Arab Strap return with a characteristically grim-but-humorous state of the nation report after 30 years in the game.

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Dennis Locorriere was the singer of Dr Hook’s hit singles Sylvia’s Mother, Sexy Eyes and When You’re In Love With A Beautiful Woman. But he was not the one with the eye patch and cowboy hat.

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If you had challenged AI to come up with a “classic” Eurovision song it might well have come up with last Bulgaria’s winner, Bangaranga by Dara.

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This is my new favourite duet. Which is quite something considering I’m not a fan of Aussie punksters Amyl & The Sniffers.

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I’m not sure what to make of The Veils. On the one hand they sound like a lot of stuff I love. On this track that stuff is The Bad Seeds.

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The Stones return, more than 60 years after their arrival, with an irresistible slice of vintage rock’n’roll.

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Anika has carved out a niche as a kind of modern-day Nico, bringing glacial cool to her dub-infused electro music.

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Bodega are the archetypal hipster band. They’re like an updated version of The Strokes, but without the privilege and PR overkill.

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David Allan Coe was an asshole; about that there can be little disagreement. A self-mythologising braggart, he was never slow to trade on his troubled past, even if much of it was in his imagination.

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I have to confess I didn’t know the name Beverley Martyn until I read of her death at the age of 79. More fool me.

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