Back in the office after a day off, but this is more or less what we played earlier in the week. First up this morning is the new Hot Chip album, which makes for a very good start to the day.

Three weeks ago, I was fortunate enough to be in New York interviewing Jack White for what will be Uncut’s next cover story. The trip took in White’s unveiling of his two new bands on Saturday Night Live (you can watch the performances here) and a couple of pretty intense one-on-ones, the first of which became a fairly epic grapple of sorts.

An amazing vernal equinox morning here in London, and a fine walk through the city: down St John Street, into Smithfield, past St Paul’s and the rat-run of old streets down to the river, and over the Millennium Bridge.

News from Phil King on the Jesus And Mary Chain tour in Texas, yesterday, that Ty Segall was due to support them at a show. A pretty cool gig, one would imagine, and a useful prompt to remind me to write something about the latest release from Segall, especially since he’s promising – and it would be rash to disbelieve him, given his fecundity in the past two or three years – another couple of albums in the next few months.

Thanks for all your kind words over the past couple of weeks about the relaunched mag. I know this will undoubtedly read like self-justifying hype on our part, but we have been genuinely thrilled and overwhelmed by how positive the response has been.

For various reasons. I found myself in New York the other week, and in a resiliently unhip part of Williamsburg at a bar called Don Pedro. The opportunity had come up to see one of my favourite artists of the past couple of years, a firebrand piano man called Hans Chew, whose debut solo album, “Tennessee And Other Stories”, was a surprise entry at the sharp end of Uncut’s 2010 Top 50 (Lots more on that here).

A lot on today, so I’ll have to be swift. But as you can see, a lot of exciting new things on the playlist this week, especially near the start. The Hans Chew track, incidentally, is a free download, and is hugely recommended.

Up to our necks in it here, finishing the first Uncut Ultimate Music Guide of 2012. Hopefully a good few of you will have now seen our relaunched new issue with Bowie on the cover: please let me know what you think, either in the Facebook Comments below or via Twitter - www.twitter.com/JohnRMulvey.

Apologies for occupying yet more space on www.uncut.co.uk with another load of hype about our relaunched magazine, but I thought it worth pointing a couple of things out here, now that the issue has finally reached the shops in the UK.

Some stats: it has been 27 years since the last Dexys album, and nine since they released two new songs ("Manhood" and "My Life in England") on a compilation album that coincided with their reunion tour.