Canterbury – Eleven, Twelve
Sounding like a parent friendly version of Enter Shikari is never a good thing. Whilst clearly competent, this is an unbelievably safe and pedestrian song containing nothing whatsoever of interest to anyone. After the first listen this will be played less often than Anne Frank’s drum kit. (AM)

Richard Walters – Weather Song
According to the press release Walters resolutely refuses to “rock out” – preferring quiet despair, unfulfilled desire, anxiety, dismay, melancholy and longing. Doesn’t he sound like a fun guy to be around? Weather Song is a fairly average folk ditty that doesn’t inspire me to seek out anything else he may have done. Don’t let him read this though; I wouldn’t want him leaping off any tall buildings. (AM)

Little Comets - Adultery
These youngsters seem to have boundless energy and zest pinging off the walls with their superbly executed calypso melodies and funky bass-lines. Guaranteed to get even the most determined chair-huggers throwing shapes on the dance-floor. Certainly a band to keep your eye on. (AM)



Housse De Racket - Synthetiseur
Bizarre electro pop from France which bolts together fey OMD style melodies with a thundering slab of 'Eye of The Tiger' hyperbole. It shouldn't work and yet somehow I'm drawn back to it again and again. (SB)

Spectrum 7 - So Silent the Night
I've never quite got the concept of the mini album and this seven track effort from Spectrum 7 does little to drive the point home. It is a real mish mash of styles and where a pop rock nugget like 'Blue Wray' might work as a single it just gets lost in a trough full of ideas from a band struggling to find an identity. 'Frozen' is pleasingly angular and awkward like a modern take on Gang of Four crossed with Fightstar and 'Glass Houses' gets into a bit of a Gary Numan groove but there's littlle else that grabs the attention. (SB)

Shabby Rogue - Life As A Secret Agent
This effort is from Shabby Rogue is anything but shabby with a catchy riff that repeats in your head long after the three minutes have passed. The rough around the edges production complements the track brilliantly as lead singer screeches "that's all I wanna say" over the chorus. Let's hope this track isn't all the band have to say in the future. (IS)

Serotonin - Siempre y para Siempre EP
Lead singer Jay's gravelly voice eerily recalls the late Kurt Cobain and when 'Death From Above', the stand out track of this three-track EP, crashes in with a riff Nirvana would have been proud of, it will make you wonder whether Serotonin are just a Nirvana tribute masquerading as a new band. Despite this, the EP still shows enough promise and variation in style to warrant repeat listens. (IS)

Perempay & Dee - DJ Play
Shola Ama makes a long overdue return to the music scene providing vocals for this dancefloor filler. Her perfect soul sound complements the bass-driven track well making this a cut above the usual club-focussed music. It would be nice to see Ms. Ama return to the soul scene off her own music sometime soon. (CP)

Janee & Bless Beats feat. Tinchy Stryder - Sex in the City
Grime, rap and ghetto all make an appearance for this mish-mash track. Sex in the City is an unconfortable meld of styles that fails to work on almost all levels. (CP)

Skunk Anansie - Squander
Skin and co return with their second new single from their greatest hits release. It's a deep and thought-provoking track that dispenses with the usual Skunk Anansie attitude and brings in something with far more depth. It's a great song and much fresher than the band's previous release which seemed to be an attempt to recapture past glories. (CP)

Ben's Brother feat. Anastacia - Stalemate
Anastacia's vocals slightly overpower Jamie Hartman's on this decent song. While there is a slight imbalance vocally, the pair still manage to hold the song together to give us something with an event feel. Not bad at all, but squarely middle-of-the-road. (CP)

Gabby Young & Other Animals - We're All In This Together
What a gorgeous voice - it's hard not to get pulled into Gabby Young's vocals to the point where anything more tangible is unimportant. Despite the low-key folk leanings, We're All In This Together, gives a clear signal that Gabby is someone to watch. She's been through a lot in her 25 years, but none of that makes any difference when you have such an obvious talent as this. (CP)

Paw Paw - Wired OK
"Following in the steps of Little Boots [...] with the catchy hooks of La Roux" - no matter what your thoughts on the two namechecked artists, they have some talent to jusify their success. On the evidence of OK Wired, it's hard to see anything in this offering that isn't derivative and tired. The recent electro resurgence was never going to be a long-term thing, but the boat has sailed and Paw Paw didn't even make it to the pier. (CP)

Tinchy Stryder - You're Not Alone
No, no, no. There are some things that are just beyond the pale and Tinchy Stryder's decimation of the classic Olive track is one of them. Surely something worthy of the reintroduction of capital punishment. Olive's perfectly judged dance/club sound was a great crossover track, but adding a chump rapping badly over the top ruins it absolutely and completely. Tinchy should be ashamed, I know my ears are. (CP)

Loverman - Human Nuture EP
The sound of black leather, dark alleys, switchblades, burning cars, broken glass and overdoses. Beyond ridiculous and pure freakshow theatre but something in its infected black heart makes me wanna take to the streets, flamin' torch in hand and reclaim rock 'n' roll from the X-Factor death camps. Shine on you crazy bastards. (MJ)



My Tiger My Timing - I Am The Sound
Like a secret lemonade drinker cousin of CSS, "I Am The Sound" is a sweet lick of sunshine on a grim Autumnal eve. About to be Kitsuné'd up too which is always a good sign. Yes MTMT you may go to the ball! (MJ)

Beat The Radar - 18, 19, 20, 21, 22
Solid, Cribs-ish indie. Nice bass sound! (DB)

Lack Of Afro - International
With jazz, soul and funk influences, one would think that Lack Of Afro are in a pretty safe place to craft an enjoyable four minute track. However 'International' strays from funky to just plain annoying by the end of its running time. One of the main issues is that the style of vocals just never seems to fit in with the upbeat instrumental. (IS)

Danielle Spencer - Wish I'd Been Here
Sounding a bit like The Carpenters, only less exciting, one wonders if there's a market for this sort of thing when there are so many colourful female singer-songwriters doing the rounds (Bat For Lashes, La Roux, etc). Still, it may get that Tampax ad gig or end up as track 19 on CD two of Now That's What I Call Modern Woman Vol. 63. (JD)

Talen - Kingston Book / New York Book
Oddly released on the same day, these two EPs, mixing dubstep, dancehall, hip hop and twitchy electro, sit at the more abrasive, bass lovin' end of the musical spectrum. For those who like it rough. (JD)

Death Cab for Cutie - Meet Me on the Equinox
Until I spied the press release, in which Death Cab bassist Nick Harmer prattles on about how his band are "proud to be part of the Twilight legacy", I was prepared to forgo my previous ignorance/avoidance and proclaim them the new Mercury Rev or something. I mean, you pay a price for liking a band called Death Cab for Cutie, right ? I'm pretty 'up' on stuff. You tell me why I've never heard them. Jeez. If I'm not careful I'll end up losing my Jimmy Eat World cherry one of these days. Knobbing about aside, this is rather fine, as delicate as it is driven, a cracking advert for the kind of US college rock that only just gives away its careerism beneath its 'alternative' coat.

Single of the Week

Smoke Fairies - Sunshine
Oh my. Been keeping half an eye on this lot for a while now. Well, pair. Jessica Davies and Katherine Blamire release their third single and the way in which it marries its folk heart with a spare, very deliberate indie rock inclination damn near freezes my blood. 'Sunshine' is all desperate longing and love among the ruins, cemented with the kind of laser-guided harmonies that could lose a man his mind. The guitar playing alone is worth the price of entry and some popcorn. Seriously invigorating, impeccably delivered. (I won't even mention just how much that whole Laura-Ashley-dress-bare-legs thing they got going seals the deal.) I'm in. Both feet.

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