Kate Bush's new album may sound fruity but rather than being obscure and difficult, it all knits together beautifully.

There were high expectations for The Checks' follow-up album to sophomore release Alice By The Moon and fortunately, they've outdone themselves.

Greatest Bits, the 40-track compilation released to coincide with the label's 30th birthday, is similar to In Love With These Times, because it captures the catchy, ingenious and strange sounds of the roster.

After falling out with Hollywood heavyweight Dreamworks over its first computer-animated feature Flushed Away, British studio Aardman has now partnered with Sony Pictures for this festive family comedy.

If Irish dancing brings to mind Michael Flatley and Riverdance, this colourful if conventional film should revise that impression to one of diamantes, fake tans, gigantic wigs and charming kids.

The title is hint enough that the 10-year-old whose freckled face fills the screen at the opening of this finely wrought French film belongs to a young girl; 20 minutes in and her true gender is established.

Hours before Black Sabbath played their first New Zealand show, young Kiwi promoter Barry Coburn was summoned to a makeshift dressing room where Ozzy Osbourne said, "When we come on, we want a burning cross - make it happen".

This rather jolly film, written by advertising man Bob Moore, put me in mind of the kind of entertainments they put on in retirement villages. It has a teaspoon too much treacly whimsy but it is distinguished by a quirky and inventive visual sense...

The incredible thing about reigning pop queen Rihanna is not her ability to strike the most sultry and seductive pose in music. Or that she has one of pop's most unique and mysterious voices.

Director Larysa Kondracki takes on the harrowing subject matter of human trafficking and sex slaves in her debut feature film The Whistleblower.

As with Boston's Dropkick Murphys, Flogging Molly out of Los Angeles here fuse furious punk anger with their Irish roots for often incendiary and air-punching rock with bellowing choruses.

The September 2010 Canterbury earthquake, its deadly February sequel and the thousands of aftershocks have generated so much news coverage that a documentary about the subject risks being superfluous.

The main man here is Hamilton-based Matthew Bannister, formerly of Flying Nun's Sneaky Feelings and Dribbling Darts of Love, one-time Mutton Bird, briefly a solo artist as One Man Bannister, and more recently guiding The Weather.

Director Richard Ayoade's debut feature film based on the novel by Joe Dunthorne may not have you laughing riotously, but its dry and deadpan delivery will have you smirking from beginning to end.

William Bensussen AKA The Gaslamp Killer doesn't even need to think about his answer when I ask him about his preferred rhythm structure.

The second consecutive night of Flying Nun's Nunvember celebrations saw a crowd filled with characters from Dunedin's musical history and father/son combos ready to celebrate the label's 30th anniversary in the historic Flying Nun home of Sammy's.

Seven groups, 13 songs, one-minute changeovers. Shameless genre-shifting, fearless showmanship, a healthy nod to metal and no shoegazing.

Te Kupu and Upper Hutt Posse travelled to Detroit in October 1990 at the invitation of Louis Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam.

It has taken four years and four directors to bring this supernatural romance fantasy, based on the popular young adult novels by Stephenie Meyer, to a close - almost.

Judging by the title of this career-spanning retrospective, and now that R.E.M. have called it a day, it seems they feel the time is right to admit they did some "garbage" in their time.

This 21 track "best of" collection from Portland's 13-piece mini-orchestra is how one imagines a live show of theirs might go - although obviously these tracks are polished recorded studio versions.