Tuesday, November 03, 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 Monday, 2 November, 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 ALBUMS FROM CBQ

Out Friday 6 November, 2026, a new collaborational ambient LP with synthist Edward Spark and saxophonist, Matt LeGroulx, "Precipitation"


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


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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 Announcement Friday, 6 November, 2026: Precipitation (Collaborational Soundscapes LP with Edward Spark & Matt LeGroulx) (Recorded October 2026)
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)
Friday, 5 February, 2027: Requiem for a Time Yet to Come (Soundscape LP) (Recorded October 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 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 just the most recent 10 able to be accessed by you, each new podcast is only available for listening for 10 weeks from the publishing date.  

The latest edition was published on 2 November 2026 and will be available until 11 January 2027.  

Click on the pic below to go directly to 2026 Volume 44, which features tracks from the recordings below, including exclusives from CBQ, Capital Models, 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!)

Monday, November 02, 2026

Finalising one thing and struggling with another...

Playlist


Into week 45 and a day spent on music...




Adding "Precipitation" to the Bandcamp page for release on Friday...

Then, tweaking the four main tracks to make them a little louder...

Then, I've redid Matt's solo track (without changing what's in the main track) and it's sounding much better (to my ears anyway)...

Breakfast of egg and tomato...


Then, advising Ed and Matt of my plan...

I usually put out a covers LP on Record Store Day and so, while I was planning to release my "Swan Songs" LP this Friday, I've now pushed it back to the end of the month as that's the RSD Black Friday thing...

Which leaves me with a space to fill on Friday - so I am looking to upload "Precipitation" to Bandcamp for release on Friday... 

Given that the album comprises treatments I've done on one of my guitar pieces, two of Ed's "Kissing Tree" stems and Matt's various 30 second or so recordings posted on Blue Sky, I reverting to an equal billing credit of Cloudland Blue Quartet /Edward Spark/Matt Le Groulx...

The 4LP equivalent set will be "Precipitation" (trio), "Dawn" (Matt), "Flickering Seed" (Ed), Industrial Facades (me)...

The first two versions of "Precipitation" (previously known as "Pareidolia") will be included as bonuses for downloaders...

I put the final versions of the tracks in the Dropbox for them both...

And, here, the revised cover...


Wrote up the notes...




..and credits...


Then, with Anne off out to see her mum and pick up some supplies, I spent some considerable time trying to work out the chords for "Life on Mars?"...


It's a lot simpler than I imagined but one rogue chord still eludes me...

On Anne's return, lunch was German sausages again, finishing them off; and the final episode of "Lupin" gave an unsatisfactory cliff-hanging ending - hopefully it won't be another 4 years till Season 5...

Later, post further mucking about with music, Annewas off to Pilates so I set about compiling and recording the 44th podcast of the year...

This week I limited it to just my 7 new LPs of the day, 7 old LPs of the day and a few CBQ related items...





Quicker...

Done, just as Anne arrived home...

Listening back and then, baked potatoes for tea...

"Mastermind", "Only Connect" and a paltry 115 at "University Challenge"...

Also today, we started Season 2 of "Nobody Wants This", having forgotten all about it after Season 1 and having been alerted to the release of Season 3...

And, before we knew it, we were so tired we had to head to bed...

But not before I had to do more work on the new track...

Sparky sent over a revied version which didn't fit with what I'd sone on Saturday - mainly I think because he made this new one without listening to what I'd done - the video contained two extra bars which have now become an integral part of the song...

All for sorting tomorrow...

Highlight of the Day: Finalising an LP...

Today's New Music: