Caught in the net: Don your app the Mancunian way

The novelty of repeating the mantra "There's an app for that!" to each other in constant mumbling recognition of Apple's dominance over the mobile phone market may have worn off, but don't tell the organisers of the In the City festival in Manchester, who've developed their own iPhone offering for this year's event.

With 250 bands appearing at more than 20 venues next week, the app is designed to help attendees schedule which performances to see, map out their journeys around the city and even tell them which bands are trending in realtime. Using Twitter to generate a "buzz chart", festival-goers can pick their way between up-and-coming acts on the bill, including Egyptian Hip Hop, Chiddy Bang and Architects. With festival wristbands just £29, the app is even better value; download it free at ind.pn/9ZODBK

Pop's new Picassos brush up well

Sticking with the theme of all things Mancunian, hotly-tipped Northern indie pop buzz band Everything Everything are gaining critical popularity at a steady pace, with endorsements from Zane Lowe to the NME, who've dubbed them "pop's new Picassos". Can anyone remember who pop's old Picassos were? No matter - exclusively for this week's column, we're giving away a copy of the Invisible remix of their breakout single from last year, "My Kz, Ur Bf". Starting with vocals so gentle they'd make Guy Garvey blush, it's the segue into trip-hop disco territory, which makes it the strange little gem it is. Download it free at ind.pn/8XfA9b

Lewis sets the record straight

Did Radiohead really rewrite the rulebook on how to achieve commercial success without repeating yourself with Kid A? Ten years on from its release, NME.com's Luke Lewis makes the point that "the cool response to Kid A is one of those mistakes - like over-praising Be Here Now - that record buyers have never really forgiven the music press for." Illustrating his point with videos from the album, his online-only essay, which examines its chilly critical reception and the recognition it went on to achieve, is definitely worth a read, at ind.pn/bdItsj

Animal Collective take a break

Bands as hip as Animal Collective aren't supposed to sound as good as they have for as long as they have, which probably makes it no bad thing that the Baltimore four-piece are taking some time apart to recharge their batteries. As part of the break, the singer Avey Tare's been working on a solo album entitled Down There, and Pitchfork are streaming the excellent ''Lucky 1" in advance of its release on 26 October. Give it a listen at ind.pn/au8QPg