Listen Up! No. 57: Timbre Timbre - Until The Night Is Over

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Late night listening for xx fans who like think lo-fi is a dish best served spooky.

Listen Up! No. 56: Edwyn Collins - Losing Sleep

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Whilst many will never have heard of largely forgotten Scotch post-punks Orange Juice (who Collins fronted), most will recognise his distinctive vibrato from this 90s pop gem. Seasoned fans will be cheered that this track (taken from his new record of the same name) treads a more nostalgic path, mixing jauntified new-wave akin to Julian Cope's early solo work with plenty of spluttering guitar noise. Meanwhile, casual fans should stick around for an attention to hooks which remains undiminished.

Listen Up! No. 55: Zowie - Broken Machine

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Despite every atom of my critical grey matter being desperate to hate this sickly New Zealand synth-popper - not least because of the excrucitating PR gambit "Zowie is a futuristic cheerleader from the planet Wow!" - sometimes a track's so catchy you've no chioce but to smile serenly and say 'beam me up, Zowie'.Take me to the mothership!

Listen Up! No. 54: Brandon Flowers - The Clock Was Tickin'

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The only cut worth your attention from Flowers' solo debut, Flamingo - an overwhelmingly tedious, regressive mix of synth-pop and heartland-rock, where you're never more than a chord change away from knowing exactly where you are. And despite what the lyrics protest, it's not Las Vegas. Unsurprising then that this thoughtful, melancholic country-rock number failed to make the final cut, and is tacked on as a 'bonus'. Bonus indeed.

Listen Up! No. 53: Les Savy Fav - Dear Crutches

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Slow(er) and steady(er) wins the race - especially when you're getting old.

Listen Up! No. 52: The Thermals - I Don't Believe You

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Not only did this clipped burst of punky songsmithery set my pulse racing and my heel thumping, it also sparked a full on YouTube war thanks to an erroneous attempt to liken them to The Kooks. Which made me chuckle at the unfortunate offender's mis-comparison, and then ROFLMAO incredulously at the stream of ignoramuses who bothered to chip in with their "no way man"s, their "Kooks are for girls and homos" and their "you don't know real original music - have you ever even listened to Animal Collective?" bullshit. Morons.

Listen Up! No. 51: Adam Green - Buddy Bradley

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Some hate him for his forthright cynicism; I like him for his acerbic lyrical turns - the only fool he'll suffer gladly is himself, judging by the video.

Listen Up! No. 50: Magic Kids - Sailin'

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Not to be confused with the two-chord Rod Stewart ditty (a fine sailor he'd make too), this one stands out from the 'surf' crowd for not even bothering to hint at influences any more diffuse than the Beach Boys. Unless Brian Wilson counts again as a solo artist? It matters not - they've got their woozy pop nostalgia bang on.

Listen Up! No. 49: Everything Everything - Photoshop Handsome

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A+ Math-rock - they'd be beating Foals at their own game if it weren't for the sincerity of the melodies.