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Free as a bird
A new photobook captures the rip-roaring spirit of Lynyrd Skynyrd in their prime
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Who is that man?
Bob Dylan plugs in with The Heartbreakers for a surprise Farm Aid set
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The ballad of John and May
John Lennon’s ‘lost weekend’ was actually a productive time for him, both professionally and personally. Companion May Pang tells it from her side
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Let all the children boogie
Unseen photos emerge of David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Greg Lake at Zowie’s fifth birthday party
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Listen, listen
A tranche of recently discovered Sandy Denny lyrics have inspired a new album by Carla Fuchs
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Sketches of Miles
A new graphic novel attempts to depict the sounds, as well as the stories, of “complicated dude” Miles Davis
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Drum club
Post-punk the psychedelic, gospel choir pounders Lol Tolhurst and Budgie team up with Jacknife Lee and big-name pals for electro-rock odyssey
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Heads reunited!
Uncut is there as the four members of Talking Heads share a stage for the first time in more than two decades
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Setting
Cosmic improv folk that flows like the river Eno
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Mabe Fratti
The best avant-garde pop cellist since Arthur Russell
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Uncut Playlist
On the stereo this month…
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KRISTIN HERSH
The Throwing Muses supremo talks wild swimming, Stipe’s surprise duet and how she found her Clear Pond Road
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The Planet That You’re On
Introducing… Lankum’s Uncut CD
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NEW ALBUMS
Jack Cooper gets his head together in the country.
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SUBSCRIBE TODAY AND SAVE £52.65!*
PLUS! Get a free Sounds Of The New West double album**
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WRECKLESS ERIC
The punk-era survivor talks seaside towns, polyester suits, Ian Dury’s drumming and getting hit on by Elton John
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SUFJAN STEVENS
Spirituality, self-doubt and a Neil Young cover on Sufjan’s latest.
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EMMA ANDERSON
Lush songwriter finally takes centre-stage.
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THE ROLLING STONES
Post-Charlie, the Stones come out fighting.
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ANIMAL COLLECTIVE
Avey Tare: “A sweet, live-in-the-room sound”
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ROBERT FINLEY
Late-blooming Southern troubadour’s bawdy, swamp-infused fourth.
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Q&A
“This album has energy!”
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MADNESS
Nutty Boys do Samuel Beckett in concept album that explores the oddities of life from middle age.
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ISRAEL NASH
Relocated New Yorker takes a trip into heartland rock
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Q&A
Suggs: “We had to learn to share ideas”
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THE FEELIES
Bill Million on their live tribute to an Underground legend
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THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM
Nine years after Get Hurt, normal service is resumed.
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AtoZ
This month…
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JEFFREY MARTIN
Shed sessions spawn a spellbinding fourth album.
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DANIEL VILLARREAL
Second from the polymath Panamanian drummer, in a trio.
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Archive
The punk-pop outfit’s Tommy Ramone-produced fourth, overhauled and expanded.
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Q&A
Jeffrey Martin: “It felt like it didn’t need anything else”
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BEIRUT
Zach Condon on terror, healing and home fires
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JONI MITCHELL
Glorious collection of outtakes, demos and live tracks explore Mitchell’s continued musical and emotional journey.
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CONNIE LOVATT
Folksy beauty from understated singer-songwriter and one-time Smog collaborator.
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HAWKWIND
Legendary live double receives extensive boxset treatment.
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Q&A
Connie Lovatt: “Insomnia was the central devil”
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SARAH DAVACHI
Composer’s archive renders beauty and variety.
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DANIELLE HOWLE
Southern songwriter-poet gets reanimated on 16th studio work
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MARTIAN HIGHS
How to buy Mouse On Mars
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DHANI HARRISON
“I hear music fully formed in my head…”
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VARIOUS ARTISTS
Vintage no-fi black psych from the funkiest, fuzziest corners of the crates
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DENNIS BOVELL
Oft-extraordinary London dub from the Matumbi axis
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DANIEL BACHMAN
Virginian’s future-folk collage.
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FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION
Once again defying sonic expectations, WILCO return with a new album rich in experimental, art-rock flourishes. But, as JEFF TWEEDY explains, the path to Cousin proved challenging as they re-evaluated and rebuilt the entire record in the company of guest producer Cate Le Bon. Here Tweedy explains how methodology, autobiography and falling in love with albums that “aren’t easy” continue to shape Wilco as they reach their third decade. “The challenge gets bigger every year for sure,” he tells Michael Bonner
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Q&A
Daniel Bachman on being “frustrated with the limitations of the solo guitar”
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LARGE PLANTS
Seductive solo second from Wolf People mainman.
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“Wilco with a different lighting director”
Cate Le Bon on producing Cousin
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“It takes a long time to reinvent the wheel”
Nels Cline reflects on Wilco’s most recent 10 years
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Q&A
Jack Sharp reveals his sonic and lyrical influences
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CRAIC ADDICTS
The rabble-rousing antics and do-it-yourself spirit of THE MARY WALLOPERS have brought a raucous power to traditional Irish music not seen since the heyday of The Pogues. Uncut gets the Guinness in and hears how they’ve gone from lockdown livestreams to festival favourites, tapping into the political power of folk, punk and hip-hop. “We’re not preachy,” they tell Tom Pinnock. “You don’t need to be a miserable cunt, you can have fun with it.”
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ACETONE
One of the ’90s’ great lost bands boxed up for long-overdue reappraisal.
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IMMACULATE CONCOCTION
The story behind the Wallopers’ signature tune “Cod Liver Oil & The Orange Juice”
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Crime & The City Solution
Tracing the tracks of Simon Bonney’s ever-evolving, continent-hopping band
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Q&A
Mark Lightcap: “We were so out of step”
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BOB MARLEY
Reggae milestone with live extras.
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Higher Powers
A prodigy of Sun Ra and John Coltrane, PHAROAH SANDERS merged jazz and spiritualism to forge a transcendent new sound. With Pharoah’s ground-breaking, self-titled 1977 album reissued this month, John Lewis explores its creator’s master plan. “There was always a touch of the Biblical prophet about Pharoah,” reveals one eyewitness. “The spirit seemed to radiate through every note he played.”
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Q&A
Photographer Arthur Gorson on meeting Bob Marley in ’73
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AtoZ
This month…
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HAROLD BUDD
Key cuts and collaborations from an ambient master
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PHAROAH GOES DISCO!
1978’s ill-advised dalliance with slick R&B
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MOTOR ON
Over 30 years since their debut A Catholic Education, TEENAGE FANCLUB continue to refine their brand of timeless songwriting. But with a new album due – the brilliant Nothing Lasts Forever – the band convene in a Glasgow rehearsal room to reveal the secrets of their longevity. “You’ve got to try things that don’t work,” hears Alastair McKay
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MYRIAM GENDRON
A poetry-inspired debut gets a welcome re-release.
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Q&A
Myriam Gendron: “It helped me grow”
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JOIN OUR CLUBS
Extracurricular highlights
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GUIDING LIGHT
Blake and McGinley’s most treasured records
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EARTH
Drone-metal pioneers’ debut LP, plus remixes.
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Q&A
Dylan Carlson: “What the fuck was I thinking back then?”
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Total Control by The Motels
How the LA new wavers turned a “very fast, very angry” thrash into an enduring slice of yearning minimalism
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To Kingdom Come
ROBBIE ROBERTSON helped change the course of music – twice. First, as Bob Dylan’s sidekick on his legendary 1966 world tour and again as songwriter and guitarist for The Band. It was as their guiding spirit that he conjured a mythic and timeless vision of American music whose influence endures to this day. “His passing,” wrote Dylan, “leaves a vacancy in the world.” Here, Richard Williams pays tribute to a remarkable body of work – and its complex creator. On p89, meanwhile, VAN MORRISON recalls his enduring friendship with Robertson: “We were from the old school.”
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RICHARD HAWLEY
“It was worth all the terror…”
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McDONALD AND GILES
Folk, funk, fusion and balladry.
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“There was no stress…”
Photographer ELLIOTT LANDY on documenting The Band
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“We used to talk on the phone all the time”
Van Morrison recalls a collaborator and previous neighbour
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IBRAHIM HESNAWI
Songs of freedom collected.
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NO APOLOGIES
Forged amidst unimaginable turmoil, Nirvana’s raw, uncompromising third album is now regarded by many as their definitive statement. As its 30th anniversary is commemorated by a new boxset, Krist Novoselic, Steve Albini and others close to the band ponder the difficult birth and tragic yet triumphant legacy of In Utero
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“Let’s not use the word ‘genius’, let’s not talk about that stuff…”
After decades in limbo, THE WHO’s abandoned Life House project is finally seeing the light of day – as part of a mammoth boxset along with its successor, Who’s Next. But as he attempts to unravel the complex relationship between this legendary lost album and the band’s unalloyed masterpiece, PETE TOWNSHEND also has other things to consider. Not least, what’s next for him and his surviving bandmate, Roger Daltrey: “I don’t have a unique vision for The Who going forward,” he reveals to Rob Hughes
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“I WAS BLOWN AWAY”
Glyn Johns on recording Who’s Next
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THE BANDMEMBER
KRIST NOVOSELIC: “Somehow the band came together”
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THE RECORDING ENGINEER
STEVE ALBINI: “Everything sounded great from the first moment”
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“IT STRUCK A CHORD”
David Arbus on “Baba O’Riley”
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“IT SPOKE TO PEOPLE”
Ethan Russell on shooting the album cover
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THE LABELMATE
LEE RANALDO, SONIC YOUTH: “Kurt’s lyrics were incredible”
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THE SUPPORT BAND
CHRIS BROKAW, COME: “The audiences were totally pumped”
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THE PRESS OFFICER
JIM MERLIS: “You had a feeling that the good guys are winning”
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DEVO
Are we not elder statesmen? Postmodern synth-punks whip it one last time
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THE FAN
STUART BRAITHWAITE, MOGWAI: “In Utero sounds timeless”
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The Boy With The Arab Strap
How a track that one bandmember thought “sounded like fucking Chas & Dave” became a fan favourite and set staple
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ARTHUR VEROCAI
Brazilian maestro revisits his much-cherished 1972 album with a full orchestra
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Keep it rural!
Join WILL OLDHAM in his native Louisville, where Pilates sessions with Slint, visits to local music institutions and the secret history of discoballs reveal the hidden truths behind his latest Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy album. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pile of dulcimers in my life,” he confesses to Stephen Deusner
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Keeping Secrets: The Movie
Will Oldham explains his innovative new film based on the album
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FILMS
Last orders for Loach’s socially aware oeuvre?; when small investors took on Wall Street; children of the revolution reunited…
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How to buy…
Recent collaborations
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LOST ANGEL: THE GENIUS OF JUDEE SILL
An unsung heroine’s under-documented life story benefits from a creative retelling
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COMMERCIAL BREAKS
With their anthemic songs about teenage dissent, and featuring one of punk’s greatest female icons in their lineup, THE ADVERTS were among the breakout stars from the class of ’77 – and the unlikely chart invaders behind an eye-catchingly grisly Top 20 hit. But just as they reached a ferocious peak with their debut album, TV Smith and Gaye Advert tell Dave Simpson, “we were scrambling around trying to afford to eat”.
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“HE BELIEVED IN US”
Michael Dempsey, the ill-fated Adverts manager who was with them all the way
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EXPLORER!
A buyer’s guide to the post-Adverts TV Smith
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Jason Isbell
The Trucker turned outspoken solo songwriter discusses career highlights
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Not Fade Away
Fondly remembered this month…
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Feedback
Email letters@uncut.co.uk. Or tweet us at twitter.com/uncutmagazine
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INTO THE MYSTIC
As they head towards the end of their most triumphant year yet – with a magnificent album, a series of stunning live performances and an unlikely nomination for the Mercury Prize – LANKUM tell Uncut about the roots of the music, the solidarity of weirdos, “doom yoga” and more. “Strange things keep happening to us,” they confide to Stephen Troussé. “But we never expected this…”
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BUYER’S GUIDE
Though this year’s False Lankum saw them nominated for the Mercury Prize and broadcast live on primetime BBC, the band’s journey to the edge of the mainstream has been decades in the making…
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Crossword
One vinyl copy of Modern Nature’s No Fixed Point In Space
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DÉJÀ VU
As the unofficial court photographer for ’60s rock royalty, HENRY DILTZ shot everyone from Joni to The Doors. But his pictures of DAVID CROSBY, STEPHEN STILLS, GRAHAM NASH and NEIL YOUNG remain his most potent and enduring. Here, he opens his archive to reveal a trove of previously unpublished photographs of his most celebrated charges. “We never thought this was history when he was shooting us,” says Nash…
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A Whole New Thing
Lighting up the ’60s, SLY STONE was the funkadelic revolutionary who broke racial boundaries, preached mind-expanding messages of unity and conquered Woodstock – before his life-affirming creative vision was replaced by darkness, drugs and isolation. Now music’s legendary recluse is finally coming back into the light. Over the next 12 pages, we present an exclusive extract from Stone’s long-awaited autobiography, hear eyewitness reports of his mercurial genius in full flight and – finally! – speak to the elusive legend himself. “The concept was music,” he tells us.
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Will Sergeant
Echo & The Bunnymen’s guitarist reveals his distinctly un-punk inspirations: “What can I say, I love prog rock!”
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“High on everything!”
In this exclusive extract from his autobiography, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), SLY STONE recalls the band’s breakthrough in 1968 – “a year where everything happened” – and the aftermath of their incendiary appearance at Woodstock
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“That charisma is fully intact”
Thank You’s ghostwriter Ben Greenman reveals what it was like to collaborate with Sly Stone on the book
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Family Affair
Drummer GREG ERRICO brought groove and pulse to Sly & The Family Stone’s musical revolution. Here, he recalls the band’s imperial phase – and their great undoing. “The challenges and intensity were big…”
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Waking up Woodstock
“A very cool, powerful thing”
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“So much of it was about forgiveness”
SLY STONE comes clean! In an exclusive interview, the flamboyant trailblazer tells Uncut about music, Woodstock and memory…
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Dance To The Music!
15 key tracks from The Family Stone’s imperious peak
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END OF THE ROAD
No clichés required: at this utopian festival, even the most out-there acts are rapturously received
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BRIDGET ST JOHN & STEVE GUNN
Intimate, autumnal tunes to suit the bucolic setting
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SCREEN
Scorsese revisits America’s dark recent history; a long, strange trip into an artist’s past; time-travel narcotics; and more…
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SCREEN EXTRA
Troubled troubadour's tragic life story told… with some shortcomings.
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Endless Harmony
Uncut picks the best over-ear headphones
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Not Fade Away
Fondly remembered this month…
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Crossword
One LP copy of Jeffrey Martin’s Thank God We Left The Garden
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Juliana Hatfield
The Boston indie-rocker picks her essential eight: “Music for me was always about transmitting honesty and emotion”