Caught in the Net: Lynch mob boosts Ariani

With a string of wonderful records Cat Power near perfected the indie female singer-songwriter sound. There have been plenty of others chasing behind her; the latest to join the peloton is California-based singer Ariana Delawari who released her debut LP 'Lion of Panjshir' in the US late last year. Streaming on her MySpace,bit.ly/ZkNIV, it's a fine collection of songs. Perhaps what helps Delawari stand out from the Power acolytes is her distinctive background – for US indie music anyway: her family is originally from Kabul. While her voice sounds distinctly LA, and much of the music too, she also travelled back to Afghanistan to record songs with local musicians, offering a wide a palette of sounds. It's an unlikely, but successful combination. Also helping Delawari stand out is that she has a patron in the shape of David Lynch. The revered film-maker released the LP on his own label David Lynch MC. On his website dlftv.com, is an interview with Delawari and promo video for the record directed by Lynch, which was apparently shot on a location originally used in 'Twin Peaks'.

Remix for Rad

Manchester youngsters Egyptian Hip Hop showed up on our radar last summer with the brilliant track, "Rad Pitt", infectiously fusing synths and guitars. Recently on the RCRD LBL site, a remix of the song surfaced, now called "Round Pot (This is Horseflesh Rad Pitt Reincarnation)" - Horseflesh being a pseudonym of one of the band members. In its new incarnation, the guitars are gone, replaced by lots of 'Screamadelica' like dancey piano lines and synth washes but it's still very good indeed – bit.ly/bfBb76. Get two more songs by the four-piece on their MySpace, myspace.com/egyptianhiphop. Hopefully, we'll be hearing a lot more from them soon.

A bit on the side, again

In November, I wrote about three non-album tracks that acclaimed electronica producer Flying Lotus (right) gave away for free through his label Warp – they described them as "side-items to keep his mind from going numb while mixing" his new record. That new album now has name, 'Cosmogramma', and a release date, 3 May. The 17 track record will include a collaboration with Thom Yorke. Prior to this Warp are giving away three more non album tracks at bit.ly/b9ZKk.

Rapper Bun B brings on the Trills

Texan rapper Bun B, formerly of renowned duo UGK , has a new album on the way called 'Trill OG'. In the meantime, however, he has been knocking out new songs and rhymes left and right over mainly lean electro beats. Now a bunch of these tracks, including snippets from the new record and his take on 'American Idol' viral sensation "Pants on the Ground", have been put together on an hour-long mixtape called, oddly, "No Mixtape". Download it at bit.ly/aCsDBG.

May looks merry

British electro-soul experimentalist Jamie Lidell makes joyously bizarre music, flitting between sounds and styles. The first track from his new album 'Compass' manages to continue in this shape-shifting vein while also sounding like a significant departure from his last two, soul-infused LPs. Also called "Compass", it's a six-minute mini- epic, that seems more organic than his earlier work. Pitchfork is streaming it at bit.ly/9HLYwF. It's a fantastic teaser for the full album which arrives on Warp Records in mid-May and was made with the help of Feist, Beck, Grizzly Bear, members of Wilco, Nicca Costa and legendary R&B drummer James Gadson. With Lidell and Flying Lotus LPs, May promises to be a good month for Warp.