Muse,

Muse,
 Download themselves an entirely remarkable band, is the sheer speed at which many of their songs are recognised as being classic compositions of the grandest order. A track like 2006’s exquisitely bonkers Knights of Cydonia could only have been of their making. So it comes as no surprise that The 2nd Law takes no time at all to make its presence felt.
What is surprising, though, is that the band that so often would be Queen begins like Led Zeppelin. The swaggering Kashmir-style six-shooter riff of Supremacy is not only the sonic equivalent of a band bursting through the doors of a saloon bar and stopping the clientele dead; it also affirms that Matt Bellamy is a master of the guitar in the order of Metallica’s James Hetfield or AC/DC’s Malcolm Young.

The array of musical styles on show across The 2nd Law means that, like many of this band’s past albums, it doesn’t entirely coalesce into a seamless collection of songs. Panic Station borrows from both Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust and Michael Jackson’s Thriller, without ever attaining the majesty of either tune. But when this album works, it works well.BBC
Survival, an official song of the 2012 Olympic Games, rides emphatic thumps, whereas Liquid State, one of two tracks penned by bassist Chris Wolstenholme, adopts a fluid groove. Closer The 2nd Law: Isolated System manages to unsettle the listener by use of a searching piano motif, reminiscent of Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, famously heard in The Exorcist.
This may be Muse’s sixth studio album, but throughout the group present themselves in any guise they please. Where they go from here is anyone’s guess. But as it stands, this is a more than satisfying exploration into the unknown and more.

Beth Orton

Beth Orton
Download would outlive the hedonism of the early 90s. It was at that time she first emerged, from the rave scene and through collaborations with William Orbit, The Chemical Brothers and Andrew Weatherall, who produced her 1996 album, Trailer Park.BBC
Busy with new-motherhood, the ex-comedown queen has been quiet since 2006’s Comfort of Strangers, itself arriving after a prolonged absence and a parting of ways with the Heavenly label. Sugaring Season continues her drift away from the folktronica of her earlier work into more traditional alt-folk pastures. And the pastoral is a significant influence over the album, song titles alone sounding like headlines in the RSPB’s monthly newsletter.

Her instantly recognisable delivery remains unchanged. It’s warm, wrought, intimate or nasal, depending upon your view. Such a voice perhaps explains her limited mainstream success, but then the sublime often struggles.
With folk-hued fare riding enjoying mainstream popularity, this is an opportune moment for Orton’s return. Recorded in Portland, Oregon alongside My Morning Jacket producer Tucker Martine, it continues her almost unsettling course of introspection. It is mostly self-written, although Chemical Brother Tom Rowland co-writes the surging, catchy Call Me the Breeze.
The mysterious Magpie is a perfect opener, spellbinding the listener into Orton’s world, as her vocal spins a mesmerising trance, harmonising with strings and pulling you into a swamp-blues embrace that does not let go. If it were any more intimate, it would be sitting on your lap. The lullaby-like See Through Blue will stir any parents’ future hopes for their offspring.  
Songs occasionally drift a little aimlessly: Something More Beautiful sacrifices mood for a tune. But when listened to at night, Orton’s unique voodoo pulls you closer and standouts, such as the elegant Candles, which tiptoes elegantly through the darkest of hours, become evident.
This delicacy was always the logical progression, and fans growing with Orton will find much to love about Sugaring Season. Her dance roots are now far behind her. Beth Orton - Magpie from Arni & Kinski on Vimeo.

TheWallflowers

Album Jakob Dylan has a rather famous dad. The weird thing is, their sound owes less to Bob Dylan and much more to another US rock totem, Bruce Springsteen. Indeed, their first album after a five-year hiatus sounds like a Boss tribute band.

There are rambling narratives about whisky and courthouses, about driving down boulevards, about love being a country better crossed when you’re young – all delivered in the same breathless, gravelly baritone and with the same organ/piano interplay used by The E Street Band.

The one exception is Reboot The Mission, which sounds so close to Combat Rock-era Clash that you think Mick Jones might sue, until you realise he’s actually guesting on vocals and guitar

Amanda Palmer & The Grand Theft Orchestra

Amanda Palmer's

 Download bohemian pursuits have rather overshadowed her music until now, but her third album reveals a vibrant songwriter as keen on the rigours of classical piano, polka and waltz as she is on punk; imagine Regina Spektor doing My Sharona, or Siouxsie yelping her way through Tori Amos' Choir Girl Hotel. Smile (Pictures Or It Didn't Happen) unfurls into a gargantuan pop song with a rolling accompaniment of what sound like a thousand saws; The Bed is an icy little tale of two lovers from shared sleeping bag to grave. Palmer financed the album through the crowd funding site Kickstarter – she's got a personal army of fans who pay her to do private gigs in their living rooms. That would be fun.G Theatre Is Evil feels like sitting on the bed of your tattooed, far cooler cousin 30 years ago, while she tells you "all you need to know" about music.

Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson
Download will gather her smash singles on "Greatest Hits -- Chapter 1." The best-of compilation is set for release on Nov. 19 through RCA Records, a mere 13 months after the release of her last full-length, 2011's "Stronger."

In addition, Clarkson's new single, "Catch My Breath," which will hit digital providers on Oct. 16. The track, co-written with Jason Halbert and Eric Olson, will promote the greatest hits disc much like Clarkson's label mate P!nk used the hit "Raise Your Glass" to spread the word on her own best-of collection, "Greatest Hits… So Far!!!," in 2010. Clarkson notes that her "American Idol" win is now a decade in the past, and "Catch My Breath" signifies a reflection on that longevity. "This song represents who I've been, what I've felt, and where I'm headed as not only an artist but as a 30 year old that is now smart enough to know that it's time to stop, catch my breath, and be proud of not only what has been accomplished but of all the people that have helped me become the woman I am today." Billboard

Although the tracklist for "Greatest Hits -- Chapter 1" has not yet been released, Clarkson's 10 career Top 10 hits on the Hot 100 are all likely to make the cut. Since winning the "Idol" crown, the singer has scored three No. 1 singles on the chart: "A Moment Like This," "My Life Would Suck Without You" and "Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You)."

Before the album release, Clarkson will perform at this year's Country Music Association Awards, set to invade Nashville on Nov. 1. The pop star is nominated in the female vocalist of the year category, which marks her first solo nomination.

Tulisa

Tulisa
Download has revealed she believes Kristen Stewart would be the perfect choice to play Anastasia Steele in the film adaptation of raunchy novel, Fifty Shades of Grey.
The X Factor judge, who previously admitted to being a huge fan of E L James' book, claims she thinks the Twilight actress would make a good Anastasia due to her "awkwardness."
The 24-year old told Marie Claire: "Kristen Stewart would be good for the female role, she has that awkwardness about her that they book portrays.MTV
"I think she’d do it quite well. And as for who would play Christian, it has to be Tom Hardy."
Tulisa went on to praise the book, saying it's liberating that women are finally opening up about their bedroom antics.
She explained: "Fifty Shades is every woman’s secret fantasy but they’re embarrassed to talk about it. Every female secretly wants to be dominated but they don’t say it.
"I just like that someone has said it and women are being open about it now."
The N-Dubz singer added: "Fifty Shades of Grey isn’t that shocking for me because I’ve always said [what I want in bed]. I like to be dominated and said to boyfriends, 'Hey this is what I like'."

Lily Allen

Lily Allen 
Download has warned fans not to get too excited about her forthcoming new material just yet.

In an interview in this week's NME, which is available on newsstands now, or available online, she says she's just "tinkering away" in the studio – where she's been working with longtime producer Greg Kurston.

"I'm not going to put anything out until I've got an end product which I think's amazing – or, you know, good," she says. Her main concern right now, she added, is on her pregnancy. "I don't think there's going to be anything out in the next few months," she says. "But hopefully in the next year".

It's not clear whether she's planning on making anymore surprise onstage appearances in the next few months like her duet with Professor Green during his support slot for The Stone Roses at Heaton Park, but her new material "definitely will" factor in her new life as a parent.

Last month, Allen unveiled her collaboration with Pink, which features on the US singer's new album 'The Truth About Love'. It's Allen's first track since she announced her intention to return to her pop career having "retired" in 2009 to concentrate on having a family, her record label and her fashion boutique.