Tuesday, August 04, 2026

Welcome to Crispycat Recordings....

WELCOME TO CRISPYCAT RECORDINGS

We issue the solo and collaborative work of musician, abstract artist and podcaster 
DAVID REILLY aka CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET (CBQ)
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This section is the Cloudland Blue Diary
 
The diary comprises over twenty-one years of daily entries, commencing on Sunday, 5 March, 2005

The latest entry is from Monday, 3 August, 2026

(Please scroll down for the latest posts)
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SITE DIRECTORY

To go to another section of the site, click on an icon below

ABOUT    MUSIC    PODCASTS    ART    RECOMENDED LISTENING
                    
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CRISPYCAT RECORDINGS ON BANDCAMP

To go to the Bandcamp discographies of these Crispycat related artists, click on an icon.

                    

Crispycat Recordings released the first 25 Cloudland Blue Quartet albums (recorded between 1996 and 2012) to Bandcamp in 2013.

A further 8 LPs were released between 2013 and 2019.

Then, with the advent of lockdown, David spent much more time on new Cloudland Blue Quartet works, with the result that, since May 2020, new music has been released almost every month, with almost 100 further new releases having been issued in the last five years.

The current 9 strong pipeline (see below) will take matters to the end of 2026, beyond the 30th anniversary of Cloudland Blue Quartet's debut recordings, pushing the total CBQ releases available on Bandcamp to 140.

Meanwhile, retrospective releases by David's groups Creek, Crazy Wisdom and Capital Models have also been being issued by Crispycat Recordings and these are set to continue, with around 50 planned over the next 18 months or so...

In 2025, Crazy Wisdom and Capital Models also released new recordings, with seven new EPs from Crazy Wisdom and their remastered back catalogue, which you can find here; and, from Capital Models, two new studio LPs, a live LP and an update to their all encompassing "Repertoire" virtual box set, all of which, along with original recordings from 1980 and reunion tapes from 2011, can be found here...
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NEWS

NEXT NEW RELEASE


On Friday, 7 August, 2026: Across the Landscape (45th in The Soundscapes Series) (Recorded October 2025)

"A fragile object moves across the landscape, seeking a signal, untitled.

Dark for a long time, in the tone of a sentry, the first time after winter, it will swallow the plateau.

The night archer looks out at the world from inside the jaws of a wolf, condemned to non-existence, evaporated like air, taking the side roads."

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LATEST ALBUM FROM CBQ


On Friday, 3 July 2026, Cloudland Blue Quartet released "Music for Guitar and String Quartet in 18 Movements", the 44th in The Soundscapes Series, recorded in November 2025.

As always from Crispycat Recordings, this release is entirely Free to Stream or Name Your Price (including zero) to Download (with 86 minutes of bonuses!)

It sounds like someone playing a 21st Century guitar (with distortion and looping involved) over some cleaned up but still slightly distressed, found string quartet recordings from the early 20th Century...

But that's not what it is...

It is, though, 57 minutes of music, in six parts (Movements 1-6, 7-9, 10, 11-13, 14-16 and 17 & 18)
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UPCOMING LIVE PERFORMANCES

            

There are no live performances planned at present...

Performances will include solo appearances, as Cloudland Blue Quartet, presenting sets of either songs or soundscapes, and group performances, with the current line up of David's 1980 new wave band, Capital Models 

At present there are no plans for his electronic improvisational quartet, Creek, to play live and nothing in the calendar for Cloudland Blue Quartet, Capital Models or vocal/electronic trio, Crazy Wisdom...
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CURRENT CLOUDLAND BLUE QUARTET RELEASE SCHEDULE

    

Friday, 7 August, 2026: Across the Landscape (45th in The Soundscapes Series) (Recorded October 2025)
Friday, 4 September, 2026: Broken (19th in The Songs Series) (Recorded November 2025)
Friday, 2 October, 2026: Elevation (46th in The Soundscapes Series) (Recorded November 2025)
Friday, 6 November, 2026: Swan Songs (6th in the GLAM! Covers Series) (Recorded December 2025)

   

Friday, 5 December, 2026: Disquietmusik X (10th in The Disquietmusik Frippertronics Guitar Series) (to be recorded November 2026)
Thursday, 24 December 2026: Twentytwentysix: The Originals (a collection of tracks from releases issued throughout 2026) (to be compiled December 2026)
Thursday, 31 December 2026 : Twentytwentysix (a collection of rarities recorded during 2026, many receiving their first official release) (to be compiled December 2026)

(All artwork, releases and release dates subject to change)
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LATEST PODCAST

Since 2014, David has produced around 800 editions of the "Cloudland Blue Eclectic Selection", his weekly podcast on Mixcloud, reflecting his esoteric taste in music and encouraging listeners to broaden their musical horizons.

Click on the pic below to go to Mixcloud 


Unfortunately, with only the most recent 10 able to be made available, each new podcast replaces the one from 10 weeks before.  

To obtain an MP3 download link for any currently unavailable Cloudland Blue Quartet Eclectic Selection, simply e-mail your request to crispycat@hotmail.com.  

The latest edition was published on 3 August 2026.  Volume 31 features tracks from these recordings, including 3 unreleased CBQ related works...


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NEW CRAZY WISDOM

Following the reactivation of Crazy Wisdom in 2024 and the release of several EPs and the back catalogue last year, Crazy Wisdom are planning new music for 2026 and the start of this project is imminent


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CREEK REISSUES

The re-issuing on Bandcamp of Creek's long-deleted back catalogue is set to recommence in the Autumn of 2026

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DIARY UPDATES

Note that, in the diary, 150 days, across 6 periods in 4 of the 21 years are, currently, "picture only":-

2016: 15-17 October (3 Days)
2021: 8-21 May (14 Days)
2022: 18 April - 10 May & 6 July - 5 September (85 Days)
2023: 1 - 15 October & 18 October - 19 November (48 Days)

It is always the intention to update "picture only" days with the relevant text but doing so is, of course, subject to opportunity (and, indeed, memory!)

Monday, August 03, 2026

Something can look very stupid but sound very good...

Playlist


Big playlist today because (a) I was out and about and (b) I recorded and uploaded the latest podcast...

I am continuing to keep up the diary on a daily basis - nothing worse than falling behind and having to catch up - takes an age - better to address it first thing every day...


Breakfast - I think, tomorrow, I'll use the air fryer to get a better bacon medallions result...


A wee chum spotted in the bathroom...


This morning, I was off out and down the hill for a bus into town for a meet up with Dr Prog - our first for a good wee while...

A bus...


...to outside the Usher Hall...


...and took a look at upcoming concerts in Edinburgh...

Dar Williams on 1st October...


And So I Watch You From Afar on 17 October...


Hawklords on 19 November...


Goodbye Mr Mackenzie on 11 December...

Rezillos on 12 December...


£115.50 if I attend them all - double if Anne comes along...

We'll see...

Through the Art College...


Mike Wozniak will be in town for the Fringe...


Enticing...

To our meeting point, The Edinburgh Futures Institute...


...but I was a tad early so, looked through all these at the nearby Shelter Shop (to no avail but, you know, someone has to do it)...







Anyway, we both arrived bang on 11 at The Canopy at the EFI...

Top notch coffees and scones were enjoyed, along with chat, surprisingly, mostly about football in general, and The World Cup in particular...


...and the Doc, in the middle of a project to clear out his spare room, gifted me a pair of headphones which initially retailed at £480 (now around £200)...

This set is slightly diminished by the good doctor's attempt to "fix" the headband...

Cyberman ahoy!


I believe I owe the Doc a lunch!!

This was a lovely place to which we will definitely return...


We took a walk around the building post a second coffee...



...then, after two hours, all told, out and a parting of the ways, agreeing that our next meet will not be as far off as our last is now...

Dr Prog headed off into the Meadows...


...while I took a walk past the University, readying itself for the Festival...


...and a quick look around the Newington shops...

Nothing enticed...

Two buses home...


...soundtracked, in the main, by Tonnen von Hall...


...referencing the more oblique sounds of late King Crimson...

Back home the new nutphones were very much enjoyed - the silver tape being removed - I bought black tape to replace it but, really, no tape is required...


Of course Anne thinks they look very stupid (to be fair, they do!) and are far too loud (they are open backed, like my AKG 702s)..

However, as discussed with the Doc, our spouses do not understand headphones…

And these ones sound lovely…

This evening, following a salmon based tea, "University Challenge" (155 points for the Crispycat Team - best for a long while) and the last two episodes of Season 6 (there are 12) of "Bones", including (spoilers) the quite unnecessary killing of Mr Vincent Nigel-Murray, it was time to record and upload this week's podcast...





To bed at almost midnight with said podcast in the (less intrusive) night time cans...

Highlight of the Day: "New" headphones...

Today's New Music: