EP: STEVE ELSTON Reveries For Lost Dogs (myspace.com/steveelston)
To be honest, when the blurb that comes with a CD tells you it’s a loose reflection on the singer’s experiences working at Patcham RSPCA Shelter, it can be a heart sinking moment. But from the get go, it’s immediately apparent that this is no bleeding heart crusade against luzzing puppies into canals or toe-punting terriers. A simple arrangement of voice and guitar, recorded amid the ecumenical acoustics of St Peter’s Church in Preston Park, Steve plays his acoustic like a man with twenty finely trained fingers, and his soft folk vocal purrs atop it like a cat on your lap. (NC)

ALBUM: KING PORTER STOMP Poison The Beat (myspace.com/kingporterstomp)
Cross-breeding can bring about some interesting hybrids – the labradoodle and Napoleon Dynamite’s ‘liger’ spring to mind. Another unlikely genetic marriage comes courtesy of King Porter Stomp, splicing dub, ska, funk and tongue-twisting hip hop rhymes. It could all too easily sound like an angry horse galloping through GAK and the Drum Cavern, but instead comes across as a genuinely original and natural-sounding fusion of styles. Big horns, fat beats, heavy bass and Starsky & Hutch guitars all come together to bring a blissful bounce to all in their path. (NC)

EP: MEAN POPPA LEAN Smash And Grab (myspace.com/meanpoppalean)
Showing that appearances can be deceptive in the extreme, MPL look a little bit like colour-blind men with charity shop discount cards, but their huge sound belies such sartorial shortcomings. As We Eat Funk proclaims, they eat funk for breakfast and they eat funk for tea, and this diet is evident in extremis across this utterly brilliant five-tracker. Like the Chili Peppers with Faith No More’s Mike Patton on vocals, with maybe some Foals and maybe some Friendly Fires thrown in for more contemporary measure, this is clearly a band on the cusp of national arena adoration. (NC)

SINGLE: TELEGRAPHS Your First Love Is Dead (myspace.com/telegraphs)
Bringng us the first hint of festive anti-cheer with the first single from their debut album, Telegraphs are certainly treading familiar foot-on-monitor terrain. Working with the Manics’ producer has definitely left its mark on the band’s sound, and as the only things really wrong with the Manics are their woeful 6th form philosophies and that bass-playing ponce in a frock, this is no bad thing. As this is a single track release, it would be interesting to hear how the rest of their set rounds out, but this is as promising an opening as we’ve heard in a while. (NC)