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
singer-songwriter
Gordon Lightfoot
Performing at Canada's 150th birthday celebration, 2017 The Crotchety household was saddened this week to hear that Gordon Lightfoot has died. The missus and I often listened to his 1981 compilation album, The Best of Gordon Lightfoot, in the early days of our relationship. For us, the Lightfoot name brings back memories of feelgood days…Read more Gordon Lightfoot
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
Alan Mearns
I first came across the name Mearns in my late twenties. Quite out of the blue, I received an email from one Pete Mearns that read simply, "Fancy a game of Dippy?", and gave details of his Diplomacy fanzine. Puzzled, I scratched my head for a connection and, eventually, it dawned on me that I…Read more Alan Mearns
Tiger
Desire is a tiger ... Rachel Sermanni is a Scottish folk singer-songwriter. There's an originality in her compositions that reminds me of Laura Marling and fully justifies the 'indie' rider in many articles about her style. Tiger, from her 2019 album, So It Turns, is a particularly fine example of both her lyrical and instrumental…Read more Tiger
An Office in Hackney
A pop-up office in Hackney Square park. Grace Petrie is a singer-songwriter with deep folk roots. Her songs have a strong left-wing and gay-rights flavour. Her voice is soapbox clear and her guitar work is protest tuned, but it's her lyrics that seize a listener's attention. Here's a song about the music industry. About the…Read more An Office in Hackney
Jon Gomm
No, this isn't a picture of Obi-Wan Kenobi trying to figure out what this alien device can do. Nor is it a hooligan hoodie who has accidentally stuck his fingers to his mate's guitar with superglue. This is Jon Gomm, the British equivalent of Calum Graham. In an earlier post here I said that Calum…Read more Jon Gomm
Mercury Music Prize 2021
This year's shortlist for the Mercury Music Prize was announced on 22nd July. The prize celebrates albums by artists from the UK and Ireland released in the qualifying year. According to its website it is "the music equivalent to the Booker Prize for literature and the Turner Prize for art". Allowing for some understandable self-promotion…Read more Mercury Music Prize 2021
Crotchety Man 