Graham Parker

Graham Parker's third album for Bloodshot starts with a Dylanesque ditty that gives a witty nod to the album title, in which Parker sings that it was he and not Columbus who discovered America (the twist being that he discovered all the sucky aspects of it). "England's Latest Clown" is a toe-tapping jab at Pete Doherty that recalls Tom Petty and name-checks Kate Moss, just so there's no mistaking that the Libertines/Babyshambles singer is the protagonist here. Parker's guitar playing is almost as honed as his wit, especially on the epic, eight-minute "The Other Side of the Reservoir."