Ache

Jack White’s increasingly baroque love of packaging means that it takes more than one review to get to grips with a solitary release. Hence “Under Great White Northern Lights”, a package commemorating The White Stripes’ 2007 tour of Canada which, in its simplest iteration, comes as a live CD and a longform documentary DVD about the ambitious jaunt.

Beguiling fourth from the impressively unclassifiable London brainiacs.

The return of a cherishable British band

Kasabian, Vampire Weekend also on the shortlist

Engaging portrait of Canvey Island R&B tearaways

If the accelerating success of Animal Collective in 2009 was weird enough, the level of anticipation surrounding their projects for 2010 must be astronomical, following the placing of “Merriweather Post Pavilion” at Number One in so many end-of-year polls.

Band agree to waive royalties for the release

He hints at recording and playing more dates with Flea and Nigel Godrich-featuring band

Like its subject – Ian Dury – this is a rock biopic you will like

A vague New Year’s Resolution for 2010 – not a big one, admittedly – is to try and write about more African records in Wild Mercury Sound, after embarrassingly never getting round to blogging on the likes of Tinariwen last year (and on Toumani Diabaté’s “Mande Variations” the year before, come to that).