For me, the strangest moment during last night’s flurry of Arcade Fire activity – Bowie! two videos! world tour! – was the footage of the band stepping out of a limousine in Montreal wearing giant papier mâché heads.

Jaan Uhelszki, as you may have seen in the current issue of Uncut, recently spent some time with Bill Callahan at his home in Austin. One of Jaan’s great skills is her ability to conduct a forensic sweep of any environment she finds herself in, and on Callahan’s bookshelves, she notes, are “Bass Playing For Dummies… a King Tubby DVD… Learning Spanish by Michael Thomas, ‘The Language Teacher To The Stars’… a Stephen Crane reader.”

Of all the guitarists associated with the Takoma School, it’s hard to think of one who imbued folk music with quite as much mystical portent as Robbie Basho. 1978’s “Visions Of The Country”, his tenth album, is a fantastic case in point: “I would paint for you a portrait of North America as a beautiful woman,” he wrote in the original sleevenotes, “when she was young and untamed.”

I guess there are probably worse jobs to return to after a fortnight’s holiday. I arrived back in the Uncut office yesterday to be greeted by a big pile of new releases, which I’m still picking my way through. Currently playing: Track Two of Damon’s reissued “Song Of A Gypsy” – “Generally regarded,” it says here in the press release, “as one of the finest privately-pressed psychedelic rock records” of the late ‘60s. We shall see.

David Byrne & St Vincent at End Of The Road 2013 - review Ethan Johns at End Of The Road 2013 - review Eels at End Of The Road 2013 – review Parquet Courts at End Of The Road 2013 – review Mike Heron & Trembling Bells at End Of The Road 2013 – review William Tyler at End Of The Road 2013 - review Belle & Sebastian might not have surprised anyone with their last two albums, 2006's The Life Pursuit and 2010's Write About Love, but it seems their fans' love for them is growing even deeper - these two are their highest charting records, in the UK and America.

Belle And Sebastian at End Of The Road 2013 - review Ethan Johns at End Of The Road 2013 - review David Byrne & St Vincent at End Of The Road 2013 - review Eels at End Of The Road 2013 – review Parquet Courts at End Of The Road 2013 – review Mike Heron & Trembling Bells at End Of The Road 2013 – review One of the highlights of this weekend's Uncut Tipi Tent is almost certainly William Tyler's performance on Sunday afternoon. It's hot and dry in Dorset, and Tyler's dusty, crystalline solo guitar pieces are the perfect counterparts.

Belle And Sebastian at End Of The Road 2013 - review David Byrne & St Vincent at End Of The Road 2013 - review Ethan Johns at End Of The Road 2013 - review Eels at End Of The Road 2013 – review Parquet Courts at End Of The Road 2013 – review William Tyler at End Of The Road 2013 - review Mike Heron of The Incredible String Band has teamed up with Trembling Bells a number of times over the last couple of years - in fact, I saw them almost exactly two years ago to the day at London's Vortex Jazz Bar.

Belle And Sebastian at End Of The Road 2013 - review David Byrne & St Vincent at End Of The Road 2013 - review Eels at End Of The Road 2013 – review Parquet Courts at End Of The Road 2013 – review Mike Heron & Trembling Bells at End Of The Road 2013 – review William Tyler at End Of The Road 2013 - review Producer turned artist is weird enough, but Ryan Adams producer Ethan Johns playing new songs produced by Ryan Adams is even stranger...

Belle And Sebastian at End Of The Road 2013 - review Eels at End Of The Road 2013 – review Parquet Courts at End Of The Road 2013 – review Ethan Johns at End Of The Road 2013 - review Mike Heron & Trembling Bells at End Of The Road 2013 – review William Tyler at End Of The Road 2013 - review When David Byrne and Annie Clark got together to make an album you wouldn't necessarily have imagined they'd be united by brass - especially the kind of brass parts that can only be described as 'fidgety'.

Belle And Sebastian at End Of The Road 2013 - review Eels at End Of The Road 2013 – review David Byrne & St Vincent at End Of The Road 2013 – review Ethan Johns at End Of The Road 2013 - review Mike Heron & Trembling Bells at End Of The Road 2013 – review William Tyler at End Of The Road 2013 - review This time last year they were unknowns self-releasing their Light Up Gold album in a limited run, but now New York/Texas indie-punks Parquet Courts are packing out the Big Top tent at End Of The Road.