Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Almost Blue - the original versions - a Spotify playlist

Joe writes: While setting my dad up with an iPod (it's the future you know), I got distracted and ended up making this Spotify playlist of the original versions of country songs covered by Elvis Costello & The Attractions on the 1981 album Almost Blue (except where the originals weren't on Spotify, in which case I've gone for the next best thing).

Ruen Brothers - Aces

Joe writes: Henry and Rupert Stansall, AKA Ruen Brothers, are two brothers aged 22 and 23. One of the songs in their live set, On The Sunny Side Of Town, was written when they were around 16. I mention this to illustrate that they have been playing and writing rock 'n' roll for years - it's their passion and they're not bandwagon jumpers. However, they have undoubtedly been helped by Jake Bugg's breakthrough and the hype around The Strypes. This could be their time - as long as they don't pause until they're huge.

Fullish disclosure: I don't work with this band but I have been helping them out. Here's a track I pointed them towards which they were inspired by, Inside Looking Out by The Animals. I first heard this on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show, and Zane is now a big champion of Ruen Brothers (sometimes what goes around does come back around):



Here's a song I love, which I found out about thanks to Ruen Brothers, Lonely Weekends by Charlie Rich:



And here's Ruen Brothers' awesome breakthrough song Aces, written and produced by them: