Michelle Zauner, driving force behind Japanese Breakfast, takes David Chiu through her life in 13 records, from foundational encounters with Motown, the beauty of Pacific Northwestern indie, and the inspiration she found in Mount Eerie and Joanna Newsom
As they release their first studio album for decades and prepare to play the London Scala, Luke Turner talks to Benin's Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou about their religious differences, James Brown, playing with Fela Kuti, and their remarkable return
Crafting post-apocalyptic black metal suites with drums and hammered dulcimer, The Botanist's music imagines a future where the remnants of humanity have once again been swallowed up by primordial flora. Louis Pattison digs a little deeper
Two decades since the release of their debut single, 'The First Big Weekend' – and 10 years since they called it a day – Arab Strap are back with a handful of reunion shows, and a new compilation. They give Nicola Meighan a guided tour of their favourite singles, furthest-flung rarities and bizarrest 'self-destructive ideas'