Good job the snow is on the retreat. We were getting worried in case lorryloads of new singles were trapped at Calais or in distro centres just off the M6.

What have you got for me this week, TMF brethren?

Liam Frost - Your Hand in Mine
An unexpectedly great pop single from the Mancunian folkie and the mesmerising Martha Wainwright, with a driving piano line reminiscent of classic Madness. If you like Mumford and Sons then this joy filled ditty will be right up your alley. (SB).

Ash - Space Shot
This latest instalment in the Ash A to Z singles-only campaign is a rather funky synth-pop groove which recalls the off kilter pop wizardry of fellow Celt Euro Childs. This is the kind of thing that singles were invented for. Quite wonderful. (SB).

DVA - Nattty / Ganja
Like getting your foot stuck in electro-quicksand both sides of this amazing single gurgle, pop and suck you in. Finding their groove early on they slowly build around squelchy synths. ‘Ganja’s deranged swanny whistle dominates while ‘Natty’ takes a more traditional funky route to dubbed out bliss. A superb twelve-inch to kick off 2010. (AM)

Raffertie - 7th Dimension / String Theory
Immensely satisfying double-A from Raffertie. Sweeping sound-scapes, throbbing bass, ethereal female vocals and sharp drum programming all come together into a euphoric all-you-can eat digital gumbo. There’s so much going on here it won’t be until the fourth of fifth sitting that you’ll had truly appreciated all of the delights it has to offer. (AM)



Emika - Drop The Other
'Drop The Other' straddles commercial pop/r’n’b and dark artiness in a deliberately uncomfortable manner. Understated vocal and slow, glitchy electronic backing, it’s what Lady Gaga might make were she - Heaven forbid! - to get hooked on crack. Or what a strip club might play if they wanted to scare off the customers. That said, it’s Scuba’s (dubstep) Vulpine remix you’re most likely to return to; the snatches of Emika’s vocal work wonderfully against the deep bass. (JD)

Neon Circus - Future Disco EP
Is this a homage to LCD Soundsystem (‘On Repeat’ in particular)? If so, it’s what Crocodile 4: Jungle Killer is to Jaws. (JD)

Sophia May - Come Back
This would make a good track eleven on the second disc of a Hed Kandi compilation. (That way, no-one might ever hear it. Boom boom.) Think bad 90s wannabe house music. (JD)

Princeton - Calypso Gold
Lush, sun-kissed pop, this could be the work of a less smug Neil Hannon. The orchestra and slightly crooned vocals make it sound like an artefact from the 60s. Not sure where this fits in in 2010, but it’s nice to have around. (JD)

Ben Dalby - Doctor Can
Politically motivated pop - it's a strange combination. With a sound not dissimilar to that of Gary Numan or Nick Drake (Say what? - Ed.), 'Doctor Can' harks back to the eighties in a lyrically meaningful track. (CP)

Jarmean - Mind The Gap
Funky reggae four-piece Jarmean have crafted a musically deep track that seems to sit under some pretty mundane and vacuous lyrics. Despite the mismatch, the combination seems to work well and creates something that is initially catchy but likely to become intensely irritating on repeat listens. (CP)

Fifteen Minutes - Another Self Portrait
Irish post-punkers Fifteen Minutes' 'Another Self Portrait', is a diverse mix of sounds. From in-your-face vocals to a booming, guitar heavy backing track, this demands to be put on a high volume. Not a bad punk track at all, and a sure sign that the band have something of a future ahead of them. (CP)

Florence Rawlings - Love Can Be A Battlefield
Rawlings' gorgeous soulful voice overpowers everything else here in this ballad, which fails to ignite any passion. Her sheer talent has yet to be properly tapped, but with more dedication and stronger songs she could be huge. This is decent enough, but we're sure she can do a lot, lot better... (CP)



Girls Can't Catch - Echo
Following on from supporting Girls Aloud and The Saturdays on tour, GCC's second single is as good as anything their more established peers have put out in the last 12 months. A perfectly palatable slice of girl-pop that manages to be sassy and catchy in equal measure. Certainly a girl supergroup in the making... (CP)

N-Dubz Feat. Mr Hudson - Playing With Fire
Oh. N-Dubz Feat. Mr Hudson? Mm-kay. Riiiight. [Looks at floor. Sighs. Looks out of the window. Sighs. Strokes Cat. Sighs. Taps pencil on table. Sighs] Errr. Erm. Aah. Well then. Erm.....How 'bout this Weather? Wild huh?...(MJ)

Incredible Flight Of Birdman - I Can't See You
First volley from ex-Teletext music man John Earls' new label that's a reminder of Morrissey's early solo work and certainly shares a similar tight-buttocked intensity. IFOB arrive fully formed so have your gladioli at the ready.

Sub Focus - Could This Be Real
'I just want to be known as someone who makes good dance music' says Sub-Focus’s Nick Douwma. One can only then presume that he’s currently trying to recall every copy of this generic yawn which cocks its leg all over Rozalla’s ‘Everybody’s Free’. (SB)

Musée Mécanique - Like Home
They hail from Portland, Oregon (who doesn’t these days?) but their sound is a soulful combination of Radiohead-like understated melancholia and early Krautrock synth experimentation. They apparently took their name, and inspiration from the vintage musical exhibits of the San Francisco mechanical museum. It works wonderfully well as a delicate partnership between human fragility and mechanical reliability. Musée Mécanique are the bees knees. (SB)

Mmm. I think I am going to make ... Liam Frost TMF's Single of the Week. There you go.

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