Listen Before You Buy

While not practically meant for probable mainstream success, Kathleen Edward is bound to continue to be a great live draw

You will find traces of any good pop you’ve ever loved with Warm Weather, especially those that come littered with vocal harmonies

The members of WALK have more than demonstrated they can write a killer rock tune without ignoring catchiness and pop sensibilities.

With a range of influences from The Beatles to Radiohead, Emma Grace are the kind of pair us non-musical types look at in envy as they both play multiple instruments and sing. Oh, and create great indie songs like “Stuck In The Air”.

Perhaps duo Whitehorse owe their lyrical passion and musical complementariness to the fact that they are partners on and off the stage – a connection that I personally think always shines through in art.

Colour Coding’s “Perfect” is my candidate for best 2012 summer anthem. If your weather has been anything like mine, most days you could put this on and it wouldn’t even seem out of place. Otherwise, just put “Perfect” in your music folder and sit on it for a few months. You will look like a musical genius at your next party.

Evian Christ has just dropped the trip-inducing mixtape “Kings And Them”.

Just within the three tracks the “Rawness” EP contains, it’s easy to see how diverse of an artist PONCHOS really is.

I can tell you virtually nothing about The Sayitaints. Still, if you like any of The Postal Service, James Blake, Sigur Ros or Bjork, they’re probably up your street.

What really makes Land Lovers’ “Confidants” such an interesting listen are the stories embedded in the songs. The musicianship is executed very well, but the staying power of these tracks is in the deftness with which they convey a true sense of life: a slice of their hearts seems contained in these songs.

Damon Moon And The Whispering Drifters’ first single “Seasonal Suite No. 62″ from the upcoming release “Lungs, Dirt and Dreams” retains its folk songwriting within the dark instrumental shifts of a post-rock apocalypse.

Unlike pop, Old Soul’s music doesn’t suck – it just contains the same likeability and sugary-sweetness that many pop acts rely on solely. Check out this album if you’ve ever liked hushed duets, bouquets of brass instrumental licks, or easy-listening guitar music.

You may well have heard of Nedry before, since their debut EP, “Condors”, kicked up a veritable cack-cyclone of press interest. That said, my sources inform me that an LP is on the way, so there’s no time like the present for making sure you’re all keeping your eyes and ears out for this genre-bending London threesome.

Needle are mellow. To these ears at least, Julie’s voice is a breathier Emma Pollock, or (who’d have thought it?) Hope Sandoval. Another immediate similarity is Cowboy Junkies, with even a passing resemblance to Yo La Tengo.

Managing to blend her obvious jazz roots with over the top industrial production, it’s pretty easy to get a feel for why Lianne La Havas is going to be the next big thing.

French Wives hail from Glasgow, Scotland and wish they had an interesting back-story as to how the band formed. Instead, they’ve got some great tunes to serve as their introduction.