Albums you should seriously consider

U2 – Songs of Innocence (Island)

Never look a gift Bono in the mouth. The fact that you can get the new U2 album free on iTunes until October 13 makes it an essential listen for a start.

Fans will find plenty to like here, while the freebie might encourage non-believers to listen to this and maybe the back catalogue – which is exactly what the band wants. Stay tuned for news of a world tour (no doubt to be sponsored by Apple).

Vance Joy – Dream Your Life Away (Liberation)

‘Riptide’ was the outstanding earworm of last year – you are probably still humming it right now – and Vance Joy’s debut album proves that it was not a fluke.

Recorded with US producer Ryan Hadlock, who steered a great top five US album for The Lumineers, Dream Your Life Away features 13 tracks that are bound to propel this to the top of the charts here.

Megan Washington – There There (Mercury) 

Singer-songwriter Megan Washington is going to play a few free ‘pop up’ shows this weekend to help launch her new album. Washington will perform tonight (Friday) at Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall, Federation Square in Melbourne on Saturday 13 September and Sydney’s Westfield Pitt Street on Sunday 14 September.

Packed with catchy hooks this could be the album that gains Washington serious international attention.

Jimmy Barnes – 30:30 Hindsight (Liberation)

Celebrating 30 years as a solo artist, Jimmy Barnes not only has a massive tour in progress but here he revisits some of his biggest hits with an array of big name guests, including ‘Little’ Steven Van Zandt from Bruce Springsteen’s band.

How you respond to these reworkings will depend on how attached you are to the anthemic originals. There is a 2-disc, 30 track version with 17 new recordings (and a disc of another 13 hits). And if too much Jimmy ain’t enough then there is a the super deluxe edition 40 track version with DVD.

One movie you should seriously consider

20,000 Days on Earth

Ostensibly a day in the life of Nick Cave, this film has a much wider scope. Directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard manage to turn what could have been a vanity project into a document that provides a meaningful (if incomplete) insight into Cave’s considerable career.

You do not even have to be familiar with Cave’s music to enjoy this and the appearance of his musical colleague Warren Ellis is a delight.