SINGLE: 12 STONE TODDLER This Suit (Amazon)
The latest instalment from the Toddlers’ plan to confirm their reservation at pop’s top table appears to make the assumption that they’re already there, starter polished off and eagerly awaiting the main course. This is the sound of a band who’ve already hit whatever big time is possible these days in the world of quirky, riff-tastic guitar pop, and they’re just waiting patiently for the rest of us to catch up. We’ve said it before, but it has to happen for them before too long. (NC)

SINGLE: ABSENT ELK Emily (Amazon)
A press release which helpfully suggests namechecks like U2, Coldplay and The Kooks as reference points possibly does more harm than good with sniffy music journos, but luckily we eschew such promotional flim flam. The Elk’s single is tight as a drum skin; a catchy portion of indie pop fare which should be cash in the bank for any radio plugger worth their salt boding extremely well for their debut album ‘Caught In The Headlights’. If you fancy someone called Emily, this would be a good song to put first on that stalker’s mix CD you were planning to give her. (NC)

ALBUM: THE CLIMBERS The Good Ship (Willkommen Records)
Another addition to the ever expanding Willkommen Collective, The Climbers are a new studio-based project formed by Nick and Christian of The Leisure Society and aided by a whole host of guest collaborators including Dan Michaelson (Absentee, The Coastguards) and various members of Sons of Noel & Adrian, Shoreline and Laish. The 11 tracks here make up a melodically rich and wonderfully diverse collection, veering from shuffling banjo-led folk and dusty piano duets through to upbeat barroom-style stomps. Another stylish and ambitious release from the ever-unpredictable folks at Willkommen. (IC)

EP: CROOKED MOUNTAIN, CROOKED SEA It’s The Falling That Counts, Not the Landing (Apres Vous)
Their debut release having pricked the ears of Tom Robinson Introducing late last year, the subversive post-rock quartet offer up five new tracks for our delectation. Comparable to the likes of Fugazi, At The Drive In and in quieter moments Red House Painters, they display an unnervingly raw yet constrained sound in the complexities of their timings. The EP moves through unabated noise to simplistic reflections, ‘It’s The Falling That Counts, Not the Landing’, is an impressive follow up EP. (LS)

ALBUM: THE DIAMOND FAMILY ARCHIVE One To Twenty (Electronic Musik)
Taking a slight detour from his usual hauntingly atmospheric folk, The Diamond Family Archive instead opts for a slight change of scenery with an album of instrumentals. Playing all manner of guitars, percussion, electronic effects, banjos and harmoniums, what we have here are an enchanting 10 tracks of lush, brooding soundscapes, all lazy grace and diverse instrumentation, the nearest comparison being the gently blissed out tunes of Brightback Morning Light. This is undoubtedly music made for lonesome country wanderings, and you sure won’t want to return home afterwards. (IC)

EP: DOG END DISCO: I’m In Love With The Girl At The 99p Store (myspace.com/dogenddisco)
Channelling The Freshies’ minor hit from 1980 about Manchester’s Virgin Megastore eye candy, Dog End Disco tell a similar tale of unrequited retail love, filling their house with sub-pound cack just to see her. Ah… Elsewhere on the EP the band tread a similar tried and tested pubby punk rock sound, with wry observational lyrics backing the brash, goodtime simplicity of the backing. Good undemanding fun. (NC)

ALBUM: FRIGHTENED RABBIT The Winter Of Mixed Drinks (FatCat)?Now here’s a band to get excited about. Their third album sees them finally realise the potential they’ve always hinted at, with a marked progression in, well, just about every element of the record. An expansive sound with exquisite production polishing anthemic and hypnotic arena indie songs, if there was any justice in the world Frightened Rabbit would be its house band.
They’re deservedly picking up plaudits everywhere from Q to the News Of The World, the latter without recourse to any of the band shagging John Terry (NC)

SINGLE: HADOUKEN Turn The Lights Out (JFB Remix) (myspace.com/hadouken)?Ordinarily we’d steer clear of non-Brighton nu rave shenanigans, but when there’s a JFB remix propping up the tracklisting then naturally we’re going to be all over it like paparazzi on Posh Spice. The Pendulum rockism of the track is stripped back to reveal beats like a robot kicking his way into a panic room; fuzzy squelches and minimal touches of turntable battle with string stabs, all the while allowing the frenetic vocal a central role. It’s a job well done by JFB – tightening up the tune without trying to smother it. (NC)

ALBUM: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS Inherent (Black Match)
Produced by Gez Walton (Blackstorm, The Ghost Of A Thousand), ‘Inherent’ is as dirty as it gets. HTBM’s debut release has been well worth the wait after several years of successful touring around the UK and Europe. Fan favourites Kanine Vs Feline and Welcome To Barbados join Trojans and Driven to create an excellent start to the year for Brighton metal. (AP)

EP: HIGH RANKIN Occupation: Pimp And Gambler (Cheap Thrills)
Woe betide you if you happen to be lurking anywhere near the bass bins when this drops. The four tracks across the EP are a heavy, layered precipitation of bass, deep and squelchy in both sound and lyrical suggestion. At times we’re drawn back to the EBM sounds of mid-period Nitzer Ebb or Front 242, but this is no retro ride, this is all about the beats which come thick and fast. High Rankin spent last year making big noise remixes for the likes of Skunk Anansie and The Count & Sinden, 2010 is his year to kick the bass in your face. (NC)

SINGLE: THE MISERABLE RICH Somerhill (Humble Soil)?The much beloved Brighton curios return with another sublime slice of chamber pop. Truly at odds with the skinny jean local scene, we love the way TMT take the road less travelled and turn it into an entirely accessible musical thoroughfare. Lots of bands cynically bung in a string section to give ballads more gravitas, but here it lends the quietly charming songs a timeless natural quality and a sincerity that truly deserves a wider consumption. We bet Wes Anderson would love it. (NC)

ALBUM: NEVIL BREWIN Miniature Island (Hexod)
Billed as dance music on a slower vibration, Nevil’s album is clearly the result of a longstanding love of sonic experimentation. Harking back to the experimental sonic escapades of 90s techno vanguards Global Communication and The Black Dog, these sprawling strolls through electronic effects and percussive meanderings in truth have no place on the dancefloor. But as the soundtrack to the kind of room that has wires and cables spewing from the back of every cabinet it’s the perfect antidote to verse/chorus normality. (NC)

SINGLE: PEGGY SUE Watchmen (Wichita)?There’s a certain vindication for SOURCE in bringing news of a new Peggy Sue single, together with a new record deal and a general marked progression in their fortunes since they first graced our pages. Now properly in contender territory, with an officially eagerly awaited new album on the release schedule, the trio open proceedings with this brooding and dramatic single – unmistakably Peggy Sue as we know and love them, just that little bit more so. (NC)

ALBUM: TURNCOAT An Adventure In Skill And Chance (Turncoat Music)
It’s been something of a rocky road so far for Turncoat; the last few years has seen them go through acrimonious splits, writer’s block, major label signing and subsequent dropping, coming up for air in 2010 with a polished debut album to show for their turmoil. Taut indie guitar rhythms back a deadpan, almost Billy Bragg vocal, forming a sound that stands out as original in a sea of similarity. (NC)

ALBUM: THOMAS WHITE The Maximalist (Cooking Vinyl)
Having been in one band that people have heard of is an achievement most musicians don’t manage. You can imagine Thomas White sitting his grandkids on his knee waxing lyrical about the Electric Soft Parade glory days as they suck on Werthers Originals. Since then he’s played with, among others, Brakes, British Sea Power, Restlesslist, Sparks and Patrick Wolf and wound up with this, his second solo album. With such a rolodex of famous names at his disposal it’s maybe surprising that he’s played, recorded and mixed it all himself, but it’s by no means compromised by such control freakery. (NC)

ALBUM: ZERO dB One Offs, Remixes And B Sides (Tru Thoughts)
We were all about the ‘Bongos, Bleeps And Basslines’ album a few years back, so it’s a long overdue treat to get a 23-track tidy up of Zero dB’s significant and prolific output since then. Like it says on the sleeve, it brings together a slew of the busy boys’ reinterpretations and rarities, much of which has been frustratingly hard to get hold of, as well as new and exclusive material. All tinged with a jazzy loveliness, Latin steam, dirty beats and bass, this is an essential set. (NC)