Crooners, Swooners and Big Bufoons!

'Pretty (Ugly Before)' is a posthumous offering from Elliot Smith, an artist that shocked his friends and family by taking his life in October, 2003. The single is taken from his final album, 'From a Basement on a Hill'. A noticeable melancholy exists throughout the song with its saddening piano chords and guitar strumming away complacently. As the title suggests, Elliot Smith chops and changes in feeling nice and nasty. His song is neither. Unfortunately it will not drum away in the back of my head after taking it out of the CD player.

Tennessee boys The Features' 'Leave It All Behind' is a joyful little number. A jolly little organ twitters away in the background while singer Matt Pelham strains to keep up with an army of other instruments. He’s a little too quiet and soulful for a tune that has a chorus so big, one that no doubt will be wailed along to on the dance floor of many a student club. The track is from their debut album 'Exhibit A', which will be released next year through Island Records. They'll also be supporting Kings of Leon on a UK tour throughout this month.

Goldie Lookin Chain take us under their wing for a look at love on a Newport council estate. 'You Knows I Loves You' is a song to snuggle up to your Giro cheque with. Acknowledging everything that is god awful, they’ll buy their girls ten fags and a day trip to Caerphilly. The cheesy, sleazy backbeat is more sick than slick. The joy of this group is that they don’t take themselves seriously. Children that con their parents into letting them listen to GLC will love the silly sing-along chorus, while responsible adults can titter and mercilessly rip the piss out of the mating rituals of the Newport youth.

The Alarm's new single 'Close' will make an ideal Christmas present for your uncle, the one that likes power ballads after too many cans, post-Christmas dinner. The Alarm were big in the 80s and recently made a chart comeback under the pseudonym The Poppy Fields. As if to confirm their Dad Rock status the band are touring this year as a support act to Status Quo, which is great for them, but it won't make them the ideal stocking filler for angst-ridden teenagers.

Peugot favourites The Zutons have created a beautifully uncomplicated song 'Confusion', which features in the car maker's recent advert. Abi Harding bibs her way through it on the sax while Dave McCabe ponders wistfully. It's not akin to the ‘indie bopper’ attitude that you get from The Zutons’ previous hits, yet it's nonetheless enjoyable with its cool laziness. The tune meanders and lets the listener simply hitch a ride and enjoy it. It's chilled but not boring, cute but not vomit inducing. Thumbs up all round.

Welcome Metric and their debut single 'Combat Baby'. If there was a prize for Über-Cool Band of the Century, it would have to go to these four. After sharing a house with the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Liars, joining Canada’s Broken Scene, they then moved from city to city, enjoying gigs all over the world. Metric cannot be overlooked. The voice of singer Emily Haines is kitsch without being over girly. This is a catchy song packed with panache but minus the pretentiousness of some of the other bands they share the new wave scene with. Cool presented in an accessible form.

Kaiser Chiefs re-release their hit ‘I Predict a Riot’. The re-release is a download only single which features the B-sides that we're only available on the limited edition 7". There is nothing acutely wrong with this song, it's got all the requisite components of a hit, the problem is it feels like it has all been done 50 times over all ready. The Chiefs should concentrate on maintaining their edginess, while other indie bands prat about twanging their guitars so "predictably".

Known for his loathing of the press and his eccentricities, Cass McCombs releases 'Sacred Heart' a song that identifies with his persona of a brooding and melancholic soul. The guitars are light and the tune is friendly yet McCombs’ voice turns the song macabre. He claims to be non specific in origin, wandering America from an early age and likewise 'Sacred Heart' is difficult to pin down.

The Concretes Christmas EP 'Warm Nights' is refreshing and carefree, mixing mandolins, banjos, accordions and crazy violins that are fit for a Texas barn dance. Any band that makes use of such interesting instruments is a band worth noting. The EP is charming in a quirky Scandinavian style. Might be worth buying to replace the crusty carols your mum is prone to put on during your chrimbo dinner.

Has Tim Burgess decided to hang up his big old indie Parka? The Charlatans release 'Loving You Is Easy' on December 20th. Trumpets flourish in the background of this Beatle-esque tune and we're treated to a new slant on The Charlatans. Twee? Not really, it still has the grizzly guitars dragging you away from its overall general gushiness. Great to listen to, even better once you know who is performing it. Go on, be a right geek and test your friends…

Listening to Lucky Jim’s new EP 'Lesbia' it's difficult to immediately push a butch dikey David Gray out of your mind. The lyrics of 'Lesbia' are intelligent in a way that is enough to make a woman with PMT cry. The duo have a good old crack at covering 'Hallelujah' while the final track 'Somewhere Up Ahead' is arguably the best track of the EP. It's reminiscent of a laid back Zero 7 and it glides from start to end with dignity. Lucky Jim are excellent when they feel like experimenting with more than a plodding piano. They release their new album in Spring 2005 with Skint Records. Fingers crossed.