Chic

Another good list this week, I reckon. Fairly predictable pleasure from the Howlin Rain EP that Ethan Miller snuck out the other day, on a break from what he describes as two years of pre-production on the next album with Rick Rubin. Very brave Hendrix cover, too.

Some next-level spam last night, in that someone/some bot tried posting, “I can't believe LeBron is going to the Bulls, he should really just stay where he is” on an old Elliott Smith blog. For what it’s worth, I can’t believe Notts have signed Ben Phillips this morning, either.

The infamous terrorist, captured brilliantly for French TV...

Spent more time yesterday than I possibly should have piecing together a playlist out of my Neu!, Harmonia and Michael Rother albums, in preparation for tomorrow’s London show by Hallogallo 2010. Anyone seen them yet? I’d be interested to hear your reports if you have.

Moving, ethereal and not a little odd – it’s the jazz standards songbook as you’ve never heard it before....

I was reading over this interview with Robert Wyatt today, thinking about “The Ghosts Within”, and about how he flourishes as a collaborator with friends, but not as a bandmember. “The trouble with a band is I can’t take orders and I can’t give orders,” he said around the time of “Comicopera”. “So there’s no comfortable role for me in a band, whereas on a project I think, well, if they’ve asked me I shall try and do whatever it is they’ve imagined me doing. As close as possible. There’s no pressure on me. I try and do what they want.”

Good list, this one, I reckon. Among some really nice arrivals from old favourites: a new Voice Of The Seven Thunders remix EP; a stripped-back one from Hiss Golden Messenger; Etienne Jaumet’s Zombie Zombie project ramping up the Carpenter vibes; The Reigning Sound’s Greg Cartwright and Raconteur/Greenhorne Patrick Keeler in The Parting Gifts; and, maybe best of all, the debut album by Hans Chew, who you might know from his piano-playing on various Jack Rose and Helix jams. A lot more about that one, especially, soon.

First up, if you’ve been enjoying the Nick Cave business in the new issue of Uncut, something useful showed up on our Twitter feed the other day: a Spotify playlist of our Top 30 Cave tracks compiled by Wavey Davey 001. Thanks for that.

Damon Albarn and co will play 19 dates starting on October 3

British Blues mentor’s star-strewn first decade, over four discs...