Words: 20
Average Length: 5.20
Some pop, metal, a Broadway show, reggae, Latin dance, and a religious instrument for your listening/solving pleasure. Please enjoy!
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Tag: Themed crossword
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Mostly Musical Mini 22
Words: 24
Average Length: 4.67
White Rabbit (see clue for 8 Across) is perhaps the best psychedelic rock song ever. Using imagery from Alice in Wonderland and a structure reminiscent of Ravel’s Bolero – including a mesmerizing drum part and a slow, steady crescendo – the song captures the spirit of late ‘60s San Francisco in a bit more than two minutes. Here’s a link.
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Celebrating Democracy
This is a straightforward themed puzzle celebrating the United Nations International Day of Democracy, which is September 15. Enjoy, and vote!!!
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Music That Moves You
Words: 74
Average Length: 5.03
Here’s a relatively easy puzzle with a literal title. As you’ll see from the picture, I’ve got new JeffsPuzzles.com head wear – the older caps bore an unfortunate color resemblance to a cap supporting he-who-must-not-be-named-but-should-soon-be-in-prison – which, in addition to serving as a bonus clue to 30 Down, is the apex of nerd chic. Email me at jeffspuzzles@gmail.com if you’d like me to send you one ABSOLUTELY FREE!
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Mostly Musical Mini 20
Words: 24
Average Length: 4.83
Despite my cluing it as an elementary school instrument, there is some wonderful classical music composed for 15 Across. Here’s a link to Vivaldi’s [15 Across] Concerto in C (RV 443). The first movement (Allegro) is full of virtuosic fireworks, the second movement (Largo) is hauntingly beautiful, and the third movement (Allegro Molto) is even more technically impressive than the first. I hope you enjoy both the puzzle and the music!
Technical note: due to an oversight and laziness on my part, when you solve the puzzle online, print it, or open it in AcrossLite, the title will say 19, not 20. I promise it’s a brand-new puzzle.
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Mostly Musical Mini 19
Words: 24
Average Length: 4.67
By chance, this grid includes answers/clues related to two shows that, to virtually the entire Earth, are the height of musical theatre – but, to me, are fatally ill-conceived. The first, 8 Across, has terrific music but an outrageous plot. The second, Rent (see clue for 3 Down), has even better music but struck me as whiny. Having said that, (1) Jonathan Larson was a genius, and his early death was tragic, and (2) I’ve never seen 3 Down, so it may be the whininess carries through from the original.
I will take every opportunity to mention The [16 Down] Empire in my puzzles. They were (until their breakup in April 2022) a group of stellar Australian musicians who wrote infectious songs and played an exhilarating mix of rock, jazz, Latin, reggae, music hall, and any other musical genre you can think of. If you don’t know them, start with their second album, “Two Shoes,“ which is in my top 5 most-played of all time. You’re welcome.
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Forecasts in Four Four Time
Words: 79 (15×16 grid)
Average Length: 4.96
To quote the endlessly quotable Bob Dylan, “you don’t need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.” (“Subterranean Homesick Blues”). A musical meteorologist will do just fine, as this puzzle reveals.
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Mostly Musical Mini 18
Words: 16
Average Length: 5.00
I hope you enjoy this week’s MMM. Starting with today’s grid, I plan to write a few totally subjective sentences about one or two entries in each MMM. Here goes:
8 Across (ranked by Rolling Stone as the 243rd greatest song ever) is the most radical track on Revolver, which at the time was the most radical album in pop music history (and is Rolling Stone’s 11th greatest album ever). It’s a bleak, beautiful song with a propulsive melody and wistful lyrics (mostly by Paul) and a terrific, jagged George Martin string arrangement.
Revolver is my favorite Beatles album (Rubber Soul is second), but 8 Across is only my fourth favorite song on the album. I generally prefer John’s songs to Paul’s, and two of his tunes on Revolver – She Said She Said and I’m Only Sleeping – take first and second. Paul’s masterpiece, Here There and Everywhere, ranks third for me.
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Mostly Musical Mini 17
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Book a Vacation
Words: 76
Average Length: 5.03
Difficulty: Like summer reading (not the school variety)
Here’s a gentle grid to usher in August, prime time for lazing in the sun with a book, listening to the waves lap against the shore, and looking up an hour later to realize you haven’t read a page but instead fell asleep and are now approaching lobsterhood. Stay sunscreened, my friends!
If you like my puzzles, it’d be great if you would “subscribe” to my site. You’ll be informed whenever I drop a new puzzle, and I’ll possibly show up a little higher in search results. Win Win.
Last self-promotion: If you like to travel please check out (and follow if you like) my newly resurrected travel blog, Puffinless Travel, here. I’ve recently added write-ups of a trip to Antarctica in Feb. 2022 and a hiking trip in Wales in July 2022.
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