Caught in the Net: Upper case and back on the case

Cat Power is set to release her first album in almost four years (Getty Images)

It's almost four years since we last had a new Cat Power album. She's been in the studio for a while and now we have the first hints of white smoke. Last week on her Twitter account (@catpower), the singer (aka Chan Marshall) wrote: "ALMOST DONE WITH ALBUM. IN 9 DAYS WILL HAVE A SONG AVAILABLE FOR HOLIDAY CHARITY DOWNLOAD WORD !" She followed this up with: "DOODS. DECEMBER 24TH. THE DOWNLOAD IS FOR 1 SONG & VIDEO LIST OF CHARITIES TO CHOOSE FROM DONATE TO DOWNLOAD." She also used Twitter to justify her caps lock useage: "I PREFER ALL CAPS. JADORE ALL CAPS." In short, Power has a new song landing tomorrow at catpowermusic.com as a small Christmas gift to the listener and to various charities. It comes with a video directed by her boyfriend, the actor Giovanni Ribisi, and featuring boxing star Manny Pacquiao.

Beck is no loser in the remix stakes

On her Twitter account (see above) last week, Chan Marshall also linked to a version of Feist's recent single "How Come You Never Go There" remixed by Beck. It's streaming on Feist's Soundcloud page at ind.pn/ udZ44n. For his take on the track, Beck keeps Feist's delicate vocals intact, but offers a jazzed-up take by playing around with the song's prominent horn section and adding in some stuttering sonic ticks. Back on Twitter, Marshall complimented Beck with the words (again, all in caps), "DUDE. SO GOOD." And we can't argue with that.

You say you want an evolution

Feeling in festive mood, Wiley has a new track called "Cheer Up, It's Christmas". Over some twinkling bells and a synth wash, Wiley spits about the conflicted feelings and elements of Christmas: joy, disconnection, booze, family, food. The song is from his forthcoming album, Evolve or be Extinct, released on 19 January through Big Dada Recordings. The track is streaming at ind.pn/uSHCSP.

All sorts of flavour in Liquorice

Harlem rapper Azealia Banks has been anointed the "Next Big Thing" by many, largely off the back of her brilliantly filthy track "212". Last weekend, she put out a new song through her Tumblr blog at azealiabanks.tumblr.com, where she also posted the track's lyrics. Once again showing her thrilling potential and star power, "Liquorice" finds Banks rhyming confidently over a blast of techno, in the shape of UK producer Lone's track "Pineapple Express". Also on Twitter (@AZEALIABANKS), she struck a blow for good spelling, writing: "Liquorice is spelled correctly.... 'Licorice' is the American spelling and 'Liquorice' is the British spelling. Come on people."