The album title alludes to one of the weirdest back stories you‘ll hear for how a band got together. Picture the scene… three German chippies - Matt, Willow and Marc - meet on a South London building site in the late ‘90s. While they get on with their clever bespoke woodworking stuff they discover a shared love of sounds ranging from ska and dub to Spaghetti Western and Latino.

If you’ve ever raided your parents’ record collection (and quite plainly, you ought to have) then chances are you’ve stumbled upon some of the gems of the ’60s folk movement. It was a rule that no matter what your political or fashion leanings were, you had to have at least one record by Bob Dylan or Simon and Garfunkle. The same is true now — no record collection is complete without a nod to that time in music history before Joni Mitchell had a record deal with Starbucks.

When we were first introduced to Sarah Assbring, the lady who is El Perro Del Mar, she did not present herself as the most chipper of girls. She brought melancholy to new levels on her debut, a delicately sad and beautiful work. But melancholia isn’t the focus on her second full length effort; it’s the idea of heaven in all of its complexity.

Saravah Soul are half Brazilian, half British and 110% funky - and their debut CD is utterly intoxicating!

One of the most sampled records of all time gets a ‘proper’ release. Jamie Hailstone sums it up

Alabama 3 are one of those acts who should be much bigger than they actually are – after all, what’s not to love about a band who mix country, gospel and dance music? Jamie Hailstone reviews their retrospective.

The nucleus of Lou Barlow, Eric Gaffney and Jason Loewenstein are caught in 1993 with their fourth album now given a Domino makeover.

Four Tet’s new EP ‘Ringer’ sees Kieran Hebden taking on a slightly new direction. Is he successful? Sam Lusardi finds out.

Having signed to Matador records, Jay Reatard has announced the release of six very limited 7″ releases over 2008, starting with two releases on 19 May.

People love Duran Duran. People love Afrobeat. Put them together and what have you got? The mother of all funk tracks.