Joe McElderry,

Joe McElderry,
Download he's not once bemoaned (publicly, at least) getting chewed up and spat out by the X Factor machine. What's more, his refusal to "hit out" against Cowell and co. has worked in his favour and allowed him to achieve the previously-thought impossible; jump-starting his own career with a winning appearance on Popstar to Operastar which resulted in two successful covers albums.

Here's What I Believe - a mix of covers and original work - continues to prove he is more tenacious than his wide-eyed exterior would suggest. In short, it's the album he probably should have released post-XF. Where his 2010 debut Wide Awake was experimental and geared towards a largely disinterested younger audience, Here's... is aimed squarely at the mums and grannies who voted for him in the first place. DS

Each song is sung with the clarity and precision of a RADA graduate, in particular lead single 'Here's What I Believe', which wouldn't sound out of place on a Westlife album, clumsily-titled 'Somethin's Gotten Hold of my Heart', and a stirring rendition of 'E Penso A Te', where he is backed by big strings and grand orchestration.

That said, the regimented midtempo production quickly loses its charm. A cover of Demi Lovato's 'Skyscraper' has been transformed from a post-rehab rebirth anthem into a plodding number devoid of energy, while the raw emotion of Queen's 'Love of My Life' is reduced to a by-numbers ballad. The result is an album his fans will immediately lap up - whether he likes it or not.

Noel Gallagher

Noel Gallagher
Download Now then comrades. Been a while I know. Been busy though innit? So... let's go back... way back...

I think the last time we spoke I was in the biggest retirement home in the world, that being the isle of Jersey. The gig was great as I recall. I was playing with my old comrades Primal Scream. They were mega. They played some of their new album. Sounded great. As always.

You might be aware of a story about a deadly spider or summat? A load of fabricated nonsense. Great night all the same though.

The next gig was in that other retirement home Bournemouth. Strange gig. Lots of punch-ups!! What the fuck?? It's an odd little place. It does have palm trees though... which is nice.

Next up was my spiritual home of Liverpool. Great show. Magnificent crowd. They never let you down them Scousers. While I'm at it let me say I'm writing this on the day that THE TRUTH has finally been exposed about the Hillsborough disaster. Respect to the family's of the 96 for exposing the lies of Thatcher's government. With my hand on my heart I salute you. Xxxxxx

Now... after that came a magical Friday night in London. Not sure where it came from but the magic happened. Monumental show. Incredible crowd. Unbelievable. One of the best. Nice one.

After that was Cardiff. Pretty fucking good. No fighting... which is quite rare in Wales. They were in fine voice though. I'm losing track now... might have been Nottingham next? It was! Nothing sticks in my mind about the gig apart from having some fun with a lad in the crowd about a hat or summat? Not sure. I'm sure it was fun though.

So to last night at the Roundhouse in London. Part of the iTunes Festival. Easy. Loved it. It's more like a TV show than a gig though. Not much in the way of atmosphere but pretty fucking good all the same. I now have five days off... which is good.

XX

XX
On a first spin, little might appear to have changed. Angels opens, starring Romy Madley Croft’s delicate voice set against a guitar that chimes its presence with an unhurried effortlessness. So far, so very debut-over-again.
But Coexist isn’t a straight continuation from the past; The xx broke from the routine of promotion, of filling headspaces with thoughts of what happens next, to rediscover lives outside of the band. Upon reconvening, fresh ideas formed, and many have found a place on Coexist.
Lyrically it’s a love album, from the first flushes of affection to the trauma of separation. This constant allows the music to spin out into new shapes. Try opens with a strangled synth whine, immediately reminiscent of G-funk; Reunion is carried on steel pans, lending it a Caribbean feel; and Swept Away rides a classic house beat with the pitch slowed so very… yes, subtly.bbc
The latter track, Coexist’s penultimate number, is sure to stir thoughts of Todd Terry’s remixes for Everything but the Girl – serendipitous given Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt have previously covered The xx’s Night Time. It’s a standout, as is Fiction, Oliver Sim’s first true solo vocal after the ethereal drift of the debut’s interlude-y Fantasy.
If the production at the heart of The xx has progressed at glacier-like pace, Sim’s contributions have taken giant leaps forward. Confidence gleaned from hundreds of live performances between albums can be heard on every take.
Jamie Smith’s nudging upwards of the BPM represents advancement, too. Some may miss the (more) minimalist design of xx, but Coexist isn’t without hold-your-breath dynamics: a break to silence in Missing is followed by a tremendous return by Sim. It’s an electrifying moment.
With a signature sound established at the first time of asking, The xx’s challenge was to both expand their palette and satisfy the demands of a huge audience. And through refinement rather than reinvention, they’ve succeeded in singular style.

The Script

The Script
Download have scored their first ever No 1 in the Official UK Singles Chart - beating Amelia Lily to the top spot.
Hall Of Fame (ft. Will.I.Am) went up one place from No 2, while former The X Factor contestant Amelia Lily had a new entry at No 2 with You Bring Me Joy.
Last week's No 1 single, Let Me Love You by Ne-Yo, slipped two places to No 3, while Little Mix were a non-mover at No 4 with Wings.MTV
Pink's Blow Me (One Last Kiss) was down two at No 5.
Over in the Official UK Albums Chart it was all change with new entries in the top three spots.
The XX took the No 1 with Coexist, while The Script were (slightly confusingly) at No 2 with #3 and Bob Dylan had another new entry at No 3 with Tempest.

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan
Download September 14th. In the interview with Mikal Gilmore, Dylan covers an incredible range of topics: John Lennon and Bruce Springsteen; what he really thought about the movies I'm Not There and Masked and Anonymous; being picked up by the police in New Jersey in 2009; and – in a remarkable stretch – his belief that he was "transfigured" around the time of his 1966 motorcycle accident. Dylan also, for the first time, strikes back at critics who have accused him of drawing too much from the work of others. Here's an excerpt:
I want to ask about the controversy over your quotations in your songs from the works of other writers, such as Japanese author Junichi Saga's Confessions of a Yakuza, and the Civil War poetry of Henry Timrod. In folk and jazz, quotation is a rich and enriching tradition, but some critics say that you didn't cite your sources clearly. What's your response to those kinds of charges?
Oh, yeah, in folk and jazz, quotation is a rich and enriching tradition. That certainly is true. It's true for everybody, but me. There are different rules for me. And as far as Henry Timrod is concerned, have you even heard of him? Who's been reading him lately? And who's pushed him to the forefront? Who's been making you read him? And ask his descendants what they think of the hoopla. And if you think it's so easy to quote him and it can help your work, do it yourself and see how far you can get. Wussies and pussies complain about that stuff. It's an old thing – it's part of the tradition. It goes way back. These are the same people that tried to pin the name Judas on me. Judas, the most hated name in human history! If you think you've been called a bad name, try to work your way out from under that. Yeah, and for what? For playing an electric guitar? As if that is in some kind of way equitable to betraying our Lord and delivering him up to be crucified. All those evil motherfuckers can rot in hell.Rolling Stone

Britney Spears

Britney Spears 
Download got down to business in her "X Factor" debut Wednesday night, dispensing blunt-but-fair rulings on some singers, cheery encouragement to others and even weathering a sad encounter with an old duet partner who was clearly past his prime.

Throughout the two-hour premiere on Fox, Spears cast off her vacant-eyed reputation and showed herself to be a pro at delivering the kind of deliberate, tough-to-swallow feedback that often goes unsaid during these kinds of reality competitions. During an early montage of her best zingers, Spears and the word "no" became pals, and she was blunt with oddities like 50-year-old Shawn Armenta, after he sang his own composition "Candy Girls."Billboard

Labrinth

Labrinth

 Download has exclusively told MTV that he has three albums worth of material ready to release.

The Earthquake hitmaker - who released his debut LP Electronic Earth earlier this year - claims he makes so much music, that he could unleash another record tomorrow.

Lab - real name Timothy McKenzie - explained: "I was in the studio last night playing records to my manager and I’ve got three albums on me already. I make so much music. That stuff is very easy.

"Other artists run back into the studio going 'Please, I need a producer! Somebody help me', but for me it’s kind of easy to start getting songs together. I already had albums before my last album was finished."

As well as churning out hits for himself, the 23-year old also revealed that he would be up for making a  track for boyband of the moment One Direction - after Niall Horan admitted to wanting to work with him.

Speaking of 1D, the multi-talented musician said: "I haven't thought of anything for One Direction but I would have to get cooking in the studio and put some flavours together to see if it sounds right."

He also shed some light on the speculation that he's been working with Rihanna on songs for her new album - which is reportedly due out in November - adding: "Yeah I’ve got tracks for Rihanna. I’ve had a lot of people knock at my door so I’m just waiting for them all to come and take the tracks off me."

If all that wasn't enough, Labrinth ha