Sam Beam, the man behind Iron and Wine, has built his base gradually. A professor of cinematography, his ability with an acoustic folk song is quite remarkable. Here he preludes his forthcoming album with a wonderful 25 minute EP, and wow, what an amazing piece of work this is. From the off, Ben Harper-like rhythm, electric slide guitar and hypnotic drums provide a compelling backdrop to the most accessible music he has ever made, like Dylan going electric on Highway 61. As perfect as great Simon and Garfunkel in melody, with intelligent lyrics and invention, the complexity of the new sound brings out the sparkle from the breathy poetry of his previous albums. The lean towards rock suits Iron and Wine perfectly. I fell in love with this EP on first listen and it had had 3 immediate replays. Nice to see someone overdelivering for a change…

ACE rating 9/10

Bloc Party may not have The Libertines' self-promotional capability, but their debut, Silent Alarm, is a hundred times better than the Libertines' acclaimed debut. What seems like straight ahead (youth) rock actually benefits from a lot of sophistication and some wonderful drumming. Like many others these days, spiky 80s sounds run through the soundscape, but this is more reminiscent of good Blur than, say, New Order or Gang of Four. Obvious comparisons to Franz Ferdinand abound, but there is a great deal more charm here than in that sometimes soulless album. All that said, however, Bloc Party aren't the saviours of modern rock they are painted as - there are more than a few filler tracks here, and a couple that just don't work. Plus, the monotonal shouting gets a little wearing over the course of the whole album. Good enough to hope for more.

ACE rating 7/10

This album is somewhat difficult to categorise. Sounding like a Southern spiritual at turns, like Nina Simone pouring our blues at others, I Am A Bird drapes the melodramatic lounge music of The Tindersticks with a multi-octave voice (think Lighthouse Family with greater range and feminine softness) and a whole pile of ululation. The voice at the centre both makes the album, drawing in an emotional weight, and can be overblown at times - if Whitney Houston warbled this much, she'd be panned. Sharing lead vocals with Rufus Wainwright, and Lou Reed improves each track, although Boy George is more limited in ability on his track, and Devendra Banhart adds more pointless warble to his. I Am A Bird is largely piano driven, and hauntingly beautiful in places, but do listen before you buy. This isn't for everyone.

ACE rating 7/10