Album

Italian chanteuse makes her UK entrance stage left, with mixed results

Since it's hard—and possibly verboten—to say a bad word about Tom Waits, unholy shaman of whacked-out Americana, I'll content myself with expressing a few mild reservations. From the startling departure of Swordfishtrombones—over 20 years old now—Tom's every subsequent move has been worth following with avid fascination. But with 2002's simultaneously released Alice and Blood Money, it seemed he was veering off into wilfully art-wank Hal Willner territory.

More elegant chamber-pop from Tindersticks' kindred spirits

Brit actress makes half-decent debut

Twenty-one-track greatest hits from Welsh genre-hopping psychonauts

Irresistible compendium of funk drops and breakbeat chops

Reissued lost classic from perennial Britpop also-ran

"Re-transferring" of early ambient gems

Superstar-studded tribute to Uncut's favourite singer-songwriter, who died last year

Further mediocrity from deposed King Monkey