The State of Song
Our survey of songs that break the mould, from Art Ensemble of Chicago to Hans Zender and 58 points in between

Hafler Trio
Phil England takes a rare trip into the arcane sound worlds of Hafler mastermind Andrew McKenzie

Invisible Jukebox: Buck 65
The Canadian B-boy nails work by Woody Guthrie, Gavin Bryars, Throbbing Gristle and more. Tested by David Stubbs

Takehisa Kosugi
Japan's Improv violinist, dance composer and ex-Taj Mahal Traveller explains the heterodyne effect to Alan Cummings

Nautical Almanac
Anti-knowledge guides this Baltimore duo through the minefields of noise. By Marc Masters

Steve Hubback
The expat Englishman percussionist lives a hephaestian life in Reykjavik making the real Metal Music. By Brian Morton

Laurie Spiegel
Julian Cowley meets inventor, electronic composer and Fahey's last collaborator.

Global Ear
Roxanne Khamsi investigates the folk-infused electronica of Estonia's capital Tallinn

Epiphanies
Oxbow's contrarian vocalist Eugene Robinson gets sincere about Dean Martin

Print Run
Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy Listening, and Other Moodsong, by Joseph Lanza; The Truman and Eisenhower Blues: African-American Blues and Gospel Songs, 1945-1960, by Guido Van Rijn; Music and Mathematics: From Pythagoras To Fractals, edited by John Fauvel, Raymond Flood & Robin Wilson

Cross Platform
David Toop talks to Jem Finer about his transition from banjo plucking with The Pogues to computer-decomposed improvisations and music built to last 1000 years
Plus: Morton Feldman/ Philip Guston at London Royal Academy of the Arts and DVD reviews of Branca Ensemble and From Zero: Four Films on John Cage. And Robin Rimbaud/ Scanner's Inner Sleeve featuring Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel

On Location
No Fun Fest, New York, USA; Ether: Jean-Jacques Perrey/ Luke Vibert/ Hans Joachim Roedelius, London Queen Elizabeth Hall; Ether: David Axelrod & The Orchestra, London Royal Festival Hall; Radu Malfatti & Taku Sugimoto, Paris Instants Chavirés