Hotly tipped indie popsters Run Toto Run are a Manchester based three piece whose billing as one of XFM's top 20 artists to watch in 2010 rightly poises them on the verge of big things this year.
Dealing in slinky pop grooves that are camped equally in electronica and twee indie grounding, this is an outfit who can deftly conjure images of the Scissor Sisters, Metric, The Knife, Passion Pit and Goldfrapp.

A Leicester based indie rock four piece bashing out anthemic pop, The Screening release their latest single, DIEM here through Telescope Records.
Building a fan base through UK tours and attracting the attention of the likes of Steve Lamacq and the NME, The Screening are certainly a band on the up, previous single FALL TO PIECES having cemented their position as ones to watch.

If the musical output of 2000 onwards has shown us anything, it’s that a mix of male and female vocals work really, really well. The Dead Weather, The XX, The Kills; regardless of genre, all of these bands have shown us that having two vocalists: one male, one female is a sure-fire key to success.
Little Fish aren’t just male and female vocalists, they are a lone duo made up of band members Juju and Nez, they form a talented up-and-coming punk outfit.

Corr! Every now and then, a really good British indie band comes crawling out of the underground and you wonder why you’ve been settling for average, mediocre bands for the last six months.
Liverpool based The Rialto Burns embody all the brilliance of noughties Indie. Their new single ‘Radiate’ opens with dark, deep vocals (think White Lies and Interpol) and the kind of jazzy disco synths that propelled The Killers to such addictive pop proportions.

Emotional lyrics and the mountainous refrain of ‘God, Save Us All!’ will have you flocking to the band’s Myspace to hear all the other rock gems they have displayed there.
This is what 2010 has been waiting for - a proper rough and ready indie rock band capable of sounding pop and rock at the same time.

The Rialto Burns only formed two years ago but have already played many well-known venues across Liverpool. The band – Adam Chatterton (Vocals), Alex Baillie (Guitar), Paul Coughlan (Guitar) and Paul Potts (Bass) – are also set to play the much-anticipated 1234 Shoreditch Festival in July.

‘Radiate’ is a promising debut release from a band still in their very early stages. If The Rialto Burns carry on sounding this good they will very quickly become strong contenders for Best New Band of 2010.

Scotland has delivered a passionate outfit in the form of 5-piece band, The Trade.
The band’s latest offering ‘Fight Club’ is a powerful, sleazy stomp about the raptures of alcoholism. Impressive lyrical hooks (‘It all seems just so much better/ with a drink on board’) and some breath-taking riffs offer a glimpse of brilliance from a band only in their early stages.

Ross Milne, Drew McLaren, Liam Moir, Craig Murray and Bobo Martin came together in 2008 to form The Trade. The band have been touring endlessly, stirring up some interest in the UK after breaking out of their small town birthplace of Forfar in Scotland. The band’s debut album ‘Lie in the Dark’ was released back in June and the band were fortunate enough to have the help of producer Jeff Allen, who has previously worked with Mogwai, Franz Ferdinand and Belle & Sebastian.

‘Fight Club’ is an addictive track that just gets better and better with every listen. It’s angry without being harsh and heavy without being unbearably so. For those of us that like to rock out without the terror factor of heavy metal, The Trade seem to have targeted us perfectly. Passionate and heavy with riffs to make you sit up and listen, this won’t be the last time you hear about The Trade.

You can’t help but admire a singer/songwriter who wears his or her heart on their sleeve, in Alex Hulme’s case, that is the ‘sleeve’ of his debut EP, ‘The Wood‘.

The Lancashire born new kid on the block explains his top track, ‘Keep Chasing’ is a song of defiance, against all those who tried to knock him down, with the overriding message being; keep chasing the dream. And if points were awarded purely on the ability to pen heartfelt lyrics, spurned by feelings such as this, his new EP would secure top marks.

However we live in world in which the majority of listeners absorb the melody and music before they consider the lyrics and unfortunately, for me, it really is only the lyrics that move Hulme’s songs forward.
Born into a family of musicians, Hulme’s grandfather was an opera singer, his older brother, Laurie is part of the four-part Manchester based Indie band, ‘Beat the Radar’ and his cousin, Ed is the bassist in ‘Working for a Nuclear Free City‘.
The singer/songwriter picked up his first guitar at just seven years old, performed live at the age of thirteen and six years on is now celebrating the release of his debut EP through record label, Cityscape.

The EP’s opening signature track, ‘The Wood’ is a good indication of Hulme’s vocal abilities, but plays like a demo which is yet to be produced and sadly the rest of the EP continues in similar vein.

While a listener is momentarily excited by the promise of the catchy choral chords it quickly becomes apparent that there is little else to follow and the incessant over-dubbing of Hulme’s own voice throughout ‘The Wood’ leaves an honest listener willing it to end.

On the contrary, ‘Keep chasing‘, is an instantly likeable upbeat track, which sees Hulme fuse his pop influences with folk in a similar fashion to the Plain White T’s, and is easily the most memorable track on the EP.

His third offering, ‘Drifting’ is a beautifully emotive folk classic which describes the all too common and deteriorating effects of dementia which the singer’s own grandmother endured before she passed away last year. Those who know their melodies should instantly identify with this track, as the opening chords are similar to Paul Weller’s, ‘English Rose’ which endorses Hulme’s ability to not only select but also combine the perfect chords.

Finally for anyone who failed to embrace it first time, the EP closes with an ‘alternative’ remix of the second track, ‘Keep Chasing’. The key difference from its first appearance being the obvious addition of a somewhat clinical keyboard/synthesized bass line which rips the track clean from it’s underground folk roots and sees it begging to be considered as mainstream pop.

By the end of the EP a listener is excused for feeling a tad confused as to where to place Hulme who starts out with folk intentions. That’s not to say there isn’t a place for folk in mainstream pop music, far from it, but given the very clear direction of the likes of Newton Faulkner and Mumford & Sons, I think Hulme has a long way to go.

It’s always quite heartwarming to hear a new band trying to capitalize on an empty space in the industry rather than squeezing in between their contemporaries and while I couldn’t say that Love Ends Disaster!’s debut album ‘City of Glass’ is the best I’ve ever heard, it is probably one of the most interesting.

Having praised the band for their originality, it’s plain to see where they get their sound from, but it’s the fact that they’re a sort of mutant hybrid that stops them from being a sound-alike of any one act.  While some tracks on ‘City of Glass’, particularly the title track, ring of pre-Neon Bible Arcade Fire in the most obtuse sense – that is, without any of the flair that makes Win Butler and the gang so exceptional - others have heavy echoes of Blood Brothers and Late of the Pier about them.

It’s a vastly diverse and ultimately strange Jekyll and Hyde creation, and though it takes a bit of getting used to, it’s really quite outstanding. Tracks one and two of the album (City of Glass & Suzanne) are very much well-structured and orderly indie-rock and while this shouldn’t be taken to mean that they are boring in any way, you’d have no trouble guessing who they’d been listening to when writing these tracks. Having listened to the rest of the album, however, I’d consider this homage rather than replication – the other eleven tracks differ so vastly that you might not even realise they were the same band. In many ways, that’s a fantastic achievement – I love my music to take me by surprise – but on the other hand it’s a fairly disrupted collection of songs and, though each one is as well plotted and perfectly executed as the last, they don’t all gel as well as they could; it feels much more like a collection of songs than an album.

But, Love Ends Disaster! are fearless. In terms of their use of instruments (a trait they share with Arcade Fire), employing bells and an array of other paraphernalia to enrich their sound -their application of dissonance – and their willingness to experiment with structure and form to keep their audience guessing is truly inspiring and all to rare among their peers. And in the end, this wins out over most negative aspects of their sound (the lyrics are somewhat sub-par and the vocals aren’t what you might call exceptional) and will undoubtedly propel this band further forward toward British Sea Power and Broken Records.

It’s hard to pin down a genre but if you like your music interesting, take a listen.

Barnsley based alternative pop outfit The Exhibition were formed in the spring of 2008. The band's previous EP was released in February and garnered radio play from Tom Robinson and BBC Raw Talent, as well as landing them support slots with Roses, Kings Castles, Hatcham Social and The Kabeedies.

Latest release THE CROWN / COMA was recorded with Dave Sanderson at 2fly Studios and showcases this four-pieces style of moody indie rock, with echoes of Bloc Party, Radiohead and Joy Divison.

THE CROWN opens in a muted and syncopated reverb heavy guitar groove, The Exhibition a band not shy of letting atmosphere and space play a large part in their sound. As the band slowly build to more expansive and noisy indie rock highs, they create a slow burning menace that reeks of moody introspection and dark, brooding intensity. With vocals that have a definite echo of ex Bloc Party main man Kele Okereke about them, The Exhibition craft a darkly, delicious atmosphere here with THE CROWN, one that's full of promise and definite potential. Whilst COMA doesn't quite achieve the same highs, a more straightforward and obvious sounding affair, The Exhibition do deliver another decent sounding moment here; that atmosphere and brooding intensity still very much front and centre; despite some unnecessary guitar noodling that feels a little too forced and show off y.

A promising and darkly brooding single, THE CROWN / COMA suggests that The Exhibition are a band capable of great things and one that leaves you eager to hear just where they go next.

I’ve always been an advocate of that old adage of not judging a book by it’s cover, but anyone that’s ever tried knows that it’s considerably more difficult sometimes – being presented with folk-pop-acoustica duo Merchandise’s (AKA Brad Wood and Conrad Astley – no relation) new album ‘For The Masses’ is one of those times; sadly, the bright orange amateur-photoshopper thematics aren’t specific to the artwork.

To say this album was bad would be too harsh, it isn’t, it does possess some positive attributes; the production on the acoustic tracks is excellent, for example, and there are one or two tracks (such as Enemy) that have vaguely catchy hooks. But, that said, it does have a thick haze of Nizlopi clinging to it, with all the lyrical prowess of Scouting For girls or a dead cat.
In a modern world of enigmatic album titles and bizarre stage shows it is, however, refreshing to come across an act like Merchandise. ‘For The Masses’ probably couldn’t be more accurate or informative – their music is inoffensive and a little round at the edges – that said, there are one or two tracks that I wouldn’t consider out of place on my (admittedly optimistic) barbecue playlist; ‘You Were Right’ does have an almost Ibiza chill-out streak running through it which, though a little staid, is interesting and does have the desired effect. Similarly, ‘Lonesome Beauty’ is a song I could happily play in my car on a slow summer drive – it’s got a steady beat, a catchy tune and is interesting enough to keep me awake but not so interesting as to be distracting. Make of that what you will.

Having made the unpleasant comparisons above, I would say that ‘For The Masses’ also has a faint reverberation of Badly Drawn Boy echoing through some of the tracks; but it is faint, and the down-tempo tracks where Badly Drawn Boy excel feel a strained and the drawn out notes that don’t feature so much on the majority of the album and it’s upbeat track listing feel tired and out of singer Brad Wood’s comfort zone.

In ‘For The Masses’ Merchandise have produced a collection of mostly well-produced songs with one or two stand out tracks. But for me, as an album, it doesn’t work and I would be surprised if under different circumstances I had listened past track two.

Portland, Oregon's Blitzen Trapper are a band who've quietly been building quite a repertoire of material over the years. With album number five, the ambitious sounding DESTROYER OF THE VOID they continue to blend Americana genres and styles with giddy abandon, not afraid to experiment, happily combining folk, country, blues and prog rock into one glorious sounding whole.

Opener and title track here, DESTROYER OF THE VOID is a clear indication of what you're in for with Blitzen Trapper, an epic tour de force by the band that sees them throw just about every musical trick they've got into the mix, lurching from Queen style prog operatics to Crosby Stills and Nash harmonious country balladeering to Dylan like folk at random intervals. It's a brave move as your opening gambit, not the most radio friendly or accessible of launches to an album, a clear indication that Blitzen Trapper are a band not afraid to take chances and assault the senses.

BELOW THE HURRICANE and THE MAN WHO WOULD SPEAK TRUE are more settled and relaxed sounding songs, gentle folk numbers that showcase front man Eric Earley's winning way with a lilting harmony, stark guitar work and a lone harmonica letting his voice provide the heart and soul, in the process revealing Earley as a singer/songwriter in the vein of other modern Americana troubadours such as Connor Oberst, Jim James and M. Ward. LOVE AND HATE is a more rocking entry, Blitzen Trapper showing a certain affinity for glam rock amidst the bluesy bluster, a curious blend of T Rex, Roxy Music, Led Zeppelin and The Black Keys; Earley's vocals taking on a definite Marc Bolan twang.

HEAVEN AND EARTH begins in a melodramatic flourish of piano chords before settling into a pop ballad groove hinged around the “heaven and earth” refrain. Subtle orchestral swells and warm guitar work add extra sonic texture and colour, another example of Blitzen Trapper's willingness to blend styles and genres to achieve wonderful results.
Duetting with folk siren Alela Diane on THE TREE, Eric Earley delivers another delicious sounding performance, this time around wearing his Bob Dylan influences the strongest, a stark folk ballad that takes its cues from The Times They Are A Changing, twisting it into something equally delightful. EVENING STAR is a bluesy pop song that feels like one of the album's more radio friendly moments, a clear contender for breakout single from the band. Whilst the more experimental edges have been reined in briefly, Blitzen Trapper feel none the less hampered for it, delivering a tune that puts them alongside bands such as Band Of Horses and Fleet Foxes in the quality Americana category.

Closing with the piano ballad SADIE, Blitzen Trapper climax in suitably rich and textured fashion, Eric Earley adopting an aching croon whilst gentle drum patterns and piano chords clatter, and guitars rise and fall, this a band who continually keep you musically on your toes.

A beautiful sounding record, DESTROYER OF THE VOID finds Blitzen Trapper in the finest of creative forms, effortlessly blending styles and genres, unafraid to pepper everything they do with a brave experimental edge and in the process delivering the best album of their career so far.