Saturday, August 08, 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 Friday, 7 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, 4 September, 2026, Cloudland Blue Quartet will release "Broken" (19th in The Songs Series) (Recorded November 2025)

As always from Crispycat Recordings, this release will be entirely Free to Stream or Name Your Price (including zero) to Download (with over an hour of bonuses!)

The record comprises 15 new songs utilising vocals, treatments and rhythm beds by David Reilly along with synthesiser input from guest contributors from Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Lithuania and the UK, with the majority of the lyrics inspired by the writing of Garrison Keillor, along with a guest lyric from Capital Models cohort and Impossible Songs own, John Barclay

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LATEST ALBUM FROM CBQ


On Friday, 7 August 2026, Cloudland Blue Quartet released "Across the Landscape", the 45th in The Soundscapes Series, recorded in October 2025.

As always from Crispycat Recordings, this release is entirely Free to Stream or Name Your Price (including zero) to Download (with 156 minutes of bonuses!)

It comprises, all in all, four different versions of the same album, using treated guitars, treated field recordings, and found short wave radio broadcasts. The LP itself comprises the fourth and final version of the work but, if you download, you receive the 1st and 2nd drafts of the album, "Waterworth" and "Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead", along with what was, until July 2026, the proposed LP

"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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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, 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)

In addition to the above planned releases, these 10 further LPs are envisaged for release during 2027, although nothing has been written or recorded yet...

Dissolution VII
A Composer Based Album
A New Ambient LP
A New Song Based LP
A New “Variations” LP
Glam V
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 


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!)

Friday, August 07, 2026

A good celebration of a life well lived...

Playlist


Up and releasing "Across the Landscape" into the wild...

It was Bandcamp Friday...


...and there was also much new music to acquire...

So much so that, between those two early projects, there was no time to write the diary...


...as, today, we were heading to Bearsden for the funeral of my mum and dad's (and indeed, our) old friend, Moira Patterson, organised by her daughter Lindsay (my childhood friend) and her husband, Guy...

An uneventful bus journey...




...took us to Glasgow and, just of Sauchiehall St, "Grumpy Pedros" provided coffee/Coke Zero and carrot cake...


Short visits to Assai (this the paltry extent of their CD offering)...



...and the Scottish Design Exchange...


...and Waterstones - where, coincidentally, the book from which the titles of today's CBQ release are taken - and whose title was, at one point, the title of the LP......


To the bus stop...


...for a number 17 to Bearsden...



...and a coffee at the station, having ensured we'd arrived in ample time...

To the church around 2:10 and a big gathering already for the 2:30 start...


An excellent service, with Lindsay's eulogy a stand out, along with Moira's cousin's childhood reminiscences...

The theme from Lindsay was "Be More Moira" (as per the badges we were all given on leaving the church) - which means taking an interest in other people, always being inquisitive - and, enjoying sherry and crisps when you really ought to be making the tea for your only child instead of having her cook it herself...

Brilliant...

Guy read a poem to close proceedings...

Dust If You Must
by
Rose Milligan

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.

Very apt...

Post service, a mile walk...










...for a get together for family and friends, from near and far...


Here, a selection of the pictures from across Moira's life...


Sadly, Lex couldn't be here today - he is living with dementia but quite happy and well looked after at the nearby care home, coincidentally run by the same people as Anne's mum's home...































We eventually said our farewells and attempted to walk back to the station for the bus back to Glasgow...

Inevitably, we got lost and found ourselves at the next stop along the line and took a train to Central Station instead, followed by half a fish supper each and the bus home at 9pm...


A long and, although sad, of course, in the end, very enjoyable day and a good celebration of a life well lived!

Highlight of the Day:

Today's New Music: