ContactMusic — The Gaslight Anthem think record contracts are "so horrible they should be illegal".The alternative punk band' singer and guitarist, Brain Fallon, said he can't... more info

Totally Fuzzy — Toxik Boys said... L.P.R ("Los Pichulas Rojas" or "Los Pata en la Raja") - Música de la Película Rascame los Cocos a Balazos (1989?) Rehersal Tape Another grindcore pioneer in Chile. A fucking rarity!! http://crucifiedforyoursins.blogspot.com C... more info

Metalsucks — Wormrot’s story is the stuff of Horatio Alger. The band hail from Singapore (about which, I admit, all I really knew was that it’s in Asia and there’s a Tom Waits song named after it) and released a grind album apparently so good... more info

Aquarium Drunkard — For freaks like myself, the below pairing of Tom Waits guesting on Bob Dylan’s Theme Time Radio Hour is like manna. The following five tracks find Waits calling in to Dylan’s show, commenting on various subjects, reveling in the everyday bizarre.... more info

Stereogum — Mates Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner’s Crushes…, their first album since 2008’s Re-Arrange Us, includes covers of 10 fairly diverse artists. There are links between a couple — say Tom Waits and Nick Cave — but the jump from Girls to the Mars... more info

Pitchfork — Photo by Crackerfarm This summer, the married indie pop duo Mates of State will release their very own "The Spaghetti Incident?". Crushes (The Covers Mixtape), their album of covers, was recorded and produced by Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner themselv... more info

All About Jazz — Kirk Knuffke, Amnesia Brown (Clean Feed). Knuffke's trumpet tone is notable for softness, fullness and evenness. The audacity of risk in his improvisational concept would be the envy of the Flying Wallendas. The contrast between his sound and the con... more info

Guardian Music — Combative label boss and manager of Frank Zappa and Tom WaitsHerb Cohen, who has died aged 77 of complications from cancer, did not elicit much affection from the artists he managed, but he played a pivotal role in shaping the music of the California... more info

Guardian Music — Last time was all about the joys of noise. This week we're after songs that grip you from the offHello all. I hope this finds you in rude health. It's been quite a week here at Recommend Towers, one which has been filled with the odd-ball, the theatr... more info

The Music Fix — Capsule Review: Intriguing debut which is bound to invite comparisons to Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits.Alongside releasing his debut album, David G Cox is completing a PHD in Black American Folklore and Gospel. Perhaps this academic interest explains ... more info