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Tracks of the Week: 27th February

Love and uncertainty: melancholy music and intriguing themes prevail in a week of releases from the old and new of the musical spectrum

Interview: Stornoway

On the eve of their farewell tour, Christian Hurry speaks to the beloved folk-pop group about their career highlights and future trajectories

Tracks of the Week: 20th February

Ollie Clack runs through a fun and idiosyncratic new week of releases

Tracks of the Week: 13th February

Death, aging and loss: grim subject matters make for compelling songs in a strong week for new music

Album: The xx – I See You

The interplay between the xx’s members is evident in an album which is both instrumentally varied and emotionally intimate, making I See You their strongest album yet, writes James Gill

Live: Honeyblood

With their refreshingly modest and empowering performance, Honeyblood are ones to watch, writes Nancy Colbert

Alternative ways to celebrate your birthday

Not keen to celebrate your birthday with another night out at Factory? Read this article for some inspiration for an alternative way to enjoy your day

Live: PJ Harvey

A sinister, enthralling set from the award-winning singer proves PJ Harvey’s worth as one of contemporary music’s greatest assets, writes Jack Ashworth

Live: MØ

An energetic, pitch-perfect performance is the perfect gift from the Danish singer to her enthralled audience, writes Tara Bharadia

Live: Blossoms

Stockport’s Blossoms appear thoroughly uninterested by the prospect of a sold-out show at the Academy—so why should the crowd feel differently, asks Meg Roberts

Live: Ultimate Painting

Ultimate Painting’s 1980s-indebted indie pop warms the band’s typically shy audience, writes Joe Taylor

Album: Warpaint – Heads Up

Warpaint could have easily rested on the laurels of their successful 2014 self-titled album, but have progressed nonetheless with a little bit of inspiration from their R&B idols

Album: Bon Iver – 22, A Million

Bon Iver’s third LP challenges every preconception about the artist, but comes off all the better for it, writes Callum Oliver

Album: Preoccupations – Preoccupations

It’s not often that a band gets a second chance at a self-titled album, but Preoccupations use the opportunity to develop their dark sound

Album: How To Dress Well – Care

How To Dress Well’s new album is a mundane departure from the project’s alluring roots, writes Rosie Francesca Gill

Festival review: Dot to Dot 2016

Run-of-the-mill guitar bands are the order of the day at this year’s Dot to Dot, but minor indie gems and slap-bass soul provide some much-needed respite

Review: Jessy Lanza – Oh No

Never one to be ostentatious, Jessy Lanza’s subtle second album flirts with R&B and Chicago house on a brilliant pop album that leans towards the dancefloor

Album review: Yeasayer – Amen & Goodbye

No closer to the kind of success their peers have enjoyed, Yeasayer’s latest sees confusion stand in for cohesion

Album: Animal Collective – Painting With

Latest Animal Collective album fails to live up to high expectations, but is dynamic and punchy nevertheless

Album: David Bowie – Blackstar

David Bowie doesn’t like looking back down memory lane in heritage rock docs. Instead, he delivers strange, serpentine albums like Blackstar with both eyes set firmly on the future