With a cast of varied and unexpected characters, Cooke reveals herself to be a keen evaluator of individuals and their silent struggle with the outside world.

Having formed in 1980 during the No Wave movement and with 16 studio albums under their belt, it’s hard to know just what to expect from Sonic Youth.

It’s pretty exciting when a band releases a ground­breaking first album, more so when the second album embodies a pure and unadulterated music.

Acoustic Ladyland is back with something rather promising. Although it can be tough to find your element in an instrumental album, Living With A Tiger assures listeners this is, indeed possible.

Revolution brings together Cuban musicians with top artists and producers from the UK and the USA, showcasing the eclecticism of Cuban music.

Here Come The Vikings is an eclectic mix of electric pop and smooth ballads. Williamson is revealed to be a multi-talented musician and songwriter.

How Colson Whitehead avoids cliché and traditional motif in Sag Harbor, his autobiographical fourth novel, which is definitely not a coming-of-age tale.

Maxïmo Park is moving in a new direction, one that’s more established, secure and oozing with confidence. It’s serious in lyrics, galvanized in sound.

Designer, curator of the Aram Gallery, and tutor at the Royal College of Art, Daniel Charny is a man in the know. Having trained as an industrial designer, Charny has worked across disciplines including public art, furniture and product design.

Mix blues and ragtime, contemporary roots and indie, folk and jazz. Layer it with soul-drenched vocals and you have something near the sound of Kill It Kid.

Ask her how she became involved in music and Tidwell will reel off a list of family associations on both sides, from her mother’s career in the 1970s, to her grandfather’s country record label.

For such an incidental naming, the heroic-sounding Morton Valence perfectly suits the stylized romance of the band.

In today’s climate, the Do It Yourself attitude is ever more present and we’re encouraging you to get creative, get your camera and make your own films.

Traversing the boundaries between social and personal interests, thriller and realism, Pour Elle forces everyday characters to extraordinary lengths.

Saville is a natural and engaging speaker, and he profusely urges us to stop and consider our state of play. He is still open to all possibilities and contemplates his opinions to an extensive degree.

Chen Ke, one of China’s new generation of young artists discusses her work, the dichotomies of identity, personal tastes and culture in the flux of modern China.

Explorations on the built environment, avant-garde inheritance, and individuality bring together the work of 15 Polish artists, and an exposé on Tadeusz Kantor.

The 53rd Venice Biennale, directed by Daniel Birnbaum, offers a glimpse at the ideas of freedom, originality and the purpose of expression.

Shape of Things to Come is the definitive book on contemporary sculpture. It might weigh your bookshelf down, but definitely worth the gamble.

Lichtenstein Posters is a beautifully produced book, which is essential reading for anyone interested in Pop Art and the works of Roy Lichtenstein.