I know it’s a blogger’s imperative to write about albums several months before they’re actually released, but sometimes, it takes a little longer for me to get the hang of a record. Amusingly, I’m usually slow to like records which are immediately acclaimed elsewhere for their brilliance, accessibility and so on.

Emerging from the REM binge today, we’ve had a go at the excellent debut album from Fuck Buttons, which I’ll write something about soon. And also, from a quixotic stream on a distant computer, I caught some of the Portishead record.

Thanks for all your comments on the REM blog I posted yesterday. I thought it might be useful if I tried to answer a few of your questions – as best as I can, anyway.

With the Texan flag pinned proudly to their stage amp, post-grunge instrumental four-piece Explosions In The Sky played a solid hour-long set to a rammed London Astoria, to finish up their long delayed UK tour last night...

OK, then, I must admit I’ve been sceptical about this one, so disillusioned by “Around The Sun” (three good, if woefully overproduced, songs notwithstanding) that I didn’t even bother to check out any bootlegs of those “live rehearsal” gigs from Dublin last year. . . More fool me, it transpires.

Some big new entries on this latest playlist, not least the arrival of REM's much-anticipated "Accelerate".

By some immeasurably strong act of will, I’ve refrained from banging on about the Boredoms round these parts for the best part of three months – ever since, in fact, they played the best show I saw in 2007.

Wandering around Pitchfork yesterday, I came across this story about one of my old favourites, John 'Speedo' Reis.

Great title, for a start, though I have little idea what it means. I just put “Mountain Battles” on for the third, maybe fourth time, and I’m beginning to get the hang of it. For a start, it sounds like something of a departure.

The Oscar-nominated star of film sensation 'Juno' tells us about her future plans, Canada and The Moldy Peaches