A number-one album. A sold out night at Wembley Arena. Support slots on Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran’s tours. After years of relentless graft, the singer was flying high – and then made the decision to drop out of the spotlight. Now, she’s back and ready for anything

Joyce DiDonato (mezzo), Time for Three Platoon PLAT29101 65:05 mins Is it a song cycle? An opera? Musical theatre? Kevin Puts’s new work Emily – No Prisoner Be, based on texts by Emily Dickinson, is a

A monthly look at must-hear artists from all corners of the guitar world, from the roots of their sound to the tracks that matter most

Anglo-Welsh proggers Also Eden are deliberately ripping up the rule book. Instead of bringing out one album of new music, they’re releasing three interlinking EPs supported by live shows. It’s a bold move but it’s one the band hope fans will get behind. Prog caught up with Huw Lloyd-Jones and Simon Rogers to unearth the story behind it.

Musical chameleons Ulver have reinvented themselves yet again. With their 14th album, they’ve turned away from the progressive synthpop of their recent releases and delivered something more atmospheric. Mainman Kristoffer Rygg looks back on the personal strife and decades of deviation that have paved the way for Neverland.

The month’s best guitar music – a hand-picked selection of the finest fretwork on wax