Guardian Music — Florence's quirky pop debut harked back to the days when artists could reach the higher echelons of the charts with music that's both uncompromising and inventiveWhich other albums made out critics' poll 2009 list? Florence Welch may have had the big... more info

Guardian Music — (Jazzizit)Bassist/arranger Geoff Gascoyne has been Jamie Cullum's right-hand man for six years, and subtle jazz variations on pop hooks are his stock in trade. Pop Bop hands classic pop material (the ­Stylistics' People Make the World Go Round, th... more info

The Vinyl Villain — Continuing the series of tracks and words as found on the CD The Indie Scene 1986, a compilation released in 1992.mp3 : Pop Will Eat Itself - Oh Grebo I Think I Love You (Chapter 22 CHAP 9)While the world was beginning to jingle jangle in earnest, th... more info

Here Comes The Flood — My first Top of the Pops I didn't want to do. I was terrified. I'd never done television before. Seeing the video afterwards was like watching myself die. Kate Bush more info

Guardian Music — The Slaughtered Lamb, LondonThere's a thin line between genuine eccentricity and precious affectation of weirdness, but Jesca Hoop walks it well. Few are the moments when she appears as just another wraith joining the dots between Nico, Kate Bush and... more info

Stereogum — Jonathan Meiburg is an artist ahead of his time, titling Shearwater's most recent release Snow Leopard well before Apple could get their paws on it. That said his band's next release seems to recall the past instead, at least according to Matador, wh... more info

Guardian Music — From the baroque era to Blackadder, this little wind instrument has been played by everyone from Henry VIII to HendrixWhat is it? The sound of primary school music rooms everywhere, forever. Everyone reading this must have played a recorder at some p... more info

NME — The Halfmoon in Putney has hosted the likes of The Rolling Stones, Kate Bush and Kasabian more info

The Vinyl Villain — There were great expectations about Lungs, the debut album by Florence & The Machine. Prior to its release, Florence Welch was being hailed as the next great female singer-songwriter - the person who had the artistic and critical credibility of Kate... more info

Guardian Music — A Californian resident in Manchester, Hoop comes hotly tipped, helped by a CV that includes a spell as Tom Waits's childminder. Waits's description of her music as "like going swimming in a lake at night" proves apt for her crystal vocals and the shi... more info