Youth Group exploded onto the scene in 2005 with Skeleton Jar, and confirmed what Australia had known for a while now - that when it comes to melodic indie rock, there are few capable of putting together such an enjoyable album. If you're a fan of the kind of music dropped into the OC, ER and Scrubs, Youth Group are bang centre of the bullseye. Like a more joyous Death Cab For Cutie, a more consistent Nada Surf, or a Cure 20 years on, Youth Group make intelligent, guitar-based jangly rock. Casino Twilight Dogs follows on wonderfully from Skeleton Jar, and may be the stronger, more consistent disc, with a great mix of slower and more upbeat songs - on many, it is difficult to stop imagining you've fallen in love - the anthemic Forever Young and Dead Zoo contrasting with Start Today Tomorrow's elegance and sheer gorgeousness. Do yourself a favour and dip in - this is as good as indie gets.

ACE rating 9/10

Oh, the burden of expectation. Indie darlings The Shins follow up (in their own sweet time, they made sure everyone knows...) Oh Inverted World and Chutes Too Narrow with a clever, arch, and ever so slightly soul-less disc. The highlights of Wincing are a match for anything on the first two albums, but there are more 'skip' tracks. As far as intelligent, spikey indie goes, The Shins have a lot of space to themselves. However, their challenge is laid bare here - when they do what they've done before, they still sound great (and like only The Shins), but when they do something different, it doesn't quite work - Pam Berry, Sleeping Lessons. However, and to illustrate the quandary in fully recommending this album, Phantom Limb is as great a track as they have ever come close to, and songs like Spilt Needles and Sea Legs are simply excellent. If you have not tried the Shins before, you should. Your left-leaning music library is incomplete without one Shins disc. Wincing is at least as good a place to start as Chutes, which must make it pretty special after all.

ACE rating 8/10

Now this is great. A man from Washington, DC, who, in one disc, takes on Wolfmother, Jeff Buckley, T Rex, The Kinks and Neutral Milk Hotel. Bouncy and bouncing from one style to another, Leaving The Nest never becomes wearing - instead, like Kelley Stoltz, Ferree's bluesy voice soars and aches when called for. If there's a weakness, it is the pull towards odd-folk in a couple of places (the sooner he stops listening to Devendra Banhart the better), but this is a drop in an ocean of great-sounding music. Although the songs vary so much in style, the coherence is special. Moving on from his Bright Eyes-like 2005 debut, Benjy Ferree is a man whose ideas can seemingly take him in any direction with equal ease, and it will be interesting to watch the development of such an exciting talent now that he is signed to the up-and-coming, talent-spotting Domino Records.

ACE rating 7/10