David

Ivor Novello honours shortlist is revealed

I first went to the Cannes Film Festival seven years ago; coincidentally, I’d just finished reading JG Ballard’s novel, Super-Cannes, about murder in an ultra-modern business park tucked away in the hills above town. On a morning unencumbered by meetings, film screenings or a hangover, I took a cab from my hotel in Grasse up to Sophia-Antipolis, one of Ballard’s models for the novel’s Eden-Olympia technopole.

There was allegedly a leak of the new Dirty Projectors album a couple of days ago, which means that yet again my dithering has robbed me of blogging exclusivity. The thing is, as I’ve mentioned a few times over the past month, I’ve been finding “Bitte Orca”, like its predecessors, somewhat intriguing and uncrackable. Today, I think I’m getting closer to understanding it.

No MG’s – instead, try Neil Young and the Drive-By Truckers

Ramblin’ man gets the Depression-era blues

Fierce farce of Whitehall, Washington and warmongering from Armando Iannucci

A vague plan to write about the new White Denim album this morning, comprehensively derailed when I discovered this amazing footage on Youtube. It features the elusive Jandek playing what is allegedly his first ever live show in his hometown of Houston. [youtube]acLwiYpSTFE[/youtube]

First collaboration since 2002 takes place in New York

Cheshire trio capitalise on the Elbow effect

Before The Wire, David Simon and Ed Burns original Baltimore creation