Tuesday, August 11, 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, 10 August, 2026

(Please scroll down for the latest posts)
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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 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 the song-based LP "Broken" (16th 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, the first of original songs since "Everything Ends" in June 2024, comprises 15 new songs arranged for synthesisers, rhythm beds and treatments, with input from guest contributors from Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Lithuania and the UK.  The lyrics range from six new pieces based on the short stories of Garrison Keillor, to older ideas, re-worked, plus a guest lyric from Capital Models cohort and Impossible Songs own, John Barclay

For downloaders, there is a further LP comprising extended versions of each of the 15 new songs, a further 63 minutes of music

The Cloudland Blue Quartet Song Series
Callingstill (1997)
Doveloveshawk (1999)
Ampersand (2001)
Anotherhappyday (2003)
Deeperdown (2005)
Ersatzreal (2007)
Soundingfall (2009)
Splinterheart (2010)
Starlightnight (2012)
Disquietsongs (2020)
Sparklemusik (2021)
Fallingsky (2021)
Auden (2023)
The Dark Room (2024)
Everything Ends (2024)
Broken (2026)
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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)

JUST ANNOUNCED

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 10 August 2026.  Volume 32 features tracks from these recordings, including 2 unreleased CBQ 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 10, 2026

The same service for £120 pa less, is a good thing, I hope...

Playlist



Big playlist again but only five items of the forty-one were not played re the podcast recorded today...


A slightly better breakfast...


Into week 33...


Post breakfast, down to Tesco to change my service provider from the rip off that is O2 to the £120 pa less Tesco Mobile (which is, actually, O2 - go figure!)...

To LIDL for bread and, post that, popped into the Cancer Research shop...

The other day, I posted the first 30 LPs I owned (the first 3 were gifts from my dad).  "All the Young Dudes" was bought late September 1972, "Sweet Freedom" on 4 January 1974.  In that 1st year or so of LP buying, I was a fan of Alice Cooper (6 LPs bought), Uriah Heep (3 bought) and Hawkwind (3 bought).  I remain a fan of all three fifty two and a half years later...



In the charity shop, what should I find, right at the front, but this...



Back into the collection after 54 years...


A wee bit scratchy but only to be expected with 34 minutes a side!



Also bought this (each LP was £1)...

Also from 1972. In considerably better condition though…


Interesting selection of composers from the 1700s…




Post listening, home made chicken soup for lunch...


In the afternoon, another good "Van Der Valk" entertained...

Then, Anne off to Pilates...

Me, podcasting...





Done and dusted by Anne's return for a Salmon based tea...


Then, another "Murder in a Small Town" - the main character is extremely boring and his girlfriend is kind of annoying...

We will persevere...

100 at "University Challenge" this week as Warwick thrashed an Oxford college...

Then, "Benidorm is Murder"...

Again, we will stick with it...

Later on, listening back to the podcast...

Bed at 11...

Highlight of the Day: Podcasting... No, wait, changing my phone provider...

Today's New Music: