Monday, November 02, 2026

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 Thursday, 29 October, 2026

(Please scroll down for the latest entries, or click here to go directly to the latest post)
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SITE DIRECTORY
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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 100 or so further new releases having been issued in the last five years.

The current 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

LATEST CBQ LP


On Friday, 2 October 2026, Cloudland Blue Quartet released "Elevation", the 46th 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 72 minutes of bonuses!)

It comprises six long form ambient pieces, designed to be listened to at one sitting (gapless listening is available to downloaders).  They were recorded during a hiatus in the creation of the song-based LP "Broken", released in September 2026, and involve slowed and pitch reduced field recordings plus unrecognisable treated elements of the synthesiser elements of "Broken"

Bonuses comprise a 72 minute stand alone album of the 12 pieces of initial ambience used in the project, under an alternative album cover


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NEXT ALBUM FROM CBQ


For Record Store Day Black Friday on November 27th, a 32 minute set of slow, sad, loved by Mr CBQ, songs...
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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

 

New Release Date Friday, 27 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)

2027 PROJECTS

In addition to the above planned releases, there are 10 further envisaged musical projects for 2027...

Dissolution VII
A Composer Based Album
A New Ambient LP
A New Song Based LP
A New “Variations” LP
Glam V for Record Store Day
Live Suite V
Disquietmusik XI
Twentytwentyseven: The Originals
Twentytwentyseven

(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 


With only the most recent 10 able to be made available, each new podcast is only available for listening for 10 weeks from the publishing date.  

The latest edition was published on 26 October 2026 and will be available until 3 January 2027.  

Click on the pic below to go directly to Volume 43, which features tracks from the recordings below, including exclusives from CBQ, Edward Spark & Matt LeGroulx...


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CAPITAL MODELS' SURGERY, RETIREMENT, REPERTOIRE UPDATES & PERFORMANCE PLANS

Sadly, after almost exactly three years with the band, guitarist John Barclay has announced his retirement...

And so, the band moves into yet another phase, with the 2017 trio of David Reilly, Keith Apter and John Weitzen taking things forward...

However, drummer JW has had to undergo surgery and will be out of action until 2027...

In the meantime, work will continue on tracks recorded over the summer with stand in guitarist Martin McQueen and with John Barclay, and these will be used to update the band's "Repertoire" collection...

The virtual box set was originally released to Bandcamp in September 2024 and last updated in February 2025...

Featuring recordings by 10 different line ups of the group, the collection is designed to be a "moveable feast", containing every song the group has rehearsed, or played live, since reconvening in 2017...

Click on the pic to go to the current version of "Repertoire" on Bandcamp...


Plans for the new trio iteration of the band to work on themed sets based on the music of the likes of Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Lou Reed & the Velvets, Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music for a series of proposed themed performances in 2027 remain in place...

Recordings of their previous, stripped back takes on Bowie, Reed, Eno and Roxy are available on the 2025 LP "Minimal"...

Click on the pic to go to "Minimal" on Bandcamp...


The plan is to also introduce songs from the band's original 1979/80 canon to future live sets...

The 1980 versions are available on "Anthology 1980" on Bandcamp - click to the pic to go to it...


...while, in February 2025, the then quintet line up released "TWENTYFIVE FORTYFIVE" featuring their take on the original canon...


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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 in 2025, Crazy Wisdom are planning more new music and the start of this project is imminent. Click on the pic below to go to Crazy Wisdom's music on Bandcamp...


Meanwhile, on 14 August 2026, a new 6 track, 27 minute EP, "I Am Your World/Angel of Mercy", featuring the Logan/Reilly/Dootson/Brodie line up from around 1996 was released to Bandcamp...

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CREEK REISSUES

The re-issuing on Bandcamp of Creek's long-deleted back catalogue is set to recommence in January 2027. Click on the pic below to go to Creek's music on Bandcamp... 

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DIARY UPDATES

Note that, in the diary, 150 days (of over 8,000), 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!)

Friday, October 30, 2026

How a new thing can begin...

Playlist


Friday and, as ever, up and searching through what was new...


Today, the new Yello LP was out...

There it is at the right of the 2nd row in the daily playlist above...

With Anne off to the Zumba, I entered WhatsApp correspondence with Edward Spark, drawing his attention to the LP...

He asked me what it was like...

"Tip top.  But I am biased, of course" was my response...

"Gonna stick it on now" was his comeback..

"A very wise decision indeed - opening track is disappointingly reggae-ish but it picks up from there and the production is superb of course..." said Mr CBQ...

Sparky advised "Haha I was just about to say the opening is pretty funky, but yeah now I'm digesting it... 

Wow they've really taken a big leap forward in their sound, or at least I think so.

"Breakbeaty" track 2

And much more interesting than the previous album I was just playing"

To which Mr Quartet retorted "natürlich"...

And then, Edward Spark said "We could totally make an album like this.  I mean, we won't... but we could"...

To which I replied "Maybe we should.  I'll wait for the music to hit the Dropbox then write the lyrics and sing the songs...  Done!"

And there you have it...

This is how a new thing begins...

But Sparky's final comment was "I wonder how long you might end up waiting for that?"...

I did some more "work" and then prepped for a meet up at the bottom of the hill with the Exec Producer - I was on my way down to LIDL for some free bread and to GuitarGuitar for a not free new distortion pedal...

I eschewed last night's parting gift from chum Craig re his departure from our ex-The Man...


...and set off...


Realising I was too late to acquire some bread and a fuzz pedal pre meet, I walked down the main hill...


...to meet the ladies at the coffee place...

Sisters Lynn & Sheila...


I sent this pic to their sister Joan, whose birthday it was today...


Post good chat, coffee and cakes, and a wee visit to the nearby Shelter shop, where these, Stravinsky and Bon Iver, were nabbed for a fiver...



...we said our goodbyes and Anne and I walked along to GuitarGuitar, where this wee pedal was acquired...


...and to LIDL for free bread plus German sausages, grapes, yoghurt etc...

A bus to the terminus...


...a walk down the hill and lunch...


...and "Lupin" season 4 was started...

Great stuff...

Then, while Anne pottered in the garden, I started experimenting with the new box...


...and the afternoon flew by, mainly re the Capital Models' original canon set...

Later, a replacement headband for the HiFi Man headphones gifted to me by Dr Prog a couple of months ago arrived - but it was too small to be of any use (that's what happens when you buy something when you're on a bus to a quiz)...

And so, QR code received and offending item taken back down to the post office...


It was almost the end of October...


Post an unpictured ribeye steak based tea, followed by some yoghurt with grapes and banana...


...more "Lupin"...

And then I noticed Sparky had sent me a wee film this morning around 11, as I'd been walking down the hill to the cafe...


Just before heading to bed, I played it...

Well...

At midnight, I responded...

"Wow!  Just managed to get 1:45 to play this.  Absolutely superb...  Read this.  You be Boris, I'll be Dieter.  You do ALL the music, nothing from me - I do the words and the singing (hold me to that) (we each have a say on anything the other does of course but trust and partnership would be the keys)... 

I've seen film of Dieter Meier in action.  Boris gives him a track and he listens while typing on a typewriter, pulls the freshly typed page from the machine and then just does the vocal immediately.  I suspect he has a lot of free time...

But that's exactly how Disquietsongs was done 7 years ago now...

Anyway - off to bed  - love that track Sparky!"

I closed the day by adapting part of the article I linked to above...

"Spark, the craftsman, sits in his monk’s cell of a studio all day long, sculpting and honing his parallel worlds of sound until they satisfy his sense of perfection. 

Reilly then arrives. «I’ve never needed more than twenty minutes to come up with my lyrics», says Reilly. 

«When I listen to Edward’s music, the words just flow. Finding such a harmonious symbiosis in life is a great privilege»."

And that'll be how we do it...

Lights out...

Highlight of the Day: A new idea...

Today's New Music: