Bonobo - The North Borders

Albums of Note... Bonobo, aka Simon Green, may not have found instant stardom in his career but his work is characterised by a steady progress that is reflected in his tracks. North Borders is the fifth studio album from Bonobo and he calls on a range of influences, from hip-hop, soul, jazz and dubstep, to create a sound that has gradually developed into his own distinctive sound. Bonobo calls on a few friends for this album, notably Erykah Badu, who sings on ‘Heaven for the Sinner,’ a twinkling take on modern soul.

“What sets Bonobo apart in an overly crowded marketplace… is an expert ability to channel myriad influences from outside of his sphere into something that works perfectly inside it, not just within a single track but start-to-finish across an album.”

Tullycraft embarked on an indefinite hiatus back in 2009, leaving five studio album as an uncertain legacy. Between then and now, though, a number of bands have cited the Seattle based twee-pop combo as an influence and hence they have returned, with new album Lost in Light Rotation. This latest longplayer is pretty much what you would expect from Tullycraft: 11 tracks of bright and breezy indie pop, with a heavy Ramones influence. Fun, with a capital Fun.

“Ultimately, Tullycraft have returned with a record that showcases them doing what they do best. Time for the young pretenders to move over; the real deal are back in town. Let's hope it doesn't take another six years for the follow-up.”

The Sam Roberts Band

Interview of the Week... Contactmusic chatted to Sam Roberts, the leader of his own eponymous band. His new video, Graveyard Shift is hosted on the site and he revealed that he’s been holed up all winter writing a new album, because the Canadian summer is simply too short and precious to be wasted indoors writing music. Having just played in London, Roberts also let slip that the Great British pub is perhaps his biggest vice. “I love a good pub. Too much perhaps, but hell, you’re the ones who made them so inviting.”

Little Comets

Live Review of the Week: Our reviewer Harry Moore went to this gig with Little Comets’ album Life Is Elsewhere already holding a special place in his heart and left with some pretty good memories to bolster his evident love for the Newcastle-based indie-rockers.

“Life is Elsewhere's opening track 'A Little Opus' is a highlight from the set, bringing together every side of Little Comets and bursting through the sold out Shepherds Bush Empire like, well, a comet. There's a lot of joy in Little Comets' songs but there are also moments of darkness and brutal honesty. 'Violence Out Tonight' and 'Waiting In The Shadows In The Dead Of Night' are the two standouts and create a very different atmosphere inside the venue.”

Palma Violets

A Week in Video... The hotly-tipped Palma Violets are back with ‘We Found Love.’ The video’s a pretty raucous affair, pheromones flying all over the joint as the lads enjoy a lively night out. This is no typical boy meets girl kinda teen love video – more of of boy meets girl and boy and other girl and a few more girls and a boy and… oh never mind. Looks like an exhausting night out.

Miles Kane performs ‘Don’t Forget Who You Are,’ here, live at Sarm Studios. The former Last Shadow Puppets and The Rascals frontman performs the song with his band; it’s the title track of his forthcoming album, expected out late Spring. It’s a lively and fervent rendition of the track, bound around the refrain “we won’t let our worries dictate who we are.”

50 Cent’s got hip-hop’s hottest new talent Kendrick Lamar on board for ‘We Up.’ The seasoned rapper and young upstart complement each other nicely on this track, accompanied by a typically shameless display of wealth as they lounge around in a penthouse suite, polar bear rug sprawled on the floor (as you do) and a bevvy of female beauties wandering around, seemingly with no real purpose in life. Standard.

Eric Clapton & BB King At Crossroads Guitar Festival

Music in the News... Eric Clapton’s fourth annual Crossroads festival took place April 12 – 13 at Madison Square Garden, with blues legends BB King and Clapton himself amongst the highlights of the weekend. Also performing over the 2 day event were Keith Urban, Buddy Guy and Gary Clark Jr.

Brad Paisley and LL Cool J’s collaborative track ‘Accidental Tourist’ caused quite a stir last week, mainly for being accidentally racist, in many people’s eyes. The controversial lyrics left many listeners feeling uncomfortable, even if its two authors were proud of their work. On the plus side, it did provoke some comic celebrity Twitter action.

In a recent newspaper interview, Bill Wyman claims he has no regrets about leaving the Rolling Stones back in 1993. He might not be playing Glastonbury this year, or re-joining the band at Hyde Park this summer but the former bass player reckons he’s happier than the band members he left behind.