A-Town Down

Why do Brits love the most random Americans? I mean, prior to their fortuitous meeting with NME, Kings of Leon were regarded as little more than a cringe-worthy Creed cover band. Plus how many of you remember the Hiss? I only do because they went from playing abandoned shows in suburban America to touring with Oasis. Everytime I see Hockey on Jools Holland or Seasick Steve at the FA cup, it gives big in Japan a whole new Atlantic bent. There is one band worthy of such lottery-winning circumstance. Plucked from relative obscurity out of dregsy Atlanta haunt Lennys, the band most likely to pull an R Kelly and piss in your beer, the Black Lips, return to London to serve up a free DJ set at Rough Trade East. Bring a copy of Black Swan and learn the real value of randomness.

Falling Up

Unlike Will-i-am, Mos Def is actually falling up.

Most rappers who disappear into the cold, dark chasm of wackness - Common twice, Large Professor, Q Tip, PE, Snoop, Kweli - only seem capable of falling further. Surprisingly, the man who most lost his way has returned from the hacked-up corpse of fame to produce an album of inspiration.

It doesn't hurt that he and I are into the same shit - Malcolm X's post-Nation internationalism, Baris Manco's Turkish psychedelia, Fela, Potencorvo's Battle of Algiers. It also doesn't hurt that he's rapping again.

Your turn Goodie MOB.