The Bonus Track: Independents' Day, Neneh Cherry and Britney...

A sideways look at the world of music

Independents’ day

Sigh. Remember the days when you could buy obscure vinyl records from friendly market stallholders? Well next Saturday you can again, when more than 80 UK and US indie labels set out their stalls (literally) for the third Independent Label Market at London’s Old Spitalfields. Expect goodies galore and signed stuff from big-names (Tom Waits is one, he’s signed to Anti-Records) auctioned off to raise money for the typhoon-hit Philippines.

Child thing!

And while we’re on the subject of the Philippines, a video has been doing the rounds in the UK recently which should give pause for thought to anyone thinking of applying for Britain’s Got Talent or The X Factor. We’re getting used to kids with unreal voices these days, but this eight-year-old boy will ­seriously blow you away.

Sisters bliss

While every band/act/artist on the planet is trying new ways to give their fans “fresh content”, the truth is it’s not always worth having. But this is nice: ahead of their  first UK tour early next year, lovely Indiana-based sister act Lily and Madeleine are posting acoustic versions of all the songs from their self-titled debut album on YouTube.

Cherry on top

Collaborations aside, it’s been more than 16 years since Neneh Cherry last released an album. So the news that the Four Tet-produced Blank Project is due for release in February 2014 is exciting enough, but then Cherry stuck the title track on Soundcloud. It’s not “Buffallo Stance”, for sure, but it’s well worth a listen here.

Next week’s biggie…

Will Kevin Harley get his hands on a review copy of Britney’s Britney Jean album in time? Here’s hoping. ­Meantime, watch the video for “Work Bitch”.