Album

Icelander moves into new career phase with experimental vocal fantasies

The late Tom Dowd's influence on music is legendary. As an engineer, he invented the eight-track recorder. As Atlantic Records' in-house producer, he worked with Dizzy Gillespie and Ornette Coleman before helping Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, The Allman Brothers and Ray Charles. His life is traced here through interviews with Dowd himself, Charles, Franklin, Ahmet Ertegun and Eric Clapton, and through fine archive footage and recordings, Inspiring.

Classic second album from San Diego firebrands

Clapton & co's '67 high watermark, in stereo and mono, plus outtakes, demos and BBC session tracks

SF punk originators saved from neglect

"Not everyone can relate/To what you and I appreciate," croons Devendra Banhart on one track of this fourth effort. It may be the truest, least cloying sentiment he's ever uttered, certainly on disc. Recorded at the same sessions as his recent Rejoicing In The Hands debut, it's a similar anthology of songs shot through with naïve, awestruck wonder, delivered in a warbling croon that's equal parts Ed Askew and Robbie Basho, over steadily thrumming finger-style guitar.

Welsh shellsuit devotees marry scatological humour to hip hop

Fifth solo album from French-Arabic Clash fan

MOR noir on dire Geordie's solo fourth

Minnesotan micro-star forgets the thong and focuses on The Song