Belatedly following this fine haul, another really good list this week, involving as it does a couple of high-security things which I can’t discuss at the moment and plenty I can.

Good list, this one, I reckon. Among some really nice arrivals from old favourites: a new Voice Of The Seven Thunders remix EP; a stripped-back one from Hiss Golden Messenger; Etienne Jaumet’s Zombie Zombie project ramping up the Carpenter vibes; The Reigning Sound’s Greg Cartwright and Raconteur/Greenhorne Patrick Keeler in The Parting Gifts; and, maybe best of all, the debut album by Hans Chew, who you might know from his piano-playing on various Jack Rose and Helix jams. A lot more about that one, especially, soon.

Bit of a mixed bag here: let me enthusiastically flag the Secret Sisters, Wooden Wand, Dean McPhee, Imaad Wasif and The Fresh And Onlys, and maintain a dignified silence about a few of the other records on the playlist this week.

After last week’s kind of dutiful list, some better things on this one, I think. Headline news, I guess, is the arrival of the Avey Tare album, though I’m also very taken with the new single from Forest Swords, and of course the much-needed official reissue of Peter Walker’s debut.

First up, if you’ve been enjoying the Nick Cave business in the new issue of Uncut, something useful showed up on our Twitter feed the other day: a Spotify playlist of our Top 30 Cave tracks compiled by Wavey Davey 001. Thanks for that.

Another busy week; busy enough to put me off expending any energy on the ritual travesties of the Mercury Music Prize. Then again, I guess holding out hopes for a Voice Of The Seven Thunders nomination would’ve been more deranged than optimistic; and there have been worse shortlists. Fingers crossed for Wild Beasts, or, indeed, for “critics’ favourites” the XX. Finally playing These New Puritans, as I type…

Profuse apologies, once again, for sketchy service over the past week or so: a lot of grappling with the print mag on my plate, which has meant the blog’s been passed over, unfortunately.

Quite an interesting list this week. A little glossing necessary, maybe. Maximum Balloon is the David Sitek side project, which I must confess to having been pretty sceptical about (much love for TV On The Radio notwithstanding), but which, on the basic of the five tracks I’ve heard, sounds terrific. Not unlike TV On The Radio, especially when the guys from TV On The Radio sing.

Some respite, finally, from the Great Lost goose chase – though I probably should reassure JB23 that Miracle Legion’s “Me And Mr Ray” makes it into the 50 list we’ve published in the new Uncut.

Possibly there may be other matters preoccupying English readers today (and some American ones, come to that), and I can’t pretend that all the records here – the new MIA album, for instance – might be suitable for taking the potential pain away.