The Bonus Track: Art of Noise, Daniel Romano, Anna Calvi and David Byrne, Jack White

Pop protracted

We tend to remember the 1980s as a decade of excess, and nowhere more so than in the music industry – suddenly no song was complete without an “extended” version. It did not always suit the raw material (did Siouxsie and the Banshees “Spellbound”, say, really need the ­“12-inch” treatment?) but it worked wonders on Frankie’s “Relax” and many others which have now been collected on a three-CD set called, appropriately enough, Extended 80s (out now). One of the collection’s successes is the Art of Noise’s (above) “Close to the Edit”, which mostly irritated at the time but now sounds like a masterclass in early sampling techniques

What Romano did for us

Fans of “both kinds of music” (ie country and western) rejoice, the incredible Daniel Romano is heading to the UK. So if the idea of a modern-day George Jones has got you scrabbling to Spotify or YouTube and liking what you’re hearing, best get your tickets now as Romano is playing tiny venues and those in the know, well they know. Watch Romano do his stuff on “Two Pillow Sleeper”

Home on the strange

What happens when three unique musical talents come together? The answer is “Strange Weather”, a great song in its original form by Keren Ann, now made better by having been recorded as a duet by Anna Calvi and David Byrne for Calvi’s five-track covers EP (out 14 July). Watch the video for “Strange Weather”

Next week’s biggie

Kevin Harley’s reviews Jack White’s Lazaretto. Listen to the title track