St Vincent and David Byrne have completed work on their much anticipated collaborative album, which is due for release later this year. The pair are also expected to tour together in support of the release, which is nice.

The project was seeded when the two musicians met at a charity show three years ago. Hitting it off, they began working together. “We just started writing and kept writing and writing”, St Vincent, aka Annie Clark, told Rolling Stone this week. “It just evolved to become this much bigger thing”.

Announcing that recording was complete, Clark, tweeted last week: “Whew! Finished recording the David Byrne collaboration and now off to Mexico City to celebrate”.

That’s a good call, Mexico City has many great attractions. I hope they had time to check out the Catedral Metropolitana.

Lil Wayne has revealed that he is working on an album of love songs, which he wrote while in prison last year, entitled ‘Devol’.

Of the title and content he told MTV: “That’s ‘loved’ spelled backwards, and it’s my version of love songs”.

But what do you mean by your version of songs, Lil? “What I mean by my version of love songs is meaning they’re not saying, ‘I love you’. It’s all material I did when I was locked up”.

Oh, that’s nice.

Lily Allen is currently in the studio working on new material. So says Perez Hilton, anyway. And why would he lie?

A source told the gossip-monger: “Lily has been in the studio trying different sounds and writing new tracks…When Lily retired she honestly thought she’d never record again. Her life has changed so much since her last album and she now has a different perspective. Lily wants a more mature sound and is penning tracks about [daughter] Ethel and [husband] Sam”.

As previously reported, Allen is also working on a Bridget Jones musical. It’s entirely possible she’s actually in the studio for recordings relating to that, but whatever.

U2 are apparently working with Swedish songwriter Carl Falk for a song on their next album. Falk penned One Direction’s ‘What Makes You Beautiful’, and has also recently worked with Nicki Minaj, Labrinth and Nicole Scherzinger, amongst others.

Falk told The Sun: “There’s a long way to go but we are doing something with U2″.

As previously reported, producers RedOne and Danger Mouse also contributed to the album, though its release was pushed back to the end of this year and RedOne’s work was seemingly ditched last summer after those sessions didn’t turn out as hoped. At the time Adam Clayton told Rolling Stone: “We have to focus on what we do best, and the work we did with Danger Mouse came closest to that. We want to be in the clubs and make pop music as well as the thing U2 does, but in the end, the thing we did with RedOne doesn’t feel like the right fit”.

In other U2 news, Bono and The Edge have invested in file-transfer service Dropbox. The pair apparently met the company’s founders when they were developing online music service iLike, which was recently closed down by its eventual owner MySpace.

Pete Doherty is working on a new solo album. So there you go. Well, it’s possible he’s not working on it right now, in an interview with the NME he sort of suggested a producer was piecing it together from demos he’s recorded at home in order to quickly get out of his contractual commitments to EMI.

Doherty said: “I keep getting told that we’re under obligation to fulfil the contract with EMI, so we’re looking to put a new album together. [The producer's] name is Adem Hilmi and he works at Slaughterhouse Studios in Harlsden. He’s taken my hard drive with a view to putting this album together. It’ll be twelve songs”.

Cradle Of Filth will begin working on their tenth album later this month, frontman Dani Filth has revealed.

Says Filth: “Thus far we have recorded nine demos (with a final two to follow swiftly on their heels in the coming weeks) which all sound fabulously twisted, though it is hard to put into words just exactly how this album is sounding that would not add confusion to general expectations … it’s fast, innovative, melodic, brutal and utterly uncompromising, VERY cinematic, romantic, necromantic, angry and reflective. Fuck me, it’s a new Cradle Of Filth album, and a really bloody good one at that, if the demos alone are taken as a foretaste of the thunderstorm to come”.

As well as this, the band will release a new “orchestral album”, ‘Midnight In The Labrinth’, for this year’s Record Store Day on 21 Apr. “Slightly ironic I know, seeing as no one buys records these days, let alone ventures, God forbid, into a real life music store”, said Filth, kind of missing the point of Record Store Day.

Deftones will begin recording their seventh album in July, frontman Chino Moreno has told Chilean website Latercera.

Moreno told Latcera (as translated by Digital Spy): “I know everybody says this, but I believe this is the best record we’ve [written]. I’m very enthusiastic, because it sounds futuristic in comparison to our last one, so it feels like a step forward. The songs are very different from each other, not heavier or slower, but more dynamic, going towards several directions; it’s heavy, but beautiful”.

Diplo has stated that he’s acting as executive producer on a new reggae album from Snoop Dogg, describing the rapper’s part in the project as “fucking awesome”.

Speaking to MTV, Diplo said: “Snoop Dogg is an icon, man; he’s bigger than the music. What we’re doing is a reggae record. It’s all reggae and he’s singing and he’s doing a fucking awesome job – he had his heart in every song”.

Snoop, who released his ‘Doggumentary’ LP last year, has previously hinted via Twitter that his next record will represent a “reincarnation” of sorts, saying: “It’s special. It’s a real special project to me because it’s like the birth of me becoming who I really am”.

According to Diplo, recording sessions for the untitled record will recommence in April. Make of all this what you will.

The View have been announced as the latest signing to Cooking Vinyl with a global services deal to release the band’s fourth album. Produced by Mike Crossey, that new long player is currently being recorded at the Motor Museum Studio in Liverpool.

The band’s manager Mike Bawden told CMU: “It’s great the band have signed with Cooking Vinyl – great people with a great label, and now with the addition of Britain’s most exciting pop-punk band, we cant wait to get going”.

Frontman Kyle Falconer added: “New label, new record being made in Liverpool with Mike Crossey. Gigs going in the diary – we’re looking forward to a great future with Cooking Vinyl”.

Will Young has revealed that he’s started discussing his next album with songwriting partners Kish Mauve (who, although best known for writing for and with Kylie, worked with Young on his last record ‘Echoes’), and that they are thinking of doing something a bit different than his last Richard X produced long player – maybe something more soulful. Or classical.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Young said: “I want to start writing again. I actually met up with Kish Mauve the other day and we got really excited about writing the record. I feel like it’s just the beginning really. Maybe it’ll be a bit more soul-ey next time. I wouldn’t mind going a bit more soul… cut to me in a tunic doing a classical sixth century Bard album”.

The classical thing isn’t totally a joke, because it seems Young does want to do a classical project, though at the moment that’s very much a side venture. He continued: “That’s a different thing – that’s more like a project. That wouldn’t be like the big main album. I’m trying to get my head around that at the moment. I know what will happen, I’ll start it and it’ll probably end up being the next friggin album”.

Back to ‘Echoes’, and a third single has just been released, ‘Losing Myself’, the video for which is here:

Boards Of Canada are working on material for a new album. We know this because when a fan wrote on their Facebook page earlier this week “Rumours of a new BOC album are rife – any truth in this?”, they answered: “Yes”. That’s a pretty definite answer.

And when might we hear this new material? Well, that’s less definitive. A rep for their label Warp told Pitchfork: “They are definitely working on new material, but there is nothing on the cards at the moment in terms of a scheduled release”.

The duo’s last album, ‘Trans Canada Highway’, was released in 2006.

Justin Bieber has suggested that he and Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine are forming a new supergroup. I can think of few things more horrific, except perhaps that song Adam Levine did with Gym Class Heroes. God that was awful. I can’t believe a record label actually released that, rather than burning every copy and killing everyone involved upon listening to it for the first time.

Anyway, Bieber tweeted yesterday: “Long night in the studio. Good seeing big bro Adam Levine – we got a big idea coming!” He also appended the hashtag #newSupergroup, which is where the new supergroup rumour comes from, see?

Perhaps in a moment of clarity, Bieber later added in a message direct to Levine: “I don’t think the world is ready for this SUPERGROUP”. It’s possible this was Bieber realising how awful everything Levine goes near becomes the second he opens his mouth, and decided to pull the plug on the project. We can only hope. Don’t let us down, Justin.

The Temper Trap are currently in California putting the finishing touches on their second album, the follow-up to 2009′s ‘Conditions’. Produced by Tony Hoffer, the as-yet-untitled record is due for release this summer.

Guitarist Lorenzo Sillitto told Triple J Magazine: “I think the exciting part about it is that when you have one record it’s very limiting as to what sort of [live] set you can do, and so we’re excited about expanding the set and being able to play a little longer, being able to change it up. We’ve recorded seventeen songs, obviously not all [of those] will go on the record, but it’ll give us a lot of leeway when it comes to playing the shows”.

Asked to pick out a highlight from the new songs, he added: “There’s a song called ‘Trembling Hands’, it’s probably the closest thing to the stuff on the last record. It has a really anthemic feel to it, and Dougie’s vocals really get up there and soar from start to finish. We’re all pretty excited about that one. It’s a good step back in, cos we have made some changes. We’ve tried to broaden our sound a little bit”.

If rumours are to be believed, hip hop flavour du jour Azealia Banks is collaborating with just about everyone. Even me. Well, not me, but it seems likely that the ’212′ starlet has really and truly partnered with both MIA and rapper Styles P (albeit, separately) on material that may or may not feature on her upcoming debut album, ‘Broke With Expensive Taste’.

Banks tweeted earlier this week that she “has something cooking” with MIA – who, being so fond of the odd manual swear, seems a natural fit for Azealia’s own profanity-prone verbal style.

Staying with the ‘heat’ wordplay, as any rapper worth their thematic salt should, Banks also said she had been “working on some fire” with D-Block rhymer Styles P. I assume that means more ‘creative spark’ than actual arson, but who knows?

As previously reported, ’212′ is due out via Polydor on 25 Mar.

Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber are going to write a song together especially for the Queen on her Diamond Jubilee. Lucky Queen – imagine that, the genius minds of Barlow and Lloyd Webber combined for one magnificent majestic musical tribute. I bet even Liz is regretting having a Diamond Jubilee now.

Barlow plans to tour the Commonwealth for inspiration, which sounds like a real challenge. He’ll be followed by BBC cameras on the jolly, which makes me suspect that licence fee payers might be covering the cost of this little holiday for the Take That-er.

You’d think Barlow himself could pay, given all the extra cash his promoters made by secretly selling half his group’s tour tickets on the secondary market at hiked up prices. Perhaps Barlow’s signed up to this world tour project to get away from all those angry ripped off British fans. Though, of course, I’m sure none of the Take That boys sanctioned their fans being ripped off. No, that could never happen.

Anyway, this new Barlow Lloyd Webber song – “the biggest challenge I’ve ever taken on musically” says Gary, “it’s a huge honour” adds Andy – will be premiered at that special Jubilee Concert Barlow is staging outside Buck House on 4 Jun. Which is yet another reason to find an excuse to be out of the country that weekend.

His sole role at this year’s BRIT Awards being that of an award presenter, Tinie Tempah seems keen to re-enter the spotlight, and has revealed that his near-complete second album will bear the title ‘Demonstration’.

Speaking about the current status of said long player, which succeeds his bestselling debut Disc-Overy’, Tinie tells Capital FM: “Hopefully a couple of weeks after it’s finished all the singles should start trickling out, but I’m so excited about it. It feels so much better than when I did the first one”.

Typical of Tempah tradition, the record will feature contributions from the rapper’s ever-reliable ‘Disc-Overy’ wingman, producer and now ‘Earthquake’ soloist Labrinth. Tinie has in the past hinted at a number of other potential “cool collaborations”, even claiming to have had discussions with Coldplay, Dizzee Rascal and Gary Barlow. Thus far, though, no such collaborations have been confirmed.

James Blake has characterised his current studio experiments, as may feature on a second album, as “clubby” and “aggressive” as compared to his eponymous debut.

He informs Spinner in this interview: “A lot of the vocal music I’ve been doing recently has been quite clubby. But that’s mainly because I’ve had more time to go to clubs, and that normally breeds that kind of influence. I’ve been doing quite a few DJ sets recently, which have been really fun”.

He adds: “I think it’s going to be a bit more aggressive, to be honest. It seems that way. In terms of writing more club tracks, I feel like it was all electronically influenced, but now that influence has come to me in a different way”.

Meanwhile, stalwart Warp signing Squarepusher has, in his own indecipherable fashion, also shared several details of his own ‘aggressive’ new LP, which is entitled ‘Ulfaum’. His first official solo output since 2009 (not counting his 2010 collaboration with pseudo-real band Shobaleader One), it’s set for release on 14 May.

Not much else is known about the record, save that Jenskinson has been “thinking about pure electronic music again. Something very melodic, very aggressive”.

And then there’s this trailer:

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez of At The Drive-In has put an end to speculation that the band, who have just reunited after a considerable hiatus, might record a new LP. Ever.

Speaking to Kerrang about the reformation, he said: “Will there be an album? No, no, no. At The Drive-In is more of a nostalgia thing – it’s songs we wrote when we were all in our 20s and we’re doing a couple of shows”.

He added: “It’s an old t-shirt that doesn’t fit me any more, but when you put it on again, it feels nice. It’s as simple as that”. Presumably that means old t-shirts tour, but don’t make new music. Is that how it is, Omar? Hmph.

Anyway. At The Drive-In are set to cash-in at several high-profile festival bookings this year, which include their first ever European appearance at Benicassim. Good for them.

‘Oxygen’ troubadour Willy Mason has announced that he’s set about making a new long player, which will form a follow-up to 2007′s ‘If The Ocean Gets Rough’. He certainly takes his time, that one.

He says: “The album itself is about growing up and trying to find one’s place. I think of this record as the third and final chapter to a particular narrative that started with ‘Where the Humans Eat’”.

Given the leisurely pace at which Mason seems to operate, it figures that ‘the album’ is yet to be given a title or release date. You can, however, stream new track ‘Restless Fugitive’ below right now, and even download it here for free.

Named as the opening act for Ben Howard’s forthcoming UK tour, which runs throughout November, Willy has also confirmed a second date at London’s Hoxton Bar & Kitchen on 27 Mar, the first having sold out.

Depeche Mode are preparing to record a new album, which they are “hoping to be finished by the end of the year”, the band’s Martin Gore has revealed.

Gore was actually speaking to The Quietus about ‘SSSS’, the debut album from his new collaboration with Vince Clarke, VCMG. He said of the techno project: “It was a nice break for me to be able to go and do something completely different that doesn’t involve poring over lyrics and having to think about vocal melodies. I think I went back to actually writing for [Depeche Mode] with much more vigour afterwards, because I had taken such a break. It gave me a real creative impetus”.

He continued: “I went straight from finishing the VCMG record into writing for the band. I think even though I used a lot of the same kind of instrumentation, I immediately went into a completely different headspace. The stuff I’ve been doing for the band is completely different to VCMG. Apart from the fact that I came back to the actual songwriting with more energy, you have to remember as well that I’m also a guitar player. Working on the VCMG record, obviously I didn’t look at a guitar for that whole period because it just wasn’t right – so the moment I started getting back to writing songs for the band then I’m picking up the guitar, I’m going on the piano, working on chords, just working completely differently”.

‘SSSS’ is due for release on 12 Mar, and Depeche Mode are due to head into the studio to work on that new album later the same month.