Wednesday, July 22, 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)
__________________________________________________________________________________

This section is the Cloudland Blue Diary
 
The diary comprises over twenty-one years of daily entries, from Sunday 5 March 2005 to Tuesday 21 July 2026

(Please scroll down for the latest posts)
_________________________________________________________________________________

SITE DIRECTORY

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

ABOUT    MUSIC    PODCASTS    ART    RECOMENDED LISTENING
                    
__________________________________________________________________________

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...
__________________________________________________________________________________

NEWS

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)

__________________________________________________________________________________

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."
__________________________________________________________________________________

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...
__________________________________________________________________________________

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)
__________________________________________________________________________________

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 21 July 2026.  Volume 29 features tracks from these recordings, including 2 unreleased Capital Models works...


__________________________________________________________________________________

NEW COLLABORATIONS

David has commenced work on new collaborational projects with Edward SparkBlue Sun Chasing and Duke Gray of Oddsfiche.  No prospective release dates are yet known

__________________________________________________________________________________

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


__________________________________________________________________________________

CREEK REISSUES

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

__________________________________________________________________________________

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!)

Tuesday, July 21, 2026

Accentuate the positives...

Playlist


Up and to the machines and sorting out the recording of last night's gig...

Done, dusted...


Breakfast...


Out and down the hill...




 ...to collect a delivery which had not been delivered...

Bank visit re Anne's mum, then, to Tesco to change our phones to a better contract...

But can't do it till August, so thwarted there too...

We did manage to secure bread at Lidl...

Small victories...

A bus home...

Some Spanish telly and a Bones and I was falling asleep re being up too early but, at that stage, couldn't sleep - it's always the way...

Anne was off to see her mum and I recorded the podcast - our Dylan songs sounded good...





Salmon based tea...


Then, Anne was off to see Hearts play Sturm Graz in the Champions League (on the telly at Jane's)...

I watched a couple of things on YouTube (via the TV) on the upcoming re-release of Gentle Giant's "In a Glass House" - the first LP of theirs I ever owned - and, pound for pound, probably my favourite...

Then, uploaded the podcast complete with the stupidly laboriously prepped notes...

Meanwhile, unfortunately Hearts got pumped 4-0...

But, 67% possession, equal shots on target (6)…

And, in total, Graz only had one more shot than the JTs...

OK, 4 of theirs went in...

But their 2nd went in off the guy’s arm, their 3rd, a cruel deflection…

So, the fightback starts next week at Tynecastle!!


More Spanish TV then bed for me at 11 - Anne stayed up reading Hearts fans' comments on t'internet before retiring...

Highlight of the Day: Podcasting...

Today's New Music:

Monday, July 20, 2026

One last time...

Playlist


Another sunny day...


1st thing, working on a potential Capital Models setlist of Original Canon/Dylan/Other Things...

Sounded good...


At 9:30, out...


...and down one hill route...


...to Cafe Vigo for breakfast...


...of Bagels...


Prescription fulfilment, dropping stuff at Marie Curie and 3 CDs acquired at Shelter, before a walk along the main street...




...and back up the other hill route...


...for some ripping and listening...









...and booking a cheeky wee trip for next month....

It was Monday and we were moving into week 30...


Updated the "Red Book of CDs I Own"...


Late lunch due to earlier intake, accompanied by new to us Spanish thing, "Death Inc"...


A 4th season is about to arrive...

It's reasonable...

Should have recorded this week's podcast while Anne was out at Pilates but, instead, merely compiled the tracks...

The seconds of last night's cauliflower Pilaf was for tea - yum!

Out just before 7 and drove to Saughtonhall, before taking a bus to Haymarket and Platform 5 for soft drinks...


...and a meet up with internet chum Iain McKinnon from Bridge of Earn for tonight's last ever Scottish show by The Bad Plus (and their 63rd last gig overall, 2nd last in the UK - they will play London on 17 September)...


Turns out both Anne and I have performed at the venue, the St Bride's Centre, in the past, me with Capital Models on 30 June 1980 and Anne quite some time before that, playing the piano as a child...

The stage was set...



The set was slightly different from Manchester 18 days ago (in the intervening time they've played in Coventry, Leeds, Glynde in England plus Copenhagen, Vienna, Munich, Hamburg, Pisa, Prague, Paris and Vitoria Gasteiz in Spain)...



They added "Giant" for "Salvages" and "Law Years" by Ornette Coleman for "Your Lady" by John Coltrane but we also lost "You Are" and "The Dandy", with "Cupcakes One" moving to the encore this time round...


Manchester
Casa Ben
French Horns
Carrier
Your Lady (John Coltrane cover)
Sun Wall
Salvages
Anthem for the Earnest
Tyrone's Flamingo
You Are
Cupcakes One
You Won't See Me Before I Come Back

Encore
The Dandy


Edinburgh
Casa Ben
French Horns
Carrier
Sun Wall
Giant
Law Years (Ornette Coleman cover)
Anthem for the Earnest
Tyrone's Flamingo
You Won't See Me Before I Come Back

Encore
Cupcakes One

Top notch all the same though...




A walk back to Haymarket for the bus home, Iain opting for chips while he waited and falling asleep and having to be woken at his stop!

We picked up the car and, back home, started a weird German comedy, "Kacken an der Havel"...


...with which we will persevere...

Highlight of the Day: The Bad Plus for the final time...

Today's New Music: