Will Oldham transforms transgender harpist

Slow-burning desert rock from Kurt Cobain’s old drugs-and-guns chum

Plus, new releases by Earth, Laura Marling and Baby Dee - find out what to buy next week

The singer announces nine new UK dates

Motorhead and Judas Priest also lined up for Donigton

I’ve just been reading your comments on yesterday’s Vampire Weekend blog – thanks for those. They helped me crystallise my thoughts about that much-vaunted African influence on the album. What’s interesting, I think, is not that they draw on African sounds, but how they point up the affinities between that spindly, melodically cartwheeling guitar sound and the indie-rock tradition.

If you blinked you would have missed it though

The band's first shows since 2005 are proving a hot-ticket

First artists announced for this year's Big Chill

Pirates Of The Carribean to screen back-to-back at London's BFI IMAX