Sleeve notes: this week in music

Sleeve notes Friday 20 Feb 2015 g Most read More » Kim Gordon: Lana Del Rey doesn't even know what feminism is The Sonic Youth founder’s new memoir has harsh words for the Video Games star, saying she ‘tilts towards self-destruction’  Blur announce The Magic Whip, their first new album for 12 years Album features full quartet of Albarn, Coxon, Rowntree and James, and fans can celebrate with summer gig in London’s Hyde Park  Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti remastered review – a monolithic reissue of the band’s late breakthrough Led Zeppelin’s most ambitious record might never have been released. When it was, it marked their zenith

Editors' picks How Björk broke the sound barrier With an acclaimed new album, and a MoMA exhibition due next month, the Icelandic star is back. Award-winning music writer Alex Ross traces her musical journey from child prodigy to genre-defying queen of the avant garde  The Observer view on Simon Rattle’s call for a new London concert hall Applause for the charismatic conductor’s plea for a new music venue  Beatles for sale: Hamburg strip club tapes capture band on brink of fame Package of original recordings and unedited versions of group’s 1962 shows set to fetch six-figure sum at London auction Steve Strange 1959-2015: an appreciation The post-punk pioneer and Visage frontman helped a generation of dreamers define the 80s, writes friend and collaborator Iain R Webb

Today's top stories More » Arcade Fire's Will Butler: 'My goal in art is to be like Moby-Dick' The multi-instrumentalist and composer will write a song a day from 23 February for a week about a different Guardian news story. Here, he talks about optimism in the face of world horrors, sibling rivalry and his debut solo album, Policy  George Ezra: 'If only someone had put a javelin in my hand' The blues-folk singer is nominated for four Brit,s but being a pop star isn’t the be-all and end-all of his ambitions  Lucerne festival’s spirited programme looks for laughs The programme for this year’s festival features the humour of Haydn, Simon Rattle with the Berlin and the Vienna philharmonics and a 90th-birthday tribute to Pierre Boulez  Remi Miles (No 43) Brighton-based Virginian with a 60s mod fetish and 80s pop hooks  Earl Sweatshirt, Madonna, Sam Smith: this week’s new tracks rated and slated In the Guide single reviews no one is safe, especially the “spectacularly low yield” piano house of David Guetta and Emile Sandé  On the blog More » The playlist: Latin American pop – Los Teke Teke, Buscabulla, Johnny Dominicana and more Street party music, identity politics, non-commital love songs and the return of ‘bananas-popular’ Paulina Rubio  Watch the video for Dean Blunt's new single, 100 The video for Dean Blunt’s new single opens with a transcription of a review given to the song by actor Idris Elba, who found it ‘a bit too experimental’. What do you think of it?  Pulling the strings: why Britain's orchestras say new tax measures don't play fair Orchestras can only apply for a new tax relief if they fit the government’s bizarre idea of what an orchestra should be – and that cuts out string ensembles, choirs and brass bands  6 Music festival: six north-east bands to watch Nick Roberts, presenter of BBC Introducing in the North East, profiles six of the most interesting artists in his patch ahead of the 6music festival on Tyneside this weekend  A Drake's progress: why the rapper has something to mope about Drake has been criticised for more ‘sad boy ennui’ on his latest mixtape but, as Ben Westoff explains, the rapper has plenty to worry about  Watch and listen More » Why Marika Hackman's We Slept at Last is the one album you should hear this week – video Harriet Gibsone recommends Marika Hackman's debut album, We Slept at Last, which she says is an odd adventure into the melancholic and macabre  Why the Unthanks' Mount the Air is the one album you should hear this week – video Alexis Petridis recommends the Unthanks' new album, Mount the Air, which he says is ambitious and rooted in folk traditions  50 shades of Dre – video As Dr Dre turns 50 on, we look back at some of the best moments in his career  Augie March's single Never Been Sad: exclusive to Guardian Australia – video Australian indie-pop favourites Augie March have given Guardian Australia first dibs on the video for their waltzing, whispery new track Never Been Sad  Kanye West interrupts Beck's Grammy acceptance speech – video report Kanye West interrupts Beck on stage as he collects his album of the year Grammy award  Further reading More » Jim Lawrie: Eons review – likable but mostly forgettable Australiana The singer’s second solo album walks the path of other great songwriters such as Paul Kelly and Neil Young, without breaking any new ground  Zhenya Strigalev: Robin Goodie review – refreshing indifference to jazz mores The Russian saxophonist assembles a high-grade ensemble and tests the limits of jazz to breaking point  Public Service Broadcasting: The Race for Space review – less intrepid than its source materal The London duo continue their run of work inspired by human achievements with this space race-themed concept album

News Album reviews Live reviews