ALBUM: AFTERSPARK Sometimes We Forget (Afterspark)
An understated collection of sweetly sung loveliness, this debut self-financed album is the result of Cate Ferris and Adam Staff’s collaborative efforts as Afterspark. Taking the matter-of-fact, poetic lyricism of Kate Nash and Lily Allen down a greener path with its tales of compost and recycling, it also stops off back in time to visit The Sundays at a girls’ indie pop party. With growing local radio support and bookings around the UK, this spark is definitely in the ascendent. (NC)

SINGLE: ALPHABEAT Boyfriend (Cagedbaby Mix) (Famous Charisma)
They invented a new scale for measuring how shit bands are recently. It took input from all countries including experts from music journalists to government officials. Everyone was really happy with it until Alphabeat came along and the whole system had to be scrapped. Thankfully Cagedbaby slices and dices the vocal to make it sound like a pre-filter disco house anthem, then throws it over a huge electro bassline. And we mean huge. Those synths are made out of concrete. (JK)

SINGLE: BPA Toe Jam (Southern Fried)
“Shrouded in mystery…” says the label. Well, hardly – this is Norman Cook, hiding from his Fatboy Slim moniker, attempting to avoid preconceptions. The Brighton Port Authority is a collection of collaborations some more successful than others. It isn’t part of Norm, David Byrne and Cagebaby’s musical, although it could be. It’s pretty much the sum of its parts, particularly bringing to mind late-Talking Heads in it’s lively Latino grooves. Some of the Fatboy-isms grate in places but this is a pure summer pop anthem on which we’ve no idea what Dizzee Rascal is doing appearing. (JK)

ALBUM: BRIGHTON INSTITUTE OF MODERN MUSIC What’s Inside Your Head? (South Coast Sounds)
The BIMM is Brighton’s own rock’n’roll high school where students write and record their own music, learning the production process from some of the industry’s cleverest experts. Luckily this doesn’t involve high-waisted decisions about which hackneyed Sinatra song to cover, it’s an exercise in nurturing genuine creative talent. This is the sixth CD collection from the BIMM’s students and features everything from acoustic soul to foot-on-monitor rock. All the proceeds to go charity, and the investor in us thinks some of these artists will possibly get big, so this CD will probably end up on eBay. Everyone’s a winner. (NC)

ALBUM: DROOKIT DOGS Drookit Dogs (Caustic Audio)
We’ve seen Drookit Dogs’ splicing of punk and folk referred to elsewhere as polk, but rather suspect that’s someone trying in vain to lay claim to a new genre, sticking their flag in it like Neil Armstrong did on the moon. This album isn’t quite such a giant leap for mankind; the band tell their world-weary tales over minimal three-piece arrangement, which makes for a slightly dour listen experienced end to end. (NC)

SINGLE: EDUCATED ANIMALS Timebomb (Educated Animals)
Given the dearth of terrestrial TV outlets for music, having your song appear on Hollyoaks is the holy grail for aspiring artistes. While it might suggest a terribly inauthentic hype, in Educated Animals’ case it’s just opened a few doors for them, with local and national radio taking the bait and rotating the track. The notes with the single offer a comparison with Klaxons and Bloc Party – this is a fair suggestion but the main impression on listening is simply one of accomplishment and currency. EA sound like a band who’ve already hung their gold discs in the toilet rather than made a self-produced single. (NC)

SINGLE: HYPER Centre Attraction (South Central Mix) (Kilowatt)
Blimey, breaks god Hyper has gone goth. So, who better to nasty it up than the pair who famously hide in dark corners, never showing their faces. South Central provide a massive wall of distortion which is going to fill any room. There are bleeps, but this is all about the swell of guitars and squealing synths. Your gran won’t like it. (JK)

SINGLE: MATHS CLASS Branches (Mumdance Mix) (Gift)
It’s easy to see how this one happened. Maths Class singer Tim is the housemate of our Street Style snapper Elizabeth and Mumdance is her boyfriend. But that’s not to say this is just a marriage of convenience – it would be a hip inevitability anyway. Quite stripped down for the electro producer, it’s also calm by Maths Class standards, although with that almost garage bass that the Mum fella likes. We found it on legendary mp3 blog Palmsout’s Remix Sunday 120, if you wanna give it a listen. (JK)

ALBUM: MAX RICHTER24 Postcards In Full Colour (Fatcat)
In an age where it seems that pop artists are making single purely to be turned into ringtones (that’s where the money is after all) it seems surprising to find a classical composer who is making an album of just that. With most pieces clocking in at a minute or two. The result is an immediate, concise set of works that are so easy to enjoy, even as your iPod skips through them on shuffle. Wonderfully textured with heartbreakingly melancholic piano, you’re not, however, going to find them on Jamster for £4.50 a week. (JK)

ALBUM: THE SPLENDOUR Best Way To Make Money (Tinyclan)
Oh we do like The Splendour at SOURCE. A lot of CDs we get sent in proper cases and sleeves and everything, you just can’t really imagine them ever being bought in a shop, or played to your mate to show them how dope and rad you are. But The Splendour just have it, and have it in spades. Comparisons aren’t really necessary, yes it’s a bit Kaisers, maybe a bit Fratellis, but more to the point it surely won’t be long before new bands are described as being a bit Splendoury. And we like the Stooges typeface on the sleeve as well. (NC)

SINGLE: EMILIANA TORRINI Me And Armeni (Rough Trade)
The last time we heard from the lovely Emiliana she seemed to be in a much darker place. The wintery acoustic heart-wrenching has been replaced by a return to the vibe of Unemployed In Summertime, although not quite so optimistic. There’s a real 70s reggae feel that ought to also find favour with the younger fans of Lily Allen while the vocals have much more depth, reminding more of the quiet emotional intensity of Amy Winehouse. We’ll find out more about the rest of the album when we interview her for next month’s magazine. (JK)

SINGLE: X-PRESS 2Fire (Skint)
Originally a refused remix for a big name American rapper – the trio aren’t saying who – Afrika Bambaataa has supplied a vocal – well, more of a chant really. The original mix is fine, one of those heavy X-Press tribal low slung grooves, but Rocky’s heavy electro rave monster is much more now. One for the old school and the new breed we guess. (JK)