Thursday, September 24, 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)
Total Visitors as at Yesterday: 2,829,977 (+3,898)
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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 Wednesday, 23 September, 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, 4 September, 2026, Cloudland Blue Quartet released the song-based LP "Broken" (16th in The Songs Series) (Recorded November 2025)

As always from Crispycat Recordings, this release is 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 works arranged for synthesisers, rhythm beds and treatments, with input from guest contributors from Spain, Romania, Poland, Greece, Lithuania and the UK.  The texts range from six new pieces based on the short stories of Garrison Keillor, to older lyrical ideas, re-worked, plus a lyric based on the prose of Capital Models cohort and Mr Impossible Songs, John Barclay

For downloaders, there is a further LP comprising extended versions of each of the 15 new songs, another 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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NEXT ALBUM FROM CBQ


On Friday, 2 October 2026, Cloudland Blue Quartet will release "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 62 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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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, 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)

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
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 20 September 2026 and will be available until 28 November 2026.  

Click on the pic below to go directly to Volume 38, which features tracks from the recordings below, including exclusives from CBQ and Capital Models...


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CAPITAL MODELS' REPERTOIRE UPDATES & PLANNED THEMED PERFORMANCES

Work is currently being carried out on tracks recorded over the summer, which will be used to update the band's "Repertoire" collection, originally released in September 2024 to Bandcamp and last updated in February 2025 - the virtual box set, designed to be a "moveable feast", contains every song they've ever rehearsed, or played live, since their reconvening in 2017...

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


In addition, while no dates have yet been announced, the current quartet iteration of the band is working on a set based on the music of Bob Dylan, to join those already in place of David Bowie, Lou Reed & the Velvets, Brian Eno and Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music for a series of proposed themed performances in 2027 and beyond...

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...


They may also introduce songs from the band's original 1979/80 canon to their 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!)

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Over 10,000 a year is not too bad...

Playlist


The usual start to the day - up and writing this...


Outside, a thunderstorm and torrential rain...


First thing, every four days (previously 10 and, then, 6) I have taken to posting my daily playlists on Blue Sky...

So far, 46 days covered, during which I have listened to (in whole, or in part, or for the podcast recordings) 1,297 recordings...

On average, that would be around 28 a day, or 10,220 a year...

Which is 2.81 times the number of new items acquired in 2025 (3,633)...

So, you know, it's not all bad...

Later, with the storm gone, breakfast and, then, a couple of records enjoyed...

Gave this under 30 minute cracker a wee spin...

The Ventures' 1966 release on Liberty, “Where the Action is”…


A lot more “energetic” than their standard fair that always turns up on their compilations…




Then, with Anne off to Zumba, Simon Dupree and the Big Sound...


As a huge Gentle Giant fan, I was super-excited, in those pre internet 1982 days, to finally hear more of Simon Dupree, beyond the ubiquitous “Kites”...


Insightful sleeve notes by Chris Welch, with the help of Ray Shulman...


Another glorious Mono release, stretching the format to its limits with 20 tracks in just under an hour...


Back to the machines - sorting out new things recommended to me this morning by various sources and so, of course, partaken of (see below) - in particular, new jazz releases from the Fresh Sounds label in Barcelona - and giving a few of them an initial spin...

Then, my home made compilation of  Grand Funk Railroad's Singles soundtracked a good part of the day...


Pre Anne's return from Zumba and post-Zumba coffee, with the weather now officially "lovely", I popped over to FourSquare for a mooch...


...where these (plus a disc of Frank Bridge String Quartets, which I thought I might already have and was correct), were secured for just four of your English pounds...









Home for ripping and listening and, then, on Anne's return, lunch, followed by the promising from its trailer film, "Fackham Hall", which turned out to be, let's just say, "laboured"...


 Then, some listening in the back room, on the SMSL CD Player, to some of today's physical acquisitions...


...of which 6 were sampled before a tasty but unpictured Thai fishcake, chips and beans tea...

It was Wednesday...


...but, for some reason, it felt like Saturday...

In other news, we were all set to get two tickets for Hearts v Hibs in the League Cup Semi Final on 1 November but young Olly can secure 4 free through his job at the SFA so, I'm out and Anne will go with the boy and Jane & Bob...

I'll go to Glasgow anyway...

This evening, we finished off "Vigil", which ended up being not too bad...

They certainly drew it out to have it over six episodes though...

Then, some time spent listening to John Coltrane's 1966 concerts in Japan, in honour of today having been the 100th anniversary of his birth...


...followed by some Elvin Jones live recordings from 1972, said to have been influenced by Coltrane's work - Jones left Coltrane's band in early 1966, just before the Japanese tour that summer...

Closed the day back downstairs with two of "Scandal" before bed...

Lights out at midnight...

Highlight of the Day: New music...

Today's New Music: