Welcome to our new weekly news feature where we round up the latest news in the world of album release dates. We'll be pounding through dozens of news pieces from the last few weeks, so let's get moving! Unless otherwise mentioned, all release dates apply to Australia only.

In This Issue: Of Montreal, Sleigh Bells, Ladyhawke, Dirty Three, The Decemberists, Andrew Bird, Paul McCartney, Silverstein, Black Dice, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Emelie Sandé, Chimes Of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan (Honouring 50 Years of Amnesty International), Peter Broderick, The Blank Fight, Lana Del Ray and more...

One of my favourite live performers is Andrew Bird, who earlier this year released "Useless Creatures" as a standalone album. It was originally a part of the deluxe edition of Noble Beast, and is described by Andrew as an "ambient experimental record".

It's certainly not what we're used to!

Here's one track off that album - "Hot Math" - to get the picture...

Upon the arrival of the new decade,
patrons of the Lorne Falls Festival were left scalded by the sun’s
rays and soaked through and through by one of the most treacherous storms
the event has ever seen. Nonetheless, most of the 15,000 or so attendees
were delightfully content with the whole three days.