SINGLE: BRIGHTON PORT AUTHORITY Seattle (Southern Fried)
Emmy The Great is apparently a leading proponent of the anti-folk scene, which involves hunting down earnest acoustic performers and shooting them in the face. Possibly. Here she’s teamed up with Norman Cook on the latest instalment of his BPA project, which also features an understated vocal contribution from Jack Penate. There’s a slew of remixes kicking about but the simplicity of this stripped back original suits her sweet vocal down to the ground. We think we might sort of love her a bit. (NC)

SINGLE: METRONOMY A Thing For Me (Because)
We have to be honest here: when Joe Mount revealed that his Metronomy project was going to go vocal we were a bit worried. But we’ve grown to love his unusual voice – if it were stronger perhaps the intense pop hooks would be too much. A Thing For Me is a good example of how joyful Nights Out is, but with just one interesting mix of the five (Breakbot’s Cheers-theme sounding piano slow jam) it’s merely a reminder to buy the LP. (JK)

SINGLE: THE MOJO FINS Always Now (Amazon)
It’s difficult to know how to approach this without sounding like an X Factor vote plea, but The Mojo Fins have had a lot to deal with over the last year or so. Original singer Jon Chandler was sadly killed in a road accident in May last year and many around them wondered if the band would be able to carry on. Thankfully they have, and their new single proves it was absolutely the right thing to do. A crisp production of pleasingly jangly indie pop, it’s evidently and necessarily a different band 18 months down the line, but unlike the legions of Cowell/Walsh protégées they’re earning their well-deserved plaudits on the merits of the music. (NC)

SINGLE: THE QEMISTS Dem Na Like Me (Ninja Tune)
The Qemists are building up quite a little crew for their debut LP, set to drop in February. After Mike ‘Faith No More’ Patton on the last single comes moody grime pioneer Wiley (who must have lost his Rolex that day we were supposed to interview him and he was over four hours late). Dem Na Like Me comes on like a ultra-now version of the Judgment Night soundtrack; heavy hip hop beats all broken up over deep distorted guitar riffs. As expected there’s a killer drum’n’bass mix too. (JK)

SINGLE: SOUTH CENTRAL Crystaling EP (Egregore)
This third release in as many months shows that beneath the noise there’s often a lot of melody in Brighton’s favourite Gibraltarians electro band. There’s also a lovely touch of melancholy, giving this a depth that is missing from the barrage of blog house around. Also worth checking is their chunky version of Josh Wink’s Higher State Of Consciousness, which can’t top the original but is certainly a great recipe for tinnitus. (JK)

EP: VETIVER More Of The Past (FatCat)
Following the acclaimed album Thing Of The Past where the band reinterpreted obscure oddities from their eclectic record collection, Vetiver are back with a second helping from the same stable. This five-track supplement features covers from The Wizards, Grin and Gordon Bok, none of whom we’d know if they jumped up our arse to be quite honest. Free from the baggage of comparison, at face value these new recordings are a mix of Big Star and hillbilly Kinks-tinged melodies that flow perfectly together regardless of their possibly quite disparate origins. (NC)

SINGLE: X-PRESS 2 London X-Press (Skint)
Back in ’93 – when this classic was first released – Rocky, Diesel and the god-like Ashley Beedle were taking tribal house back to New York, and DJs like Junior Vasquez would lap up the massive, chugging baselines and insistent percussion. For this return journey Cagedbaby has kept the space, the synthy stabs and cowbell for a mix that sounds just how the trio would have made it if they were doing it today. Respectful but completely modern late night house music. (JK)