from left to right: Cate Le Bon; Cate Le Bon
  • from left to right: Cate Le Bon; Cate Le Bon

Another week, another Mercury music section to ignore as you get excited for P. Diddy's new cable-TV music channel. Wait... He's calling it "Revolt"? Is it a music channel or a Calvin Klein cologne?

Welsh musician Cate Le Bon's new album, Cyrk, is positively excellent. And if you think Cyrk is a weird album title, you should see the Welsh-language titles she rejected: Mwynhewch Eich Bwyd (translation: Bon Appetit). Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Gychwyn (translation: The Red Dragon Shows the Way). Ble Nae'r Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch? (translation: Where Is the Village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?—yes, this is the actual name of a village in Wales.)
LISTEN:

Cate Le Bon - "Cyrk"

In the most conflict-of-interest-y piece we've ever published, former Mercury music editor Ezra Caraeff waxes rhapsodic about the band he used to tour manage: the Jealous Sound. Caraeff's next contribution to the paper will be a 10,000-word rave review of something marginally cute his pug once did.
LISTEN:

The Jealous Sound - "Your Eyes Were Shining"

Local guitarist Ilyas Ahmed makes nomadic, mystic psych-folk with little pretense.
LISTEN:

Ilyas Ahmed - "Skin in Circles"

Look out, cancer. Because industrial art-noise bands Gashdig and Threscher have reunited for the sole purpose of destroying you. Their show this weekend benefits longtime friend Jen McCargar and Gashdig drummer Kenny Zimmerman, both of whom have suffered from cancer.
Listen to Gashdig here.

And a heaping heap of Up and Coming shows.