuis Trio has curated…Read more Pictures At An Exhibition
Quiver
There are 11 sound-arrows in the Quiver album by KTU. Each is as sharp and penetrating as anything that King Crimson has to offer. But, where KC gets its bite from an 8-piece band with three drummers, KTU distils this down to a compact trio. The King Crimson connection goes beyond similarities of musical style.…Read more Quiver
Vertú
Vertuous living in Chaucer's England The meaning of 'vertú' is not clear to me. According to the first entry that comes up in a Google search, it's either "knowledge of or expertise in the fine arts" or "the good qualities inherent in a person or thing". Or it might just be an old spelling of…Read more Vertú
Distorted Reality
Did we pick the wrong sort of mushrooms for our meal last night? If you like Muse, you will also like No Signal. The two bands are all but indistinguishable. Both offer classically-inspired keyboards, heavy rock guitar, choirboy voices and singable melodies. Distorted Reality is No Signal's latest album, released in digital formats in April…Read more Distorted Reality
Masters of Fog
It's been chilly, damp and foggy in most of the UK for the past few days. What more appropriate choice of topic for this week's blog, then, than an album called Masters of Fog? https://open.spotify.com/album/5RAZAzKGlhdLrwmV0p97UY?si=iafK0LIuQBWhBd89Iy-_gQ The 6th album by Tonbruket, released 27th September 2019 According to Discogs, Tonbruket is a Swedish music project whose sound…Read more Masters of Fog
Crotchety Man 