Music
- it prioritises albums over playlists
- it has good editorial articles by humans
- there are no aggressive algorithms feeding me more of the same
- it just suggest new albums that usually push me out of usual routines
- you can buy hires downloads from the qobuz store
- it isn’t a system to be gamed like Spotify
- it sounds great
- it doesn’t appear to be run by a creep like Daniel Ek
It appears that Iโve preordered an album on Bandcamp two times again. I need someone to keep track of these things for me.
Read: 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left by Robyn Hitchcock ๐
Can I count this as my first read of 2025 despite starting it a couple of days ago? Anyway this is a short and sweet memoir of how Robyn Hitchcock became a โgrooverโ at school in 1967. A nice origin story of an original artist.
The Allander Record Fair was in town again today. I always feel obliged to buy something but I was happy to get these for a decent price. All seem in good condition.

A late entry to my favourite albums of the year. This is gorgeous. the innocence mission - Midwinter Swimmers ๐ต
Big Big Train - Last Eleven. One of the highlight songs, amongst many, from Saturday’s show in Edinburgh. I love this band. The combination of music and lyrics here never fails to move me. ๐ต
Reading: Neu Klang - The Definitive History Of Krautrock by Christoph Dallach. I really like the oral history style of books like this. You get a better picture of what happened with all of the different memories and viewpoints. ๐
Almost forgot about the upcoming Yes concert in Glasgow. My ticket for last year’s cancelled show is still valid. The current lineup gets a lot of stick (“Tribute band!") but as long as Steve Howe is still there I’m on board.
For the 50th anniversary of Richard and Linda Thompsonโs first album as a duo, I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight, we take a detailed look at how it was made.
A fantastic deep dive into one of my favourite albums. ๐ต
The Guardian: Billy Bragg: โThereโs nothing like going out there singing your truth. That ainโt changedโ. Billy has always been a force for good and it’s great to see he’s still fighting the good fight. I’ve seen him live a few times over the years. ย ๐ต
Qobuz
I chose Qobuz as my music streaming service because:
I expect to come back and update these thoughts after a few more months of listening.
Earworm of the week: Sisters Friends by The High Llamas. One of the best tracks from the new album. ๐ต