These New Puritans - Numerology (AKA Numbers) (Angular/Domino, 2008)

Edgy, angular post-punk.

These New Puritans have yet to receive widespread acclaim but have turned in a couple of great albums so far. 'Numerology' is a slice of widescreen post-punk that fuses Gang Of Four martial shrillness with an epic chorus.

It opens with an ominous, restrained drumming before clipped guitars and percussive clattering joins in. The vocals are barked and the overall effect is one of veiled threat and menace. The chorus bursts across the soundfield with spirals of delayed guitar before paring back to the terse verse.

Download These New Puritans 'Numerology (AKA Numbers)' (Post Punk, mp3) (Divshare)

Helios - Hollie (Type, 2008)

Utterly divine dreampop beauty.

I've got a couple of albums by the mysterious Helios thanks to regularly raiding Boomkat's sale stock for Type releases.

Helios - aka Keith Keniff aka Goldmund - deals in elegant, austere dreampop instrumental loveliness and 'Hollie' is no exception. Think the most candyflossy of AR Kane's output or a restrained, inward-looking version of Cocteau Twins. Without vocals, obviously.

Download Helios 'Hollie' (shoegaze mp3) (Divshare)

Grammatics 'The Vague Archive' (Dance To The Radio, 2008)

Spectacular slice of melodramatic indie beauty. They shoulda been massive.

Grammatics seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye. By the time I'd warmed to them and fallen for a handful of singles and a wonderful album, they'd split.

It's a shame, as they were capable of fashioning a highly original strain of thrusting, arch, often angular, rococo alternative pop. There's a progressive strain that reminds me of Pale Saints and Spoonfed Hybrid, marrying classic songwriting with adroit touches. There's maybe an echo of The Dears' best work on 'No Cities Left' too.

'The Vague Archive' is a highly melodic headrish, augmented with some gorgeous cello, dramatic and dynamic pace, sprawling guitars. About two-thirds of the way through it seems to turn itself inside out, transforming from headlong rush into baroque fantasia, the guitar imitating a whole school of maudlin whales.

Exquisite.

Download Grammatics 'The Vague Archive' (indie mp3 download) (Rapidshare)

Hatchback 'Everything Is Neu' (Lo Recordings, 2008)

Burbling, electronic version of the motorik eternal groove.

Discovered this gem of krautrock-ing wonder on the recent Advisory Circle mixtape and have listened to it loads since.

It's a blend of kosmische groove, burbling Belbury Poly sequencer lines and expansive electronic joy, building into waves of warm squiggly energy.

"Kommen Sie aus Milton Keynes" it seems to be saying in that 1970s public information type way.

Spectacularly good.

Download Hatchback 'Everything Is Neu' (electronica, krautrock mp3 download) (Mediafire)

Pivot 'Sweet Memory' (Warp, 2008)

Twisty post-rock instrumental business from Warp's premier progressive Australian jazz masters, now known as PVT.

'Sweet Memory' by Australian machine-jazz-post-rock-hybrid guys, Pivot aka Pvt, always makes me think it's the theme tune to a Scandinavian crime series.

A crime series where the protaganist is somewhere on the Autistic spectrum, tapping out rhythms in 17/9 time on his Moleskine journal as he ponders the precision and bent-minded, but admirable, obsession of a serial killer who leaves his victims splayed into semaphore positions, eventually spelling out the words Tygers of Pan Tang. In Swedish obviously.

It's a fabulously kinetic tune that marries sleek, gliding sections with fabulously funky detours and glitchy breakdowns. Less aggressive and bombastic than the likes of Three Trapped Tigers - who also merge electronics and conventional instruments - but very magic nonetheless.

Download Pivot 'Sweet Memory' (post rock, electronica mp3) (Mediafire)

Manic Street Preachers 'Umbrella (Rihanna cover)' (NME Awards CD, 2008)

Elegant Rihanna cover by the Manics.

This version of 'Umbrella' works really well, marrying James Dean Bradfield's earnest vocals and strident guitar to one of the biggest pop records of the last ten years.

The whole NME cover-mount CD is available for download from Archive:Rare+Live. Amongst the usual indie flotsam are some gems from Lightspeed Champion and Bloc Party.

Kate Nash turns The Cribs' 'Men's Needs' into something that sounds like an offcut from the sessions for 'Come On Eileen' and Kaiser Chiefs somehow manage to fuck-up 'Golden Skans' (Klaxons).

Download Manic Street Preachers 'Umbrella (Rihanna Cover)' (nme awards, indie alternative, manic street preachers mp3) (Mediafire)

Green Man 2011: Laura Marling 'The Needle And The Damage Done' (Virgin, 2008)

Sweet and tender version of Neil Young's junkies' lament.

Originally the b-side to the 'Ghosts' seven-inch, Laura Marling brings, perhaps unsurprisingly, less world-weariness and resignation to the song than Neil Young. However, though still only 21, she's something of a music industry veteran - about to release her third album - and she must have witnessed over-indulgence going on around her. Marcus Mumford having four spoons of sugar in his "builders" tea, perhaps.

Her version of 'The Needle and the Damage Done' is a short, sweet and simple take, sounding like it was recorded in the kitchen as the mood took her.

Looking forward to seeing Ms. Marling at The Green Man this weekend.

Download Laura Marling 'The Needle And The Damage Done' (acoustic, folk, Neil Young cover, mp3) (Mediafire)

Peter Broderick 'Roscoe (Midlake Cover)' (Bella Union, 2008)

The awesomely talented Peter Broderick turns in suitably unique alternative folk meets bluegrass Klezmer take on Midlake's finest moment.

Indie folkers Midlake's 'Roscoe' was a stand-out track on their 'Trials Of Van Occupanther' album, a lush, brown velvet jacket of folk-rock imagining. Already remixed in a different direction by Beyond The Wizard's Sleeve, Bella Union labelmate Peter Broderick turns in a re-version as opposed to a re-mix.

It opens with woodland atmospherics, sombre strings, Broderick's lone voice and some sparse piano accompaniment. It has the air of Set Fire To Flames (a Godspeed You! Black Emporer side project) before picking up pace and feeling more like a campfire signalong as banjo and percussion are added. Very gorgeous.

Download Peter Broderick 'Roscoe' (Indie Alternative Folk, mp3) (Mediafire)

Peter Broderick 'Not At Home' (Bella Union, 2008) (mp3)

Peter Broderick is a prodigiously talented musician and seeing him concoct amazing sounds live from loop pedal, guitar, violin, percussion and voice is a wonderful thing to behold. What shouldn't be forgotten is what a talented songwriter he is too.

To whit, this alternate version of 'Not At Home' from his 'Home' album.

The song is initially presented simply, displaying its innate melody and gorgeousness. The instrumental break adds layers of looped sounds to great effect but it is then stripped back to refocus on guitar and vocals. Awesome.

Download Peter Broderick 'Not At Home (Version)' (mp3) (Mediafire)

Young Widows 'Old Skin' (Temporary Residence, 2008)

Ferocious, Jesus Lizard-y post-rock/metal from Louisville's Young Widows. Abrasive guitars and juddering rhythmic onslaught.

Download Young Widows 'Old Skin' (mp3) (temporaryresidence.com)

Friendly Fires 'Paris (Live on Later)' (2008)

'Paris' is such a breathlessly romantic song, almost daft in its promise of a better, more Gauloise-filled life. It must be the only place that could top St. Albans for the Friendly Fires lads.

In this live version from Later with Jools Holland, the poly-rhythmic clatter of the live experience is accentuated, favouring drive and edge over the sweet, swooping wonder of the recorded version.

Download Friendly Fires 'Paris (Live on Later with Jools Holland, 2008)' (mp3) (Rapidshare)

Foals vs Holy Fuck 'Super Inuit' (Young Turks Tour 12", 2008)

Flip side of the Foals/Holy Fuck tour 12". Foals turn in a re-version that starts all looped up, building a soundscape of squeaky guitar, rattling drums and interlocking, high-fret guitar patterns.

It sets off at a frenetic pace, with the echoplex creating trails of whooshing vocals feeding back and masking changes of pace, smearing sound over the increasingly jackhammering rhythm. Cracking stuff.

Download Foals 'Super Inuit' (Holy Fuck cover)(mp3) (Mediafire)

Holy Fuck vs Foals 'Balloons' (Young Turks tour 12", 2008)

This mp3 is from an ultra-rare tour 12" (250 copies only) released by the rather fine Young Turks label (home of Glasser and the xx) with Foals and Holy Fuck covering each other in a sort of post-punk-post-rock clusterfunk. The flipside is Foals covering Holy Fuck's 'Super Inuit'.

Holy Fuck turn 'Balloons' into an aggressive but spacious dub, fucking up the signature guitar loop and creating a dubby epic around it.

Download Holy Fuck 'Balloons' (Foals cover) (indie alternative mp3) (Mediafire)