Nat Ural and Art I. Ficial The older I get, the more I worry about the human race. We are supposed to be a rational species, but I hear people making absurd statements and claiming they are undeniable truths all the time these days. Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity. And…Read more People
2020s
Three Movements
Hop, skip and jump. Three kinds of movement. But probably not what Sonar had in mind when they recorded their Three Movements album. https://open.spotify.com/album/3cnkDweGrKifrvJNZKjUWb?si=8N0zZSIfTtG-Hy8oaZuS2g Sonar is a quartet with a traditional rock band line-up: two guitars (Stephan Thelen, Bernhard Wagner), bass (Christian Kuntner) and drums (Manuel Pasquinelli). Their output, though, is nothing like that of…Read more Three Movements
Unhurt
Aja Monet I eat my peas with honey. I've done it all my life. It makes the peas taste funny, But it keeps them on the knife. Would you like some poetry to accompany your music feast? Or do you prefer a side dish of music with your main course poetry? Either way, the New…Read more Unhurt
Here Is Everything
As moons go, Earth's is pretty big. Of the hundreds of moons in our solar system, only Ganymede, Titan, Callisto and Io are larger. But the members of The Big Moon band have their eyes on even bigger things - much bigger, in fact. They have brought the whole universe into our backyard, made an…Read more Here Is Everything
Amor Fati
Amor Fati is a Latin phrase with the literal meaning, "love [your] fate". It encapsulates the Stoic philosophy, which espouses a calm acceptance of life's up and downs. If the event must occur, Amor fati (a love of fate) is the response. No looking backwards. Sideways. Only forward with a smile. From an article in The Observer.…Read more Amor Fati
Fairlies
'Fairlies', it seems, can refer to a type of yacht, a double ended steam locomotive, or a place. Or it could just be someone's name. In fact, this song by Grian Chatten is about none of these; it's about the unfairness of life. The fairies get their fingers and they spin your wheelAnd they make…Read more Fairlies
Lisa O’Neill
Perhaps you are familiar with the unexpected hanging paradox. A prisoner on death row is told that he will be hanged one day next week and that he will not be expecting it. The prisoner ponders this and reasons thus: The hangman only works on weekdays, so I won't be hanged on Saturday or Sunday.…Read more Lisa O’Neill
Three Recent Likes
❤️❤️❤️ The three tunes here all came through on the airwaves at Crotchety HQ very recently. Each one acquired a green heart 'like' on my Spotify account. Let's start with a Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song from a concert that they recorded at the very end of 1969. The Lee Shore was first released…Read more Three Recent Likes
Presidentially Yours
This week's mind tickler came once again from my Spotify Release Radar playlist. A track called Presidentially Yours caused the cog wheels in the mental gearbox to suddenly shift up a notch. The title alone was enough to disengage the clutch. The unmistakable voice of Simon Armitage, our Poet Laureate, selected a higher gear ratio.…Read more Presidentially Yours
Old Friends
And New Acquaintances My recent Spotify Release Radar playlists have yielded a glut of riches. So, this week, I'm offering around 45 minutes of music covering a range of styles, spread over two playlists. Old Friends The Old Friends collection features artists that have appeared in these pages before: the Canadian acoustic guitarist, Calum Graham…Read more Old Friends
Crotchety Man 