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After last year's disappointing Never Go Home, Brian Krumm's Illinois quartet seem to have rediscovered the last-gang-in-town swagger that made 2000's Damaged Goods such a riot. Guitars cranked up to 11, it's bulging roadhouse rock, with the added croak of Krumm's phlegmy Tom Waits-isms. But there's a leanness about these loser-through-a-shot-glass songs that suggests they've matured too, not least on the latter-day gunslinger ballad "November" and in the neon-splashed moodiness of "St Christopher Street".

Sometime bartender, midwife and reverend, O'Connor's true calling may lie as a remarkable interpreter of song. Though recent years have found her adding dewy vocal harmonies for Andrew Bird's Bowl Of Fire (and Mavis Staples), her solo debut is long overdue. A brace of impressive originals—"My Backyard", "Tonight"—are whispers of classic honky-tonk, but she truly shines on covers of James (Squirrel Nut Zippers) Mathus' "Bottoms" and "Nightingale", twisting each into the kind of lovelorn ballad Alison Krauss would kill for.

First outing in four years from polished indie-rock enigmas

Key members of the US rock aristocracy roll across 11 swing states to try to persuade floating voters to ditch Dubya

Uncut's discovery of the year bring their mournful, articulate brand of country to London's Borderline

All thirty tracks from Uncut Take 92. Tracks that inspired and tracks inspired by Bob Dylan.

John Peel, the legendary BBC broadcaster, died at the age of 65 while holidaying in Peru with his wife, Sheila.

With her amazing new, mainly instrument-free, album Medulla about to come out, Sarah-Jane speaks to Bjork in Iceland.

Oddly affecting portrait of an inadequate genius

DIRECTED BY Shane Meadows STARRING Paddy Considine, Gary Stretch, Toby Kebbell Opened October 1, Cert 18, 86 mins Now that the '90s trend for chucking Lottery cash at tax-break B-movies is over, we're left with a stripped-down who's who of great British directors. Jonathan Glazer's in it. Guy Ritchie isn't. Matthew Vaughn and Paul Greengrass are new entries. All great, but perhaps none are as worthy of your attention as Shane Meadows.