Caught in the Net: Seeing is believing for a soulful comeback

Soul-tinged US alt-rockers The Afghan Whigs recently reunited and last week produced their first song in over five years.

At theafghanwhigs.com, the song can be downloaded in return for an email address. "See and Don't See" is a moody cover of a 1970 track by soul/funk singer Marie "Queenie" Lyons. A fine return to the fold.

Folk-pop debut is no embarrassment

When the French folk-pop singer Mina Tindle supported fellow Gallic artist Camille at the Barbican recently, you could tell the lesser-known musician had fairly slayed the audience, when before her final song, someone shouted out for Tindle to introduce herself. With an air of mild embarrassment, she told the audience her name – they cheered loudly; job done. And she'll likely be met with similar approval following next week's release of her debut LP, Taranta. Following in the line of artful pop from the likes of Feist, Taranta is a lovely, confident 14-track record, flitting effortlessly from French to English lyrics; from guitar folk to expansive pop with jazzy inflections. Listen to a stream of the album HERE.

A positive judgement for Ocean's lo-fi sketch

Rap collective Odd Future's singer-in-chief Frank Ocean posted a new song to his tumblr over the weekend. With the simple words "just at home fuckin around, no judging", he offered up a lo-fi video and lyrics to the track at frankocean.tumblr.com. In the untitled sketch of a song, Ocean plays some sparse keyboard notes and displays his impressive vocal range over a tale of doomed love.