Paul Heaton releases his brand new single and album in September 2010 and will be touring the UK. ‘The Ladder’s Bottom Rung’ sees Heaton sing of ‘The folk you learn to trust the most, Are the folk with hardly any’ which is a celebration of honesty and morality set to a hook-laden classic pop tune. The song is taken from ‘Acid Country’ released a week after the single on 13th September. Having recently made a headline appearance on the Leftfield Stage at Glastonbury in June and played a storming set at Latitude, shows at V Festival follow in August and a full tour in September. He has also just been announced as support on the Madness tour for November/December.

Richard Thompson, one of the most distinguished guitarists and songwriters of our time, returns with Dream Attic, a magnificent collection of 13 new songs, due out August 30th on Proper Records. Penned during a short and inspired burst of creative outpouring, Thompson captured the awesome energy of his live show by recording the album in front of an audience. “I don’t think musicians playing on their own are particularly interesting, it’s only when they play in front of an audience that something interesting happens,” Thompson said in an interview at the show. The songs were performed during a West Coast tour in February of this year, and the bulk of the performances that made the album come from three shows at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

The Burns Unit are an 8-piece Scottish-Canadian “supergroup” whose multi-faceted sound can be described as “indie pop meets carnival rock.” Their debut album ‘Side Show’ will be released on August 2nd on Proper Music with a digital single ‘Trouble’ on August 23rd.

The Burns Unit features: award-winning folk singer Karine Polwart; alt-folk royalty King Creosote and indie queen Emma Pollock plus Indo-Caledonian pop artist Future Pilot AKA; elegant multi-instrumentalist Kim Edgar; drummer/producer Mattie Foulds; energetic piano-man Michael Johnston (both from Canada) and virtuosic rapper MC Soom T.

The legendary Jimmie Vaughan, co founder of The Fabulous Thunderbirds, brother of the iconic Stevie Ray Vaughan, is back with a new album ‘Blues, Ballads & Favorites’.

‘Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’ is about a young man’s effort to grow up sane in a bonkers world.

Raised in the highlands of Scotland and immigrating to Berlin for inspiration, Jim Kroft, with nowhere to stay on arrival, was given shelter in an abandoned building by the Tacheles Arts Community – a cabal of artists and squatters stationed in the heart of the East Side.

Katatonia new album ‘Night Is The New Day’ is released today in the UK.

It was recorded throughout July 2009 & was co-produced, engineered and mixed by David Castillo. Recording was divided between Studio Mega (for drums) and Ghost Ward Studios, where most recording took place & which provided a dose of inspiration from the darker corners of life with it’s choice of location, as Anders describes:

“Broken glass, blood on the walls at the front door to the building and threatening messages written on the elevator – Even excrement and urine on the floor in the basement that makes you wonder if the caretaker is a serial killer himself”

Mastering was completed at Fascination Street Studios (where ‘The Great Cold Distance’ was recorded) with Jens Bogren.

A continuation of the heaviness, depth & atmosphere of their previous album, ‘Night Is the New Day’ is also a more multi-dimensional effort – waltzing between prog moments, doom, folk & the classic melodic anthems that are the staple of Katatonia’s uncompromising sound, completed by the haunting tones of Jonas Renkse’s vocal journeys of urban & emotional decay.

‘Night is the New Day’ is Katatonia’s eighth studio album. It was recorded throughout July 2009 & was co-produced, engineered and mixed by David Castillo. Recording was divided between Studio Mega (for drums) and Ghost Ward Studios, where most recording took place & which provided a dose of inspiration from the darker corners of life with it’s choice of location, as Anders describes: “Broken glass, blood on the walls at the front door to the building and threatening messages written on the elevator – Even excrement and urine on the floor in the basement that makes you wonder if the caretaker is a serial killer himself”

he most ferocious roots guitarist from the UK since The Yardbirds, 22-year-old Isle of Man born Davy Knowles returns to the UK with his band Back Door Slam and a brand new album “Coming Up For Air” produced by Grammy Award-winning guitarist Peter Frampton and mixed by Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, The Who and Paul McCartney). Davy Knowles has spent the last two years on a US blues pilgrimage wowing audiences in every state, even giving guitar legend Jeff Beck a run for his money, having just finished a support tour with him. He has rubbed shoulders with many other guitar greats, opening for the likes of The Who, Kid Rock, Chickenfoot, Joe Bonamassa, Lynyrd Skynrd, Buddy Guy, Eric Burdon and George Thorogood.

Speed Caravan started performing as a trio: Haddab, with bass player and long-time friend Pascal ‘Pasco’ Teillet; and electronic beat mistress and former Ekova member, Hermione Frank. Word of mouth spread, as audiences marvelled at Haddab’s flamboyant, frenetic style (not for nothing has he been called the Hendrix of the oud); at the way Pasco’s bass underlined the oud’s arabesques; at the way Frank grooved at her computer. Later the trio were joined by deft percussion skills and throaty vocals of Moroccan-born Mohamed ‘Simo’ Bouamar, who kept the vibe firmly in the East.

This week The Voluntary Butler Scheme debut album ‘The Voluntary Butler Scheme At Breakfast, Dinner, Tea’ will be stream as album exclusive on My Space – so what are you waiting for www.myspace.com/thevoluntarybutlerscheme.