Young punk-jazz quartet Acoustic Ladyland take pains to ensure things are kept steaming on this follow-up to last year's acclaimed Last Chance Disco debut. The opening 'Road Of Bones' draws one gently into their world, with its wistful thematic statements on piano and then sax punctuated with startling passages where the theme becomes more of a heavy riff. But the poor delivery of lyrics, chanted rather than sung, takes the lustre off several tracks.

Download: 'Road Of Bones', 'Hitting Home', 'Paris'

John Jones

Babyshambles The Blinding EP . . .

Pete Doherty's tour of London's courtrooms may be the oddest marketing ruse ever but the lad's lucky enough to stumble into the right kind of trouble at the right time. It was reported his people took his records along to his trial as evidence of his rehabilitation . . . and it must be admitted that, compared to Babyshambles' debut , these five tracks possess a new sense of focus. As usual, the musical manner is part Smiths jangle-pop, part proletarian indie, spiced with 2Tone ska-pop.

Download: 'The Blinding', 'Love You But You're Green', 'I Wish'

John Jones

Maximilian Hecker I'll Be A Virgin, I'll Be A Mountain V2 . . . .

Maximilian Hecker's brazen cheek indicates the scope of his ambitions, which are big enough to match his talent. This fourth album . . . the title, he claims, reflects his dual longings for purity and eternity . . . presents him as a sensitive type whose gentleness hides sharp claws.

The settings are blends of guitar, piano and organ with tints of strings, woodwind and synth pads; the voice suggests a spirit hovering somewhere between Nick Drake and both Buckleys.

Download: 'Snow White', 'Your Stammering Kisses' JJ

The Ruby Suns The Ruby Suns Lil' Chief . . . .

There's a fine line between inspiration and slavish emulation, and The Ruby Suns walk it precariously throughout this debut album. These 12 tracks drip with musical echoes of Brian Wilson. The Ruby Suns lack his melodic potency, but there's a great charm. Oddly, the results recall the Canadian indieprog of Arcade Fire, while the mysteries of the lyrics make The Ruby Suns a close cousin of Midlake's enigmatic The Trials Of Van Occupanther.

Download: 'Maasai Mara', 'Look Out SOS!', 'Sleep In The Garden' JJ