In League With Paton

Polar Bear – Polar Bear (Tin Angel, 2008) In the rather sweet liner notes and acknowledgements that accompany this third Polar Bear album, S...

The Bug – London Zoo (Ninja Tunes, 2008) It’s tempting to caricature Kevin Martin as something of a musical chancer, given the length of his...

Leila – Blood, Looms and Blooms (Warp, 2008) As well as being a sometime keyboard player for Bjork, Leila Arab has been responsible for one ...

The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2008) One can usually rely on Anthony Quinn, The Independent’s regular film critic, to write a pithy sen...

So here it is then: Adele - '19' British Sea Power - 'Do You Like Rock Music?' Burial - 'Untrue' Elbow - 'The Se...

Oh dear, is it that time of year again already? Here are the NME’s possible shortlisted albums, many of them predictably ghastly: Adele – ...

Leonard Cohen, London O2 Arena, 17/07/08 There has been much speculation about the motivations for Leonard Cohen’s World Tour being purely f...

I’ve been trying to avoid these kind of hastily cobbled together summary posts, juxtaposing releases across a wide range of genres. However,...

Django Bates and Stormchaser – Spring is Here (Shall We Dance?) (Lost Marble, 2008) With a characteristic tinge of self-importance, Keith Ja...

Radiohead, Victoria Park, London 24th June 2008 These shows in Victoria Park may have been Radiohead’s biggest UK concert performances outsi...

Lykke Li - Youth Novels (LL Recordings, 2008) Joan as Police Woman - To Survive (Pias/Reveal, 2008) Swedish pop singer Lykke Li’s debut albu...

'I wouldn't wish a Massive Attack Meltdown on anyone', quips the drummer from Fleet Foxes, a charming and endearing band with a ...

There have been a number of shocking deaths in the world of the arts over the last twelve months, but Swedish pianist and composer Esbjorn S...

Coldplay - Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (EMI, 2008) I’ve been meaning to compose a calm, rational piece about Coldplay’s new al...

Some records I'm digesting (some of which I've been mulling over for some time), but haven't got around to blogging about yet: O...

Emmylou Harris - All I Intended To Be (Nonesuch, 2008) When musicians reach a certain age it becomes tempting to speculate on what might be ...

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (Atco/Rough Trade, 2008) The last we heard from My Morning Jacket’s Jim James came in the form of a cameo app...

Two exciting gigs this week have been very much focused on the musical possibilities of drums and percussion. First up, The Dodos had little...