The Rev: Haunted

Outlaw country rockers The Rev summoned all their fears and false hopes for the recording of the sad rocker Haunted, a love letter to a girl that is no longer among the living. Lead singer Eric Meyers is ware that his mind is playing tricks on him when he sings "I peer outside and my eyes play tricks // As she dances in the mist // Another sip and I feel the burn // Of the lips that I once kissed". Glorious pedal steel can't hide the fact that this is the lament of a broken man, desperately trying to regain his composure.

Jumble Hole Clough: Answers on a Postcard

English avant-garde musician Colin Robinson keeps it short on Answers on a Postcard, the new album by his one-man project Jumble Hole Clough. The instrumentals are explorations of free jazz and Krautrock having a tug of war with West Coast melodies - And The Sea Did Sway sounds like a Brian Wilson demo that would freaked out Mike Love. Robinson's body of work is fiercely idiosyncratic and his ability to pursue each musical whim that comes to his mind.

The lifes of scientists and artists as well as everyday events in his hometown Hebden Bridge and household items can be sources of inspiration. He can write a song about upholstery (Wall-to-wall Moquette) and a straight-faced radio and television presenter (Nicholas Parsons Knows).

Superbird: Operate

English funky pop trio Superbird tend to sound bigger thant life, but their new single Operate has a serious message. Surgery is great as long as it applied to saving other people, but it can be damn right scary when it's you that is on the table. So as last ditch effort to uphold their cool they make a half-hearted pass at the assisting nurse.

Words about music (556): Bill Wyman

I think anyone would want to see their favourite band in a small club over a large stadium.

Bill Wyman

Johnny Dowd: virtual band reunion for "Hideaway" video

Former Johnny Dowd band member Justin Asher got in touch with other musicians who have played with this musical maverick over the years. The virtual band reunion led to a video of them recording of Hideaway, a song from the Temporary Shelter album.