DEMO: ALEX HALL (myspace.com/alexhallmusic)
Let’s hear if for Alex, a recent import to our lovely city from some grim northern smog hole or other, seeking his seaside fortune with his demo in his hand. Lyrically it reflects on his various troubles; mainly women, study and work-based. But far from being a navel-gazing crybaby about it all, Alex has crafted a really gorgeous set of songs. He likes Ryan Adams, John Mayer and Ray Lamontagne – your reviewer personally can’t stand them but Alex has a unique take on his influences that rises well above any such trite and lazy comparisons. Send us more, Alex. We like you. (NC)

ALBUM: AMATEUR NINJA CLUB You Wish Sweetheart (myspace.com/amateurninjaclub)
Imagine you’re on holiday in deepest Eastern Europe. You’re on an excursion and instead of following the holiday rep back to the coach you duck down a dusty side road and fall into a noisy, paint-faded bar. Everything instantly goes silent. Everyone stares at you. A toothless old woman sneers, coughs and spits up onto the sawdust floor. She cackles, raises a filthy glass, the music starts up again, you’re safe. You order a cerveza and light up a Marlboro red. You start to tap your foot with everyone else. It’s the Amateur Ninja Club album. (NC)

SINGLE: WAY TANGENT Try (myspace.com/waytangent)
This three-tracker kicks straight into top gear with the title track, tight as a gnat’s chaff and musically inventive enough to neatly sidestep the potential hazard of lumpen workaday riffing. But these boys have a sensitive side, further cementing our belief that they have something special. A lot of rock bands think they ought to have a ballad (to get the chicks on board) and succeed only in making you want to violently shove sharp pencils into both aural canals, but It’s Not You again avoids this pitfall. Last up is Head Above The Ground, a thoughtful Arctics-alike number. Nice one. (NC)

SINGLE: THE WOO!WORTHS Konichiwa (myspace.com/thewooworths)
Economic downturns can have a certain Darwinian justice to them. Take one hundred year-old chain store, beloved from a nation’s pick’n’mix childhoods, and watch them wither and die once the recession bites. Then take a seriously infectious indietronic band with a similar name and watch their fortunes take the opposite direction. Konichiwa and Idle Hands are twin facets of a perfect pop personality, bedroom synths from 1981 and vintage Edwyn Collins guitars. We Are Snazzy-famed Pretty Jo Woo, together with Rich Woo and Steve Woo are certainly worth checking out. (NC)