In League With Paton

Keith Jarrett, Gary Peacock, Jack DeJohnette – Setting Standards: New York Sessions (ECM) Manfred Eicher’s ECM label is celebrating the 25th...

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend (XL, 2008) I’m always somewhat cynical and suspicious about over-hyped ‘hot tip’ debuts such as this. My p...

Cat Power - Jukebox (Matador, 2008) This might be the trickiest album I’ve had to review on these pages. I’ve been an admirer of Cat Power, ...

A short while ago, I made the contentious claim on this blog that I always try to avoid writing from a fan’s perspective. Well, bollocks to ...

The Magnetic Fields – Distortion Much critical consternation has been prompted by Stephin Merritt’s typically flippant comment that the rais...

David Torn’s Prezens, The Vortex, Sun 13th January 2008 The first great gig of 2008 also happens to be the first in a long list of splendid ...

Into The Wild (Sean Penn, 2007) With ‘Into The Wild’, Sean Penn has made a beautiful film that captures the awe and wonder of the natural wo...

Morrissey - Greatest Hits The Press Release for this compilation (the first release under Morrissey’s new contract with Decca) boldly states...

This report on the BBC website is more comprehensive and balanced: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7179834.stm It's particularl...

Does the department of Culture, Media and Sport really have such a limited understanding of the effects of ticket touting? http://www.nme.co...

Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, 2007) The furore over the explicit sex scenes in Ang Lee’s latest film, which sees him returning to China but workin...

So, here we go then – yet another fantasy film franchise adapted from some popular children’s books, released just in time for the festive s...

The Art of Dory Previn (Zonophone Compilation, 2007) I’ll start with a small confession: I knew next to nothing about Dory Previn before I h...

Amidst all the usual venting of frustration on the MOJO letters page, one particular comment stands out this month. The appearance of Amy Wi...

John Harris can be incredibly irritating sometimes. What exactly does he want to be? Political commentator with a diluted socialist angle? A...

Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant, 2007) Interest in Gus Van Sant’s succession of dreamy, listless, and morally ambiguous films seems to have wane...

...So says Ben Whishaw as the poet Arthur Rimbaud, one of seven facets of the iconic singer-songwriter Bob Dylan (portrayed by six different...

I’m not sure the mainstream rock/pop landscape promises all that much in 2008. REM have a new album out in April, now rather blandly titled...

It's really gratifying to have been canvassed for this blog poll over at Sweeping The Nation, without even having to make a noise or vol...

A couple of things I missed out of my list the other week: Pros: Brian Wilson's That Lucky Old Sun - A little mawkish in places, but the...