AMERICANA ROUND-UP

Trailed as a spiritual successor to 1979’s Lubbock (On Everything), January sees the release of Just Like Moby Dick (Paradise Of Bachelors), the first new album in seven years from

Texan songwriter and conceptual artist Terry Allen

(pictured). It’s reassuringly colourful in scope and tone,

Allen bringing his customary wit to vividly detailed songs about vampire circuses, pirates, the death of the last stripper in town and Houdini’s existential crisis. Joe Ely and Dave Alvin are among the co-writers. He’s backed, too, by the Panhandle Mystery Band, which includes Shannon Mcnally, Bukka Allen, Lloyd Maines and co-producer Charlie Sexton.

Michael Weston King and Lou Dalgleish, aka My Darling

Clementine, recently returned with “Country Darkness Vol 1”, a four-track EP of Elvis Costello songs reinterpreted as duets, in collaboration with Steve Nieve. Two more similarly themed EPS are in the works before all 12 songs will be issued as an album in the spring. “We’re looking at cutting some tracks with the rest of The Imposters,” King tells Uncut. “They will again consist of Costello songs that can be deemed as country or country-soul.” And on the touring front, be sure to catch

Calexico and Iron & Wine, whose UK jaunt to support Years To Burn starts at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall on November 18.