Ikonika: Sad review – vocal-led new direction is a hit for the Hyperdub veteran
(Hyperdub)
The dancefloor producer weaves seductive and steely lyrics with their trademark production in a convincing embrace of pop
Why Starmer’s desire to govern as ‘Mr Rules’ is bound to fail
In the face of multiple crises, disruptive technology and populism, making Britain orderly again is an impossible goal, says Guardian columnist Andy Beckett
The Abandons to With Love, Meghan: Holiday Celebration – the seven best shows to stream this week
Gillian Anderson’s wealthy landowner threatens rural smallholders in a zippily entertaining period drama set in 1850s Oregon, while the Sussexes’ rental mansion is awash with enough festive kitsch to bother even Santa
‘I almost always play it in hiding, alone’: can anyone get into free jazz, history’s most maligned music?
Even though he’s partial to hideous noise, free jazz is mostly unknown to the Guardian’s pop critic. A new guidebook from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore may change his mind
Add to playlist: Pollyfromthedirt’s grey-skied Anglo ambience and the week’s best new tracks
The masked singer’s jagged pop deals in suburban bleakness, English nationalism and jilted romance against a backdrop of DIY drum machines and acoustic guitar
Add to playlist: the ear-rattling psychedelia of Brighton’s Oral Habit and the week’s best new tracks
Overpowering, explosive and intense, the trio’s contemporary form of psychedelia is rebooted for the troubled, disturbing climate of 2025
HTRK: String of Hearts (Songs of HTRK) review – friends from Liars to Kali Malone rework their noisy gems
Sharon Van Etten, Stephen O’Malley, Perila and more transform the duo’s gloomy, sensual songs on an album of covers and remixes
Jury trials are flawed and unwieldy – but vital for justice being seen to be done
The independence of UK courts and public confidence in the legal system could be the victims of David Lammy’s plan for justice on the cheap, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff
Lachenmann: The String Quartets review – Quatuor Diotima draw you into his strange and compelling soundworld
The instruments mutter and shriek, dissolving the line between noise and music on this authoritative and fascinating disc
David Lammy is right to slash the use of juries – it’s an open-and-shut case
Barristers and criminals may not like the idea, but it’s key to reforming Britain’s antiquated and overloaded justice system, says the Guardian columnist Simon Jenkins
‘It felt dangerous. You got naggy’: Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater on power, combovers and Blue Moon
Ahead of their 11th movie together, the actor and director discuss musicals, the legacy of Philip Seymour Hoffman and what being bald and 5ft tall does to your flirting skills