Starpulse — Happy Birthday to: Actor Jonah Hill (1983) Teen singer JoJo (1990) British model Lucy Pinder (1983) Black Crowes singer Chris Robinson (1966) British folk singer Billy Bragg (1957) "The Pract... more info

NME — Plus Billy Bragg and The Zutons also give Don Van Vliet a shoutout more info

Guardian Music — Cage Against the Machine can do far more than bring Radio 1 a silent night this Christmas. 4'33" is a living aural experienceIt was just a day after the 30th anniversary of John Lennon's death that Nick Clegg, seemingly without a flicker of irony, ch... more info

Guardian Music — You can hate The X Factor's chart dominance without hating pop, which is why I'm backing these Cage fighters to bring some silence to the festive top spotLast Monday, a group of musicians gathered in the intimate surroundings of Soho's Dean Street st... more info

Stereogum — M. Ward’s cover of “Sadie” appears on Versions Of Joanna, a 22-track Dylan-punning compilation that also features Billy Bragg, Owen Pallett, and Ben Sollee remaking songs by Joanna Newsom. Ward’s Ward-like take doesn’t have the charm or ene... more info

melophobe — I’ve been humming “Sprout and the Bean” ever since I saw this news pop up on blogs, that news being that Joanna Newsom’s tribute album, Versions of Joanna, is free for streaming and available for purchasing with profits going to Oxfam Interna... more info

Guardian Music — In a season in which we are bombarded with noise, a bit of silence is more than desirable; it is necessaryAs the title warns, John Cage's 4'33" is four minutes and thirty-three seconds of silence. Soundlessness. Nothing. And yet it is the piece that ... more info

Guardian Music — When BBC 6 Music was at risk, the backlash was loud and effective. Now students and the welfare state are under fire, musicians and DJs have nothing to sayFirst they came for BBC 6 Music, and everyone who had ever looked at a guitar, never mind playe... more info

The Independent — Rehearsals had been brief. A single page of sheet music was passed around the packed recording studio at the last minute, as musicians clutching their instruments were abuzz with the camaraderie of rebellion. Lined up on a grand piano were phones lin... more info

Guardian Music — Recording of an orchestra not playing may yet be the most serious competition the forthcoming X Factor winner will haveIn a small, stuffy Soho recording studio, the musicians were poised to begin. Headphones on, guitars slung, drumsticks raised, fing... more info