Guardian Music — Village Underground, London EC2No matter who makes the shortlist, the nominations for the Mercury prize always prompt the same response. The reaction to this year's runners and riders was no different: they were either praised as examples of the vigo... more info

Guardian Music — MercuryAlarm bells usually ring out when bands start writing about being in a band. Sometimes known as second (or, indeed, third) album syndrome, this affliction can strike any time after a successful release. The syndrome implies that a band's forma... more info

Guardian Music — Scottish singer says new direction for forthcoming third album sounds like 'Eddie Cochran working with Leftfield'After two folk-pop LPs, KT Tunstall is going "nature techno" for her third album. The Scottish singer unveiled a batch of new songs in Lo... more info

The Vinyl Villain — I've never hidden my admiration for The Police. They were the first band I ever saw play live -May 1979 at the Glasgow Apollo, with two support acts in Bobby Henry and The Cramps and the tickets cost £2.The problem is that it is nearly impossible t... more info

Guardian Music — This year's Mercury Prize shortlist is out, but who has won the award before, and who tops the all-time sales chart?• Get the dataThe shortlist for this year's Mercury Prize was released yesterday, offering a mix of established artists (Paul Weller... more info

Guardian Music — After last year's unfortunate events, the 2010 shortlist reflects an understandably cautious preference for the tried and testedGallery: All the Mercury nominees and their oddsMercury prize 2010: Dizzee Rascal and the xx lead nominationsTowards the e... more info

Altsounds — Sometimes things happen whilst few people are paying attention. So, whilst the arbiters of the cool and the new that inhabit London's media world were looking the other way, something was happening away from all but the most attentive gaze. It hap... more info

Silent Uproar — Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys has created the soundtrack for the upcoming Richard Ayoade (IT Crowd) film, Submarine. The movie due out sometime in 2011 across the pond. [contactmusic.com] more info

Guardian Music — Masters of mellow, this LA four-piece specialise in pretty melodies evocative of 1970s AmericaHometown: Santa Monica.The lineup: Evan Koga (vocals, guitar), Danny Fujikawa (vocals, guitar), Michael Fujikawa (drums), Mike Moonves (bass).The background... more info

We All Want Someone To Shout For — It’s been almost 4 years exactly since I saw We Are Scientists at Roseland Ballroom opening for Arctic Monkeys. That was the first, and also the last, time I have ever seen the guys play live. Thankfully I had the opportunity to play catch-up on th... more info