Portishead

A welcome return to the playlist this week for Howlin' Rain, whose "Magnificent Fiend" has finally got a UK release date in April. I know I've been promising to blog on this for over six months, but I'll get there in the next few days; it still sounds great, fortunately.

I’ve been feeling a pang for the country for a while now, probably brought on by reading Robert MacFarlane’s two wonderful books, “The Wild Places” and “Mountains Of The Mind”; not even a Sunday spent on Walthamstow Marshes could cure me. In the same mood, I was walking to work through the City this morning, just as the sun was struggling to burn off the fog, playing Vaughan Williams and the second CD of Kate Bush’s “Aerial”.

Kraftwerk, Spiritualized, The Verve and The Raconteurs join him at California festival

A bit of a rush today, since we're trying to finish the next issue of Uncut. But I've been revisiting the MGMT record that turned up last year, and which features fairly prominently in the New Brooklyn Bands feature in the current issue.

Uncut's favourite Canadian hybrid stoner rock band return with new album too

First batch of band's for the Pitchfork curated event are announced

New label, new city: enter the Freewheelin' Steve Earle

21 demos plus never before released tracks are included on two-disc set

Portishead associations fail to rescue disappointing debut from Bristol soul luminary

Woad-caked, ultra-heavy rock from the West Country