DEMO: BERNICE MacDONALD (www.myspace.com/bernicemacdon)
Some of the folky blues type music we get sent to SOURCE can be a bit grating, but we rarely happen upon a set of songs as sprightly, upbeat and inspiring as Bernice’s. A songwriting sensibility that borrows from West Coast nostalgia and Sweet Baby James, a vocal style that’s a pint of Joni Mitchell with a Carole King top and a charismatic backing ensemble combine to create an immediately accessible and defiantly non hey-nonny-nonny sound. It’s easy like Sunday morning; a steaming coffee pot, newspapers on the lap and cat on the window sill accompaniment. (NC)

DEMO: THE SNARKS (myspace.com/wearethesnarks)
Now into their second summer together, The Snarks have honed their imaginative meld of classical-tinged piano, accomplished guitar modesty and softly spoken vocals to impressive effect. Hints of Kinks, pre-70s Bowie and Barrett-era Floyd are all evident and these recordings are the culmination of a recent flurry of activity, including a recent live residency at The Lectern. Hunt them down, as Lewis Carroll and, er, Mike Batt advised. (NC)

DEMO: TROUSSEAUX (www.myspace.com/trousseaux)
A dramatic Anglo-French audio alliance, Trousseaux make a cerebral and sinister sound experience that tends towards a rather unnerving listen. It’s a swathe of synthesizers cut across eerie Kubrickian piano and fuzzed out guitars, while singer Virginie threatens ever so sweetly over the top in trans-channel tongues. This doesn’t sound like the kind of band you can talk through at the bar, they simply demands 100% of your attention. They’ve apparently done a couple of Brighton gigs recently, only we hadn’t heard of them then. Next time. (NC)