It's no secret that King Crimson is one of my very favourite bands. They are also the archetypal prog rock band; they practically invented the genre as the swinging sixties dissolved into the sickly seventies. But it would be a lie to label this track from King Crimson's vocalist and second guitarist, as prog rock.…Read more The Trouble With Angels
2020s
Vandringssång
We met a Swedish prehistoric beast for the first time in September when this blog featured Trippar Runt Dig, a single released ahead of Urtidsdjur's forthcoming eponymous album. It was just a short exploratory trip then but those guys are on a much longer journey now. Here's the first single taken from the album itself,…Read more Vandringssång
Five Rooms
A crowded 5-room house I should say straight away that this post has nothing to do with the band called Crowded House - unless they are fans of the Norwegian prog rock outfit, Wobbler (which seems unlikely). The headline photo is just an amusing illustration of Five Rooms, which is the title of the recently…Read more Five Rooms
Every Atom
It's Mercury Prize season again. There has been very little fanfare for this year's prize. The shortlist for the best album released in the UK in the year to 17th July 2020 was announced on 23rd of that month and, since then, the Crotchety Headphones had heard nary a peep out of the music press…Read more Every Atom
Versions of the Truth – Reblog
THE PINEAPPLE THIEF, Versions of the Truth (Kscope, 2020)PERSONNELBruce Soord, Vocals and GuitarSteve Skitch, KeyboardsJon Sykes, Bass & Backing vocalsGavin Harrison, Drums and Percussion […]A Third Ear for “Versions of the Truth” — CirdecSongs
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
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
Humboldt Currant
I know of two things named after Alexander von Humboldt: a penguin and an ocean current. The current flows northwards along the coast of Chile and Peru bringing cooler waters from the southern oceans up to the tropics where it provides a plentiful supply of nutrients for the marine life there. The penguin is…Read more Humboldt Currant
New Release Pick & Mix
Today you can pick your own treats from an assortment of recent releases that tickled the Crotchety taste buds over the last week or so. Two of these songs came to my attention via Josh Gering's Fortnightly Playlist; the other three appeared on my Release Radar on Spotify. --- *** --- First up we have…Read more New Release Pick & Mix
Noise In Your Eye
Some people, it seems, can hear their eyes move. Whether this is a terrible affliction or simply a benign curiosity I can not say. What is certain, though, is that Noise In Your Eye is a very appropriate title for a music project by a pair of musicians steeped in the visual arts. Daniel Pennie’s…Read more Noise In Your Eye
Crotchety Man 