Nice article on the socialism - as well as the artistic process - behind Stereolab's "Dots and Loops". Vonnegut, Orwell, Steinbeck, Woody Guthrie & Pete Seeger could be said to create from a socialist perspective too. Who are some other great socialist artists? www.thegryphon.co.uk/2025/04/23/t...

Love opening an old CD and finding an unexpected CDR I'd completely forgotten about in there along with it. These were the days; this is how we did it

Something I've believed since my early teens and which I still believe now is that guitar music can improve your life

Immaculate vibes here - give it a listen if you'd like to escape or even just feel a little better for a while

I don’t know who needs to hear Jesse Jackson leading the kids on Sesame Street in this beautiful call-and-response reminding them that every child is somebody, but here it is

Check me out with the passive rook sac - so fancy

Finally making my way around to The Durutti Column! Proper guitar magic here - my kind of thing. God bless artists and the people that support them. Once again that feeling that it's all there, just waiting for us to discover when we're ready

Going through my CDs - look at this little beauty

Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers. This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder. Auschwitz took time.

A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.

One of the best things I’ve read in a while:

Here's a nice Burns rendition: caught my ear on the radio when it came out 10+ years back - walks a fine line between jazz and folk, moodiness and melodrama. I always enjoy listening to it though, for the haunting beauty and stillness of it. And, of course, the Burns m.youtube.com/watch?v=5R_-...

Reminder: All it would take to end the murder of American citizens by an untrained government goon squad is 16 Republicans in Congress voting with Dems to defund ICE (or 23 to impeach and remove Trump — 3 in House & 20 in Senate). That’s it. 23 Americans can vote for the public and end all of this.

they're executing moms and nurses in the street. they're using preschoolers as bait. they're stealing people's dads and grandmas and children. they're tear gassing babies. they're staking out schools. there is no remedy but abolition. any proposal that doesn't start there is an act of violence.

The UK government is proposing radical and punitive changes to settlement rules. This is settlement, not citizenship. The consultation is open until 12 February; please respond to it and oppose these evil proposals. Amnesty have a good guide: www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/gu...

Channeled my inner Robby Müller on this one apparently More photos in the replies/thread now

I visited Houston, Tx in October Sharing some photos from my trip because everyone famously enjoys seeing other people's holiday pictures

[Ahmed] Giant Beauty Third edition otw ✨ boomkat.com/products/gia...

Last couple of nights @cafeotodalston.bsky.social have been magic - what a cool place! Last night was David Murray Quartet; tonight was أحمد [Ahmed]. These shows will live long in my memory - glad I was able to make the trip.

Posted this before, but this one always kills me. So pretty and fun. I'm going to go and see David Murray in concert tomorrow night!!!

I messaged on the other place a year or two back about really wanting to read a good book on the UK jazz scene of the 60s & 70s - and here one is! 6 days left on the Kickstarter to get this re-printed - I just backed it - could make a good Christmas present?!? www.kickstarter.com/projects/lab...

I have a special interest in music that is beautiful, calm, spacious and also contains improvised elements and so seems almost to breathe by itself, be alive. I've been meaning to listen to this - Harold Budd's The Pavilion of Dreams - for years and thankfully I recently did. I think it's amazing!

Wake up babe, new arsenal bench just dropped

Wow - just hearing this for the first time, having been unaware of Kevin Ayers. He was in Soft Machine, I now gather (& Robert Wyatt drums on this!) Very interesting songwriting and arrangements, sort of cheekily eccentric and often very pretty. I think it's great!

Arsenal's bench today, in a squad which doesn't include Saka, Saliba, Havertz, Norgaard or Jesus. Definitely the most strength-in-depth in the Premier League this season IMO

English press have been running this headline every qualifier for ten years

Status update: spinning away. I became obsessed with this for a few months in 2018. Top tunes 10/10 cover art A classic, in my opinion

Some evidence to suggest the gap between the premier league and championship is increasing, too

New football season got me thinking about the difference in difficulty between the English Premier League and Championship. I took a look at how teams' ratios of goals scored to goals conceded changed between seasons over the last 10 years:

Came across this by chance when it hit one of my eBay searches - free/spiritual jazz in the late-Coltrane vein from a UK group in the late 70s. A track from this featured on "A New Life", the Jazzman 2015 compilation of UK private press jazz, which may have shed a little light. Deserves more IMO

Hahahaha Avoided this for 25 years after Pitchfork gave it a 0.0 and whaddayaknow but it's actually pretty good The joke is on me, folks!

Went to see Chris Cohen last night @thegladcafe.bsky.social - it was great! The album is pretty fab too

You've got to have freedom

First spin of this Managed to pick up a sealed copy (2021 RSD reissue) in Orkney, of all places Shrinkwrap left on to own the libs!

They said it couldn't be done, but I've got my Octordle Rescue win rate up to 85%🎈 As far as I know I am the best in the world in the world at this game ...but then I only know two other people who play. Please show me how well I could be doing; boasting encouraged

Went to sell some records today... The guy who buys the records wasn't in... ...came home with this 🥴

Yeah, this ripped. Exciting, fun, powerful and thought provoking. Can't believe I didn't get any pictures!

Dreams do come true!! 🌞

I have strong reactions to jazz vocalists; trying to figure out why. I think I strongly prefer interesting personality over technique?! Anyway, aware as I am that jazz is a primarily black art form, where I suspect white female vocalists were disproportionately promoted...I really like Anita O'Day

More original and boundary-pushing work lay in wait for both of these tenors, but...this smokes!!! Rhythm section is ok too

Kids away, been hanging out with my wife; cooked a late dinner, listening to records like we used to and now sitting down to watch out first John Cassavetes - Gina Rowlands movie (Gloria)... Things are looking up!

New arrival; first listen. Been on the lookout for this for years! 🥹 Julius Hemphill - reeds Baikida Carroll - trumpet Abdul Wadud - cello Phillip Wilson - percussion

Cooking with some tunes on a Sunday evening; becoming one of my favourite times of the week, when I think about it

One for the birthday boys! Anthony Braxton (4th June 1945) 🤝 Misha Mengelberg (5th June 1935)

Another band that have been waiting for me to get around to them Saw them live over 20 years ago and now finally getting around to listening properly 🥴 Another eBay-charity score - and a minty original no less! 1..2..3.. Repeater!

Have been enjoying this one lately - another recent pickup from a charity on eBay. Some beautiful songs...

Had this in the cupboard for a few years and decided on a whim to open it tonight for no reason at all Cheers! 🍻

No one has a right to genocide. A two state solution isn't possible when one state isn't recognized and isn't allowed to have food or water. We need to call out world leaders trying to fall back on old talking points while a genocide is being broadcast before our eyes with the west's complicity

what a king looks like

New arrival - took a punt because it's on Muse, Ben Riley (Monk, Alice Coltrane) is on drums and the other Kenny Burrell album I've heard is pretty good. Dreamy, floating-on-a-cloud, guitar trio stuff. Beautiful!