January 19, 2010: Crosby and Nash
Comments: 2 | Categories: Music

I’ve been listening to one of my favourite singing voices, that of David Crosby. Here are a couple of lovely examples from a show with Graham Nash on UK TV in 1970.

October 12, 2009: Xpress yourself
Comments: 1 | Categories: Music

So here I am with a few days off work, trying to record songs that have been around for several years in most cases. In some, I actually have to finish writing. This is my normal way of working, in...

September 27, 2009: Sam Barber – Shadows on Glass
Comments: 1 | Categories: Music

This is Sam’s second album of entirely self-played and self-produced songs. It’s great stuff, following on from 2007’s Paths Into Light, in a similar vein but with even better production. I’m quoted on Sam’s Reverbnation page as saying ‘some of...

September 3, 2009: Flowers for Algernon: Organic
Comments: 2 | Categories: Music

Flowers for Algernon bloomed brightly in the Edinburgh garden for a few years until founding member Jim Igoe nipped it in the bud last year. (OK I’ll stop now!) They were spoken of in the same league as Aberfeldy, but...

July 15, 2009: The Boss – reliably
Comments: 1 | Categories: Journal , Music

It’s not often you’ll get Robert Fripp and Bruce Springsteen in one blog entry but here we go… Went to see Springsteen at Hampden last night. Sound wasn’t great, but the sense of occasion and party feeling was. It’s the...

June 6, 2009: Embra’s Got Talent
Comments: 2 | Categories: Music

Just realised most of what I’ve been listening to this month, apart from Elbow, is Edinburgh-based. Time doesn’t permit full reviews, but I like: Cloudland Blue Quartet: Soundingfall – classy pop with an 80s feel, lots of nice textures, good...

May 28, 2009: Taxpayer
Comments: 0 | Categories: Current Affairs , Music

Here’s a remake of the Beatles’ Taxman for the current top news story. Can you guess the title? Of course you can. What I enjoyed also was the way he described making the track, and the spoof pic that goes...

January 13, 2009: Retro Necro
Comments: 0 | Categories: Music , My music

Momus writes an interesting article about what he calls Retro Necro - the tendency of music nowadays to constantly reference the last forty years as if nothing new is possible. There's a very simple, very big problem for today's pop...

December 26, 2008: Momus: Christmas on Earth
Comments: 0 | Categories: Music

Christmas day was a slow but pleasant enough family day. Boxing Day has been a TV splurge, Doctor Who Christmas Special followed by The Golden Compass followed by South Pacific. And very enjoyable too. Later I came online and found,...

December 24, 2008: Merry Christmas Bei Bei
Comments: 0 | Categories: Music

Merry Christmas to all my friends and, dare we hope, readers. Here's something refreshing: a performance on the Gu Zheng (Chinese zither) that looks as graceful as it sounds. The performer is a world-renowned expert called Bei Bei. You can...