A wholly unexpected second album from recently signed Brooklyn band, She Keeps Bees. With a cast iron edge to the guitar, and a voice like Cat Power's Chan Marshall sung by Janis Joplin and a Patti Smith attitude, Jessica Larrabee leads this two piece wonderfully. The songs come across like thicker, edgier, bluesier White Stripes songs - deliciously sexy - or the kind of music Kristin Hersh thinks she's making: confessional, naked and edgy. When Jennifer Trynin released her amazing debut album back in the 90s, it sounded just like this - all stunning power, control and sparse instrumentation. The thickness of the guitar sound and the absence of unnecessary instrumentation suit the confessional, aggressive delivery and the uncomfortably direct lyrics perfectly. It is hard to avoid the Cat Power comparisons, but Nests stands those comparisons well by coming out on top.

ACE rating 9/10

Most bands that ape the Beach Boys do the woozy harmony vocals thing - step forward Panda Bear. But the exciting Beach Boys music, the Good Vibrations/ I Get Around/ Barbara Ann songs - they took some writing. And only one band in recent years has come close to that kind of invention and joy. Blitzen Trapper are a sextet from Portland, Oregon, and they sound like some wonderful cross between the fun Beach Boys and Sparklehorse, with some early Beck and Flaming Lips thrown in for good measure. While a lot of indie heads into more-earnest-than-thou territory, Blitzen Trapper actually sound like they're having a whole lot of fun with their talent. The songs sound unforced, although there is tremendous detail on further listening. Wild Mountain Nation is one of the most creative discs you'll hear - one minute raucous jam, then country breakdown. This isn't the band's first album, but it is the one which could break the band into the mainstream - like Beck's Loser, it has an elemental indie rock folk vibe that is more addictive than nicotine.

ACE rating 8/10

If we examine why this album exists at all, it exists to provide a great starting point for anyone who caught Glastonbury, Hyde Park or another of the big shows. It’s got the ‘non-Bruce fan’ stuff in there, like Hungry Heart, Dancing In The Dark or Glory Days, as well as some meatier pieces. Unfortunately, this is only a slight addition to the earlier 1995 Greatest Hits with 4 extra tracks recorded since then (it has sold a million copies since 1995, so perhaps no surprise that an update would be released) – from The Rising and Magic – although it drops the value they had on that disc in its unreleased tracks. If the Working On A Dream album disheartened Springsteen fans, this is set to ruin any goodwill towards Sony/ Columbia. But then, it isn’t an album for fans. It is an album for casual listeners, people who prefer tunes they’ve heard on the radio before, and in that guise it is fine. Just fine. It isn’t a glimpse into the quality in the Springsteen catalogue in any way, though.

ACE rating 6/10