Sunday, October 04, 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 Wednesday, 30 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, 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 ALBUM FROM CBQ


A 32 minute set of slow sad songs which Mr CBQ loves...
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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, 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 4 October 2026 and will be available until 12 December 2026.  

Click on the pic below to go directly to Volume 40, which features tracks from the recordings below, including exclusives from CBQ...


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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 30, 2026

Forced to wander...

Playlist


Up late and looking forward to a day of just staying in...


September away...


Breakfast...


...andto the machines - until the question from Annie "When are you leaving?"

I'd completely forgotten I was to take the car to Arnold Clark for its service today...

So, while Anne headed to Zumba, I drove over to Portobello and dropped the car off...

I was forced to wander - either that or over an hour's journey back home, only to have to come back via another over an hour bus journey later on...

So, firstly, into Portobello at 10am...


A wander around all the chazzas here but nothing purchased - like yesterday, I noted a few things to investigate later - here some string quartets...


...and Mojo comps...


Then, a bus into Edinburgh...


...and into Avalanche for a mooch...

Again, I noted a few tings - got a Laub LP last time I was here...

Both of these were nabbed back home but are, as yet, unplayed...



This looked interesting...

Back home it was found to be good and was painstakingly recreated track by track as it's not fully available anywhere to stream...

Playing now as I type... 


I passed on this...


More Laub - once again, found online...


...as was this...


This was rejected...


This was found later to be good...


This one? I'll never now - couldn't find it anywhere later on...


This was also found later to be good...


Again, a no show online...


Found later - bound to be good - he's from Bergen...


Put this back too but found it later...


Also noted a new Rezillos LP of which I was unaware...


...and a Sex Pistols comp I'd not seen before...

This pic led me later to partake of the 40th anniversary of their only real LP plus the reasonably recent set o their US tour recordings...


Lunch from Sainsbury...


And, yes, I did actually buy some things at Avalanche...



This as it was engineered by Phill Brown, Talk Talk's engineer - who we met once back in the day...


This as it's on Kranky - there's a catalogue inside which made me think of a project to find all Kranky releases...


And this as I bought 2 CDs by this German band last time I was in Avalanche and they were very good indeed...


Accidental pic of my table in the mall...


Then, a walk through Waverley Station...


...and to the Fruitmarket Gallery for an exhibition of sculpture by Irish artist, Eva Rothschild...


I will let the pictures do the talking but there's much info on her website...

The blurb...

"The Void Presses The Wall is a major exhibition by London-based Irish artist Eva Rothschild, whose work grows out of a commitment to sculpture’s capacity to create bodily encounters in space. 

Her sculptures are born of the city and redolent of the urban landscape. Some, cast or constructed in bronze, plaster or steel, are supported on plinths, ‘behaving’ like sculptures ‘should’, while others stretch, twist, balance, or form whole environments in concrete, polystyrene, cotton and canvas that the viewer must negotiate. 

Her work creates a constant push-and-pull of the power dynamic between audience and object, drawing attention to how we occupy space.

Supported by the Henry Moore Foundation, and the generosity of the Eva Rothschild Supporters’ Circle."




























More upstairs...














Some other things...


This inspired me at the time, to make some cash...

It will come to nothing, no doubt...


Out and some pics from the environs...







To St Mary's St...


 ...undergoing the same work done over 30 years ago, which, basically, destroyed our first Record Shop's business...


...which was in this lovely wee shop...


...opposite the Waverley Bar, where Mr Quartet has played many a time...


I popped in...


This taken from the spot where I spent a number of years watching people look through our record bins and CD displays...



Many of my recordings were made down in the basement - which looks a bit better now than it did then...




The beast was back in its corner...


...and a scone was enjoyed...



A good warning...



One last pic...


...and out...


Down past number 32, where I lived between 1979 and 1980 during the first iteration of Capital Models and where I was first Executively Produced by the Exec Producer...


The street from below...


Round in Blackfriar's St, in Slow Progress, the LP the current iteration of Capital Models continues to try to learn...



A further walk, up Infirmary St, over to Richer Sounds and into the PDSA where two more CDs were found...





A bus for one stop for a wee rest - I did not go all the way to Edward Spark's in Gorebridge...


Nothing further found on my trawl around here...


Then, to our erstwhile second record shop...


...where much of Creek and Crazy Wisdom's music was recorded...


Then, a walk through the University buildings...



And a look into Teviot Row, the Student Union when I was here almost 50 years ago...




Along to Greyfriars...


...and a few more things found...



Paul Simon's son - sounds like Paul Simon...


..and features Steve Gadd on one track - I'd said to Dr Prog on Monday that if I see Mr G on the credits I will usually avoid due to boringness (e.g. Steely Dan)...

I did not notice his presence till later...


An unknown to me composer but, you know, the Ardittis...


A Squarepusher I have but the 20th Anniversary special with a 2nd CD...


...and a Jlin disc of which I have a download...


as I exited ths shop, at last a text from Arnold Clark - they had started work on the car...

It was 15:39...

Two buses back to the garage to wait...


...including a stop at the colonies...



Arrived at 16:26...


Gratis coffee hardly made up for the fact that I had not been told of services they offer...


Collection and Delivery would have saved me what was now almost a whole day of waiting around...


I also wasn't told about "waiting appointments" where they do it while you wait - basically, giving you priority...

Fucking Arnold Clark...

As I said last year, at least Arnold is dead so that's something I suppose...

At 17:35 I finally left the forecourt...


...and home at 18:20...


...for fishcake, beans and chips...


It was the last day of September...


Telly entertained and there was a nectarine later on...


...along with sourcing all the music I saw today but didn't buy...


A new thing came out of nowhere...


Around 10pm, I went to my Instagram account (which I don't use) to view a "reel" by a chum on BlueSky...

I then "doom-scrolled" through my Instagram timeline and was, frankly, amazed and, indeed, appalled at the unending pile of pish which the algorithm was serving up to me...

So, I doom scrolled again and, this time, recorded the scroll - a 21st Century "cut-up" if you will...

The results were shared with Edward Spark, advising "That's just me scrolling through the absolute shite that Instagram puts in my feed. We're fucking doomed!!!"

Edwardo reverted with "Haha that's wild 😂. You gonna put a tune to it?"

Hmmm...

At 22:37, the results were sent to him via Dropbox...

13 minutes of fun...

"This Is Tomorrow"...

Highlight of the Day: Wandering around town...

Today's New Music: