Bat for Lashes are an all-girl, four-piece band from England. They’re something special though. If you can imagine Bjork and Tori Amos and Kate Bush merged into one, you’re still nowhere near the power behind the music of Bat for Lashes.

The 2006 album Fur and gold was one of the underrated classics of last year. Natasha Khan is the girl in charge of the troop, and what a damn fine job she does of it. Her voice mesmerizing. It’s soft and captivating, and yet it has emotion behind it, as you’d expect with Bjork, but somehow it’s easier to relate to.

Fur and Gold should have won this year’s Merucry Music Prize, but sadly it lost out to those godawful Klaxons. What’s the world coming to? Tracks such as “Horse and I” and “Bat’s Mouth” are pure magic. The music has a real dark edge to it. It’s down tempo with real hints of folk in it.

Bat for Lashes should go on to great things and we are awaiting a new album eagerly. The sort of music they make isn’t to everybody’s liking, which is probably why Bat for Lashes are yet to really burst into the mainstream, but for casual listening, it’s inspiring.

Blonde Redhead’s seventh studio album, 23, is a wonder to behold. Japanese former-art student Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace are back after a three-year absence with what could be the album of the year. They perform in English, Japanese, Italian and French.

The music is sweet, radiant pop and indie with a dark edge to it. Makino’s voice is soothing and peaceful, but it has an unmistakable power to it. The drumming is precise with the guitar chords simple yet effective.

23 is 10 tracks of genuine emotion. From the melodic title track, through the beautiful “Top Ranking” to the unsettling “SW”, this is a band at the top of their game. Although they have been active for almost 15 years, Blonde Redhead have failed to achieve widespread popularity in the past, but with an album like 23 they’ve begun touching base with a new audience of listeners.

This album has romance, it has tragedy, it screams from the hills and whispers from beside you – it’s an intense music journey that stands out from the rest of this year’s album releases because it’s original.

Simply put, if you buy this album your life will be better. Blonde Redhead are a class act.

Honestly. We could devote an entire category to “stupid things Britney is doing”. As if her career wasn’t enough in tatters after that performance, now she’s only gone and pulled a Paris: Britney has been charged with driving without a license and hit and run.

She could be jailed for up to a year for this, and you’ve gotta think that she could do with some time inside for quiet reflection. Somebody needs to seriously help the girl out.

Apparently, Britney Spears drove into a parked car and then sped off from the scene. At least nobody was hurt, but the exact circumstances surrounding this one are a mystery.

She could have been drunk, high, with friends, on the phone – we just don’t know yet.

We’re gonna say it: Britney Spears is dead. We don’t know who this imposter is, but she’s ugly, uncouth, untalented, weak and ignorant. This isn’t our pop princess. This tabloid whore has taken enough column inches.

A hearing is set for October 10, although to the disappointment of the paparazzi Britney doesn’t have to attend it.

This fake Britney is starting to freak us out even more than Michael Jackson with his obsession for forcing his three children, one of who is named Blanket, to wear wigs in public.

Despite being the most annoying band on earth, one of the Klaxons has managed to get himself engaged to a hot chick. Simon Taylor, whose picture alone is enough to make you want to pull your hair out, is due to get married to CSS-lady Lovefoxxx (probably not her real name). She’s a beautiful girl and now she’s going to have to wake up next to that oaf every day. Is there no justice in the world?

They met this year on the Shockwaves NME Awards Indie Rave Tour (what the hell is Indie Rave?) and fell in love. It’s being dubbed by NME (those bastions of made-up genres and rubbish journalism) as a “new-rave wedding”. That’s one for the kids (literally) there.

CSS-drummer Adriano Cintra said, “They’re the happiest couple of MySpace. They’re gonna get married, it’s not a rumour. They’re gonna have baby CSS-Klaxons, it’s gonna be beautiful.”

The less aid about Klaxons the better. They’ve been ruining British music for about a year already and they must be stopped. We like CSS though, but a marriage such as this one can only spawn evil things.

If you can’t afford tickets to the next Klaxons concert, you can make your own by taking a bag of cats and a set of crockery and throwing the whole lot down a flight of stairs. Sounds great, right?

We love it when someone gets one over on 50 cent. But to do it twice? Wow, now that’s something. Not only did Kanye West outsell 50 Cent when the pair went head to head with their latest albums, but he also pipped him for a Music of Black Origin (Mobo) award for best hip hop artist.

It’s official: Kanye is better. The Mobo’s aren’t the most interesting awards going, particularly when a joker like shaggy is booked to perform, but for a short dose of pop and hip hop the whole thing was rather fun. Kanye also won the award for best video, which perplexes us because he just ripped off Daft Punk.

Also at the awards, Amy Winehouse won the best British female gong, beating the likes of Joss Stone. Miss Winehouse didn’t look to be in the best of shape, bringing up disturbing memories of Britney’s horrible performance a few weeks ago. Despite not being black or really singing music of black origin, Winehouse still performed a two-song set.

Our favorite rapper Dizzee Rascal won best British male artist. Unsurprisingly, Rihanna won best international act while aging wannabe gangster Tim Westwood won best DJ for about the hundredth time. Can you believe he’s 50 years old? He could be your dad! Now there’s a thought.

The music industry may be suffering at the moment, but Kanye West is still hot as hell. He is officially the kin of hip hop at the moment, and 50 Cent is just a has-been. Remember when 50 Cent’s debut album came out? People were hyping him up as the next Notorious B.I.G. All hype, brother! Kanye has taken the crown already.

In its first week of sales, Kanye’s Graduation outsold 50 Cent’s Curtis 957,000 copies to 691,000. West’s album is doing better than any other new release this year. 50 Cent has fallen off. The Massacre sold more than a million copies in its first week, but now everyone is hyped about West.

”It’s great marketing on Def Jam’s part, by putting us out there at the same time and make like we can actually be compared on some level,” said 50 Cent, who boasted that if West outsold him, he’d retire. Looks like it’s time for someone to hang up their mic then. None of Fiddy’s recent tracks has inspired much radio play and even with the prospect of a world tour looming, it’s hard to get excited about the G-Unit frontman any more.

We’re still not so keen on West after he dissed Justice at the MTV Video Music Awards, but getting one over on 50 Cent goes some way to redeeming that. Now if only he hadn’t ripped off Daft Punk on the track “Stronger”, we might be even more forgiving.