Glasvegas

Sounding an awful lot like The Killers if they had impenetrable Scotch accents, Glasvegas' self titled debut is a pulsating collection of anthem rock tracks of the slow build variety. It gets no points for originality but if you like this sort of thing, and I do, then it is an excellent first outing.

Santogold

Taking up the baton that M.I.A. has left with her eclectic mix of dance, reggae and rap, Santogold is a collaboration between Santi White and John Hill that has come up with some great floor fillers. It really can't be overstated how exciting this music is to listen to. It's real party music.

The Ting-Tings

The Ting-Tings somehow bought what seemed to be every second of radio airplay for about a month in 2008. Talk about overplaying your singles. It was very easy to dislike them. And when their debut album, 'We Started Nothing', was released, oversaturation meant it was generally detested.

It's easy to see why. It's all jangly forgettable nonsense with a very derivative singer, all cockney accented up because it's fashionable. But it's hard to dismiss out of hand. It's simple. It's playful. It's genuine pop music. And we don't get to listen to too much of that these days.

White Lies

White Lies have come up with a strikingly unoriginal band name. And their record is similarly cloned from obvious influences like Joy Division. That's not to say 'To Lose My Life' isn't a solid start from the band. It is as good as anyone else is at recreating the sounds of the sombre early 80s working in the 2000s. They should have a bright future.

Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand burst onto the scene in 2004 with their self-titled debut. The record's brief was simple. Get girls to dance to rock music. And it worked. The songs are still big players today and Franz Ferdinand's campy style became something of an unfortunate trademark of the fashion conscious. There is no question that their first album is a brash success. Its energy is contagious.

Their follow up was released too quickly. By following the imprint of the first album, the record hinted that the group was a one-trick pony. There were good songs on 'You Could Have It So Much Better', some more than worthy of the first's starry heights but it felt like Franz Ferdinand were playing it safe. Only 'Elizabeth put your boots On', a ballad, shows that the band has more variety than they have yet expressed.

Their latest, Tonight, is a severe disappointment. It continues the vein of their previous work but it's got a cleaned up production that doesn't suit the group. There was always the danger that the group could veer into pretension and this album is it. A concept album is always a risky venture, often failing for its laughable overambition, but Franz Ferdinand's Tonight effort is just worryingly boring.

Arctic Monkeys

The Arctic Monkeys were hailed as rock n' roll's saviour upon the release of 'Whatever People Say I Am...' and you can still see why such overhype was thrown at them, even if it isn't justifed. Who could possibly justify such a claim? Still, it is a wonderful record. Full of the infectious joy of youth. Alex Turner is a magnificent writer of tales and the band complement his lyrics with a brash confidence. There are a couple of classic tracks here, with 'When the Sun Goes Down' gaining the top prize.



Thankfully, the hype was proven right as Favourite Worst Nightmare is on a par with its predecessor. As expected it is a backlash against the earlier success. It is certainly an angrier recording. Turner's pen is more acidic here but the band work better to compensate. The band's confidence is startling for such a young group.

MGMT

Oracular Spectacular introduced the music fan to the quirky fun of MGMT. The album shows off their wide musical influences and when this album is good, it really is quite amazing. The lead single 'Time to Pretend' is both droll and charming. In fact, their writing is excellent throughout the record. Unfortunately the eclectic nature of their influences means the album bounces around, especially in the latter stages, sounding like a compilation CD. Consider it a mild disappointment.