John Cooper Clarke's verbose black trench coat had been left trailing over the speakers, his crusty Mancunian drawl as dark as the Dylanesque mop perched on his head. The pre-gig mish-mash of songs, usually a generic list of obvious choices, or even pandered regionalism, in this case achieved with heavy...

After what can only be described as a massive kiss of death, Pop Levi is bouncing back from being tipped by Lauren Laverne four years ago. Since then, he's kept himself busy by making more obscure films than most people would admit to, and having a nice line in accessible...

"The Pendulum"from the album Wicked Will2011iTunesNashville rock trio The Ettes has some rage issues â€" and the band is not afraid to take them out on you. Led by the slight Southern drawl of Lindsay "Coco" Hames, The Ettes' fourth LP since...

"Modern Art"from the album Arabia Mountain2011iTunesDrinking champagne out of Mark Ronson's Grammy Award may be the best move that the Black Lips have ever made. In addition to continuing their badass reputation, it sparked a collaboration between the Atlanta punk rockers and the...

While the "soundtrack to your summer" tag is dropped with gay abandon umpteen times a year, this here is the real deal. Nope, that doesn’t mean the daft grins and guaranteed sunshine of a petrol station Beach Boys best-of; rather, the will-it-rain-or-will-it-shine mediocrity and nerve-jangling frustrations of any given British...

The 23-year-old multi-instrumentalist Ty Segall is emerging as one of the most prolific artists on the San Francisco scene. Or should that be promiscuous, given the number of outfits he's dallied with, the best-known being Sic Alps? Lately, Segall has settled down into being his own virtual one-man band...

It’s a question for any band that cuts their teeth and first few records with guileless, busted-up charm and lower-than-lo-fi production values: what happens when you grow up, move on and don’t have to record things down in the basement in one take while your parents are out?

On the face...

If someone was to undertake scientific analysis to compare the respective abilities of the average rock band in 2011 and those from, say, 1971, it’s likely that in terms of technical ability and sheer on-the-button tightness this year’s models would prevail. But just as contemporary footballers are undoubtedly fitter, faster...

Smith Westerns are a three-piece from Chicago, and if you’ve ever heard their debut, eponymous album, this follow-up will be quite a surprise. While the previous record was set to tape on a shoestring budget in guitarist Max’s basement, Dye It Blonde has some ready cash behind it. Suddenly the...

It can be tricky to separate a hipster buzz act from its hype. Such is the case with Chicago group Smith Westerns, an über-cool collection of underage musicians who’ve toured with Girls and MGMT. The music itselfâ€"part gritty ‘80s glam and part psych-rock revivalâ€"is compelling, although certainly not original or...