The Guillemots - We’re Here (Fantastic PIastic)
Starting quietly with the sound of the sea and a theramin, the third single from oddball mavericks The Guillemots builds to a powerful string backed pop gem. With singer Fyfe Dangerfield sounding like Robert Smith fronting the London Symphony Orchestra, this strangely haunting and hypnotic record could be the big one for them.

Islands  - Rough Gem (Rough Trade)
Featuring members of Arcade Fire, sounds like they are in a better mood than the main band have been for years but chose the cheaper instruments out of the school music room cupboard. Naff keyboard, recorders and a jolly clarinet help this innocent and summery record jaunt along at the pace of an Egg and Spoon Race on Sports Day! Cheesy but endearing.

Duels  - Animal (Nude)
Their last single Pressure on You, sounded like Magazine, despite growing up, buying suits and appearing on TV, they have decided to continue ripping off Howard Devoto giving him a Britpop Blur slant. Unoriginal but better than a lot of tosh on the radio these days...

Good Books - Walk With Me (Transgressive)
Currently one of NMEs names to watch, this 500 only 7” (and cassette!) single shows what the fuss is all about. Starting quietly, it builds up into a sub-Stone Roses guitar riff. Maybe the “Baggy” late 1980s sound is coming back again.... 

Good Shoes - We Are Not the Same (Brille)
The bands second single arrives as limited 10” and CD single with three nice badges. Reminiscent of early Go-Betweens -  if they had been fronted by a cockney! Young sounding with a basic tinny and jangly guitar backing. One for fans of Orange Juice and Postcard Records!

English Victorian Gentlemans Club - Ban The Gin/Amateur Man (Fantastic Plastic)
The Cardiff gothic trios second single is another good yelper. Stripped down drums, fuzzy guitar and heavy bass with shouty vocals from the boy and girl singers. Hardly Bauhaus but certainly different from anything else around at the moment. Interesting.