Weekender - the augmented return

This is a little cagey for a relaunch for this section as we didn't end up with much time to write it in. We mean every word, though, and we'll try and keep it up for every Sunday.

IF YOU ONLY BUY ONE RECORD THIS WEEK...
Pagan Wanderer Lu's album European Monsoon, which we'll write about at greater length in the week. Otherwise you really have to seek out Islet's no wave motorik noise and confusion on mini-album Celebrate This Place, which we reviewed for The Line Of Best Fit. Look around and you can find three tracks for streaming or download.

SOMEWHERE TO GO
Another album we've just covered for TLOBF with much recommendation is Allo Darlin's self titled effort, glorious summery indiepop for the Go-Betweens/Magnetic Fields/Jens Lekman in your soul. Their album launch is on Tuesday at London Lexington, supported by the equally wonderful Standard Fare (The Noyelle Beat is another must-listen in the same sphere) and The Middle Ones, a lo-fi folk collective sometimes involving Mat Riviere.

BANDS START UP EACH AND EVERY DAY
Son Capson - the maniacal vision of one Liam Percy George of Aberystwyth, the sort of community that seems so far from anywhere else you can imagine this sort of thing growing in splendid isolation that bit easier - belongs in that ever welcome category, the bloody odd. Acid rock sea shanties? 8 bit garage rock Swordfishtrombones? Bonzo Dog anti-folk? What we can settle on is hyperactive chanted ridiculousness hurtling downhill fast with a glint in its eye and a self-assurance that this is perfectly reasonable behaviour. Somehow at one point we managed to set one track playing three times not quite simultaneously and didn't immediately notice. At Swn last year he/they supported Marina And The Diamonds. How the hell did that work?

THERE'S ALWAYS A FESTIVAL SOMEWHERE
Macmillan Cancer Support take over Brick Lane on Thursday for a £20 multi-venue alldayer including Allo Darlin', Kill It Kid, Tubelord, Three Trapped Tigers, DJ Format, Erland and the Carnival, Midfield General, Tim and Sam's etc, Clock Opera and Little Comets. Leicester becomes the centre of the folk land Friday-Sunday with Big Session at De Montfort Hall (same as Summer Sundae); headliners are the Proclaimers, Kate Rusby and Oysterband, with appearances also by Stornoway, Chumbawamba, Cara Dillon, Miles Hunt & Erica Nockalls and Dreadzone. Winterwell (Friday-Sunday) essentially runs on a need to know basis, at a secret location in Gloucestershire with a tiny number of tickets and a Roald Dahl fancy dress theme. Music comes from DJ Yoda, the Crookes, We Have Band, Lulu & the Lampshades and Norman Jay. Or there's Southside near Munich (Friday-Sunday), with the Strokes, Vampire Weekend, LCD Soundsystem, the Prodigy, Stone Temple Pilots and Massive Attack at the top end and The Specials, The XX, the Hold Steady and Local Natives lurking in the small print.

WHAT ELSE?
-In the same way as Chinese Democracy became such a cause celebre partly because we knew its title so far in advance - people aren't on constant whisper and notion tenterhooks about the Avalanches' second album, after all - we've been maybe a little hasty in making a couple of jokes in the past about Rose Elinor Dougall's Without Why, first reported to be ready for late spring 2009. After all, picking out a name, Everything Everything have more of an alternative radio profile and yet they have four singles out while still topping up their studio time. Regardless, Dougall's folk timbre and psych musical heart are now ready for wider consultation - August 30th is the release date, through Scarlett Records, which we believe is at least partly her own venture. To commemorate she's put out three tracks - not album tracks per se, but two in different versions and one that didn't make the cut. And she's already playing brand new songs live. Sod the album, the career box set is going to be something.

-Brought to you by the same person as A New Band A Day, Bad Cover Versions seems self-explanatory enough.