A fresh look at a beloved lizard. This is the second time I have blogged about Lizard, King Crimson's third studio album. In my earlier post, I noted that Robert Fripp had described it as 'unlistenable', and respectfully disagreed. This time, I will not be pulling my punches. The 2025 David Singleton Elemental Mix reveals…Read more Lizard
2020s
Part of the Whole
You and me, the birds and the bees, the fish in the seas, the animals and the trees ... we are all part of nature. A bewildering variety of species form an interlocking ecosystem, nearly all of them dependent on organisms lower down the pyramid of life. Many of those species are now standing on…Read more Part of the Whole
Kin & Chaos
A poster promoting the 2021 sci-fi film, Chaos Walking. In my experience, it's rare for brothers and sisters to get on well with each other. So, if you put three pairs of siblings in a band together, it wouldn't be at all surprising if chaos ensues. But the Bradford band, Mischief, is proving me wrong.…Read more Kin & Chaos
The Land, the Sea, the Air
The cover art for The Land, the Sea, the Air How many band leaders are also professional circus performers? Not many, I imagine. I only know of one: Katrina "Tree" Stewart is both a trapeze artist and the founder of the prog and symphonic rock band, The Emerald Dawn. The band's latest album, The Land,…Read more The Land, the Sea, the Air
In the Wind of Night
Album cover art How many languages do you know? Although I was taught French and German at school (and a smattering of Russian), I have largely forgotten them. The odd word from other languages has taken up residence in my mental dictionary, but there has never been an entry in Slovenian. Then, a few days…Read more In the Wind of Night
Tangram
8 Tangram sets in pastel colours The crowdfunding project for smalltape's Tangram album has raised over 70% of its target, and there are just three more days left to raise the other 30%. Crotchety Man has already blogged enthusiastically about Philipp Nespital's last album under the smalltape moniker, The Hungry Heart, and made his contribution…Read more Tangram
Mahrudin
A volcano erupts Mahrudin is an imagined island that was born many millennia ago when the seabed under the cold northern ocean first trembled, then shook, cracked, and finally tore itself apart. It is a land of myths and legends, set to music by Alan Kennedy, a musician and composer from Durham, UK. As befits…Read more Mahrudin
Danny Thompson
R.I.P. Danny Thompson, 1939-2025 I was saddened to hear that Danny Thompson died this week. He was 86. “Legendary acoustic bass player Danny Thompson died peacefully yesterday at his home in Rickmansworth, UK. A musician who was both beloved and admired by everybody he worked with, his body of work is unparalleled in its quality…Read more Danny Thompson
Desert Electric
'Queen Victoria' agaves in the "Desert Electric" sound & light show, Phoenix, 2018. The Jazz Club in my village withered on the vine, but a couple of residents meet for a Listening Pleasure session once a month or so. The topic this month is 'Fruit'. A few songs came to mind immediately, a few more…Read more Desert Electric
The Hungry Heart
A feast for the hungry heart. The Crotchety Blog Library contains a lot of music, and I had forgotten that Bruce Springsteen recorded a song called "Hungry Heart". Google, of course, knows better. But I wasn't looking for that today. I was searching for a picture to illustrate smalltape's excellent album, The Hungry Heart. (I…Read more The Hungry Heart
Crotchety Man 