Ocean

Moving epitaph for The Blue Nile’s melancholic grace...

May comes round again, and with it another Great Escape, one of the year's most satisfying festivals – not only because of its setting in Brighton's many beautiful venues, but because we at Uncut are again putting on our own three nights of some of the most interesting new bands around.

Paul Simon has scooped this year's Polar Music Prize. The award is given yearly to both a pop and classical artist. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma has won the classical portion of the prize. Both artists will be given their prizes of one million kronor (£91,000) at the ceremony in Stockholm on August 28, reports BBC News. Patti Smith and Kronos Quartet won the prize last year, and other previous Polar Prize winners include Elton John, Paul McCartney, Bjork and Bob Dylan. The award was founded in 1989 by Stig Anderson, former manager of ABBA.

The Beach Boys have confirmed the track listing for their new album, That's Why God Made The Radio. Along with the title track, the album also features "Think About The Days", "Isn’t It Time", "Spring Vacation", "Private Life Of Bill And Sue", "Shelter", "Daybreak Over The Ocean", "Beaches In Mind", "Strange World", "My Life Suite", and "Summer’s Gone". The album will be preceded by a single, "That's Why God Made The Radio", on April 30. The album itself will be released on June 4.

Business somewhat overshadowed this morning by the awful news about Levon Helm. Over the past couple of days though, these are the records we’ve been playing in the Uncut office.

Ray Davies has been announced as the latest addition to the line-up for this year's Hop Farm Festival. The festival, which will be headlined by Bob Dylan, Suede and Peter Gabriel, takes place in Paddock Wood in Kent from June 29 – July 1. Other new additions to the bill include Richard Ashcroft. It will be Ashcroft's only UK appearance of the year.

The Black Keys brought day one of this year's Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival to close last night (April 13). The California event, which is running with the same three-day bill on two consecutive weekends this year, got off to a wet and windy start.

Chicagoan prodigy drops his guard and takes flight..

This year’s Great Escape Festival in Brighton is almost upon us, running from May 10-12 at a 30 venues across the town and featuring somewhere in the region of 300 new artists.

Bob Dylan, Suede and Peter Gabriel will headline this year's Hop Farm Festival.