Eh? Eh? Eh?

It's normal that big American superstars are awarded about six months of pre-release buzz in order to get everyone's attention before dropping a ridiculously catchy, precision-tooled 'joint' all up in our collective grills. Weirdly, Rihanna has suddenly and unexpectedly announced that she'll release her new album this November (it's called Rated R, but isn't a cover of the entire Queens of the Stone Age album of the same name).

This might have been preferable, however, given that the comeback single is so, well, 'meh'. Her label have obviously decided that in the crowded Christmas market, what we really need is a Ne-yo-produced, mid-paced plodder all about shooting yourself in the head as part of some bizarre game of chance. Imagine doing THAT around the dinner table this year instead of pulling a cracker.



PLOT SPOILER: She shoots herself at the end.

Lightning strikes thrice?

Remember when the Arctic Monkeys were like The Beatles or something? Getting mobbed at supermarkets, selling records by the lorry load, receiving plaudits for tying their laces. We like them, don't get it twisted, but it seems odd remembering how doolally everyone went. After all that Last Shadow Puppets malarkey, Alex Turner and his band of (not so) merry men are back with a new single, entitled 'Crying Lightning'.



The album, Humbug, was produced by Josh Homme from QOTSA and James Ford from Simian Mobile Disco, and from the swampy, bass-heavy dirge* that is 'Crying Lightning' we're assuming Homme had the reigns for this one. It sounds a bit non-descript first time round, there's no real chorus as such, and it's not as instant as all those old ones, but it gets better second time round. Nice pick 'n' mix-themed lyrics too. He's, like, a real poet, isn't he?

* in the nicest possible sense of that word.