Black Sky Thinking

The Final Curtain For Nine Inch Nails

As Nine Inch Nails (purportedly) played their last ever gig on these shores at Sonisphere and the 02 recently, Emily Bick says goodbye . . .

Dirty Projectors & The Curse Of Brooklyn’s Hipster Ephemera

They're this summer's most talked about group in certain post and zip codes, but the Dirty Projectors stand for everything that's wrong with the hipster mentality, says Mimi Haddon. Artwork by David J Moats.

Never Mind The Mercury Prize: Here’s The Quietus’ Jovian Bow Shock Award

It took a pot of tea to come up with a better list than the Mercury Prize. Who'll be taken out for a pizza come September?

Black Sabbath – The Unholy Trinity And The Birth Of Heavy Metal

As Black Sabbath, Paranoid and Master Of Reality get the reissue treatment, John Doran revisits them and the birth of heavy metal

Half Man Half Biscuit – SEOing The HMHB Back Catalogue

Mr Agreeable’s Jacko Death Special: A Cocktail Of Your Crocodile Tears

Jude Rogers On The Right Way To Remember Joy Division

As _Unknown Pleasures_ reaches its 40th anniversary, Jude Rogers looks behind the commercialisation at Joy Division's eternal truth

Producer John Leckie On The Ten Essential Records He’s Worked On

Writing for the Quietus, producer John Leckie guides us through the ten records he's worked on that you must hear before you die

The Best New Music Of The Year So Far: A Dragnet List

Kev Kharas looks at the past six months to gather up the finest new music of 2009

As Blur Hit Hyde Park, We Assess The Reunion Deluge

Julian Marszalek suggests that the current crop of reunions will only be justified if the artists knuckle down and write some new material

Paul McCartney And Wings

So you think the 1970s were a fallow period for Paul McCartney? 'Apply the breaks', says Taylor Parkes with his appreciation of the mainly unheralded genius of Thumbs Aloft Macca...

Girls Aloud: Death Of A Pop Band?

They might not be sprouting the facial hair that's the usual sign of a pop group going down the lavvy but, asks Matthew Horton, is it all over for Girls Aloud?

Voter Apathy Is Responsible For The BNP’s Success

In the wake of the European Elections, Oliver Parker argues that an end to voter apathy must stop the BNP at the general election

Dragnet #6: New Music From FaltyDL, Hype Williams And Joy Orbison

Loitering at the fringes of the MySpace melee

Dragnet #5: New Music From Pariah, Walter Jones And Beach Fossils

Gambolling slack-jawed in search of grace

Thom Yorke: My Autobiography. By Steven Wells

As Radiohead reissue their first three albums, Steven Wells presents a series of recollections of the band at different stages in their career

The Sisters Of Mercy Are Ripe For Reappraisal, Says Julian Marszalek

Julian Marszalek looks at the Sisters Of Mercy's magnificent early releases and explains why they were one of the era's most cruelly misunderstood bands

Fuck You ’92: Why We Don’t Need An Early 90s Revival

DMs, Neds Atomic Dustbin, John Major . . . why oh why is 1992 being classed a glory year, asks Charles Ubaghs

Uncle Agony Aidan Moffat: Anonymous Clinic For Awkward Itches

All ye broken of heart and restless of loin fear not, for Aidan Moffat returns with his latest wisdom-packed column of sex advice

Dragnet #4: New Music From Alexander Nut, Patten And Teengirl Fantasy

Cruising the web for brain-crippling kicks

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Selecting The Best For One Side Of A C90

As Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds begin their programme of reissues, David McNamee compiles select cuts from their back catalogue

Brother John Robb Recalls Infiltrating The Heart Of American Power

Gold Blade man John Robb remembers a pre-9/11 Washington where you could sneak into the offices of rabid right-wing politicians and put your brothel creepers up on the desks of power

Music For The People? Why We Deserve Better Than The Enemy

Since Oasis, argues Luke Turner, a succession of lad rock bands have coined it in by patronising large swathes of British society.

Dragnet #3: New Music From Floating Points, Deep Shit, Toadally Krossed Out

Trawling the internet for crooked kicks

AC/DC: Disco Punk Funk Glam Rock Brit Pop Superstars

AC/DC are often held up to be 100% rock & roll in it's purest form. This just isn't the case says Julian Marszalek after examining the evidence

28 Gays Later: Why Queer Zombies Rule And Lesbian Vampire Killers Suck

If you're looking for a homosexual-horror-homage, Dave Moats suggests you skip the abysmal _Lesbian Vampire Killers_ and watch a gay zombie film instead

Bring The Ruckus: Which Music Is Superior, Australian or English?

Ashes to Ashes! The Battle of the Antipodes is to be carried out between Andrew 'G'Day Cobber' Mueller and David 'What-ho Old Boy!' Stubbs over which country has the finest pop and rock music, England or Down Under

Dragnet #2: New Music From Hot City, Cold Pumas, Stag Hare

Trawling the internet for crooked kicks

Ben Myers Salutes The Return Of The Rock Opera

As Green Day announce a rock opera based on American Idiot, Ben Myers casts his beady eye over the much-maligned genre

The Thirty Best Goth Records Of All Time

Gentleman of the night Mick Mercer is just about to have a comprehensive tome on the goth genre published - _Music To Die For_. So who better to introduce this (entirely subjective) top thirty?

Dragnet #1: New Music From Atlas Sound, Marco Bernardi, Spider And The Flies

Trawling the internet for crooked kicks

David Sitek: Has The Producer’s Profligacy Outstripped His Talent?

Let's be honest, Dear Science wasn't all it was cracked up to be. But, asks Al Denney, is the reason because David Sitek isn't the producer that he's cracked up to be?