Dark, brooding venture featuring Uncut photographer Steve Gullick and Gallon Drunk's James Johnston

Southern gothic via Manchester

Second irony-heavy opus from leaders' wives

Enjoyable debut by 'female Dizzee'

Wiggy alt.rapper books seat to Mars

The Smiths songs covered by indie/emo hopefuls

Striking Islamic roots album from Senegalese superstar

Listless ambi-minstrel recruits post-rock royalty

In the mid-'80s Alex Cox, having made Repo Man and Sid & Nancy to some acclaim, was deemed a financially viable punk auteur. This changed after Straight To Hell, his surreal anti-comedy-cum-spaghetti-western, which had a peculiar genesis. Cox had booked a bunch of less than abstemious musicians for a Solidarity Tour of Nicaragua.

Superb debut from string-laden troubadour