Artist: Mick Turner

Dipping out of the gritted-toothed discord of Grinderman to return to avant-garde instrumental outfit Dirty Three , multi-instrumentalist Warren Ellis reconvened with guitarist Mick Turner and drummer man Jim White over yonder atop Antipodean isles to cobble together Toward The Low Sun, the Australian trio's ninth and, hush hush, highly plausibly finest studio long-player to date. Once upon a time there were inspirational minstrels from Melbourne – one with half a bear of a beard dangling from his chin – who ignited every ear their melancholia touched. Then one day things got [...]

Irrespective of the continued entanglement of the various ones of the Dirty Three with a contemporary artistic conscience (paths have previously led to painting, Peej and Ally Pally ), their collective presence has been gravely missed. Six years, three months, and a further six days have passed since the release of Cinder, a nimble-fingered beast of gentle disposition, one capable of untangling the most obstinate of emotional knots and although perhaps not a direct consequence of their absence, times since they've been a-troublin'. However next month, quite fortuitously for anyone and everyone feeling fragile around [...]

Shuffle Sundays is a weekly feature in which we feature a cover chosen at random by my iTunes shuffle. The songs will usually be good, occasionally be bad, always be interesting. All downloads will only be available for one week, so get them while you can.I'd wager that at least three-quarters of the people who bought last year's Loving Takes This Course: A Tribute to the Songs of Kath Bloom had

• Mick Turner - Window

Kilkenny Arts Festival 2009 kicks off next Friday the 7th and runs through to Saturday the 16th, offering a feast of visual art, classical music, theatre and dance, jazz world and traditional Irish music, literature, film, architecture, indie music, craft and children's events. There are many expected highlights; of particular excitement to State are the likes of Low and Amiina playing in the unique setting of St. Canice's Cathedral . This will be a rare chance to see these acts in such an astonishing venue. A full listing can be found here , [...]

Look at you. You're an old, fat piece of shit and you are not getting any younger or skinnier. Two nights ago you were drunk and slobbering and telling everybody about how 2009 was going to be "The year everything changes!". Yeah, right. You and I both know your life is not going to be altered just because you had to buy a new calendar and are now forced to remember its a new year whenever you sign over a child support payment to your ex wife. It should not come as a surprise to hear that you are going [...]

• Mick Turner - Pt I
• Queen - Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon
• The Misfits - I Turned into a Martian
• The Vaselines - Molly's Lips