Now this is nice. Dangerbird is the label of the under-the-radar stars Silversun Pickups, and Eulogies should be in a position to benefit from the same didn’t-see-it-coming attention. Properly crafted, intelligent rock of the Band of Horses variety, this is Eulogies’ second disc, following the self-titled debut. Like The Uglysuit, Eulogies manage to take melancholy and make it simply gorgeously upbeat and wonderfully minimalist at the same time. Based in California, the state’s sunshine comes through the fragility of the songs. And this is a state to get lost in – the album bears repeat after repeat, revisit after revisit. The quietly calming beauty manages the occasional bounce, and even, with a song like This Fine Progression, something quite magical. But that’s not the best song here: Goodbye, or How To Be Alone vie for that accolade, but there is some heavy competition. A definite ‘recommend’.

ACE rating 9/10

Why to get yourself this album? Well, you’re a fan of Sigur Ros but like Jesus and Mary Chain’s shoegazy tendencies and you’re looking for a new object of your affection. De La Mancha are Swedish, and keep some of the clean, snowy taste that that country conjures up. Their psychedelic indie rock keeps the melancholia that the country is also famous for, and coats it in shimmering guitar that sounds cinematic – wide, clear landscapes are evoked beautifully. It is innovative, as refreshing as glacier melt and actually somewhat unique, drawing in the prog rock influences of its principals, Jerker Lundh and Dag Rosenqvist. As with Sigur Ros, the band have a potential audience beyond the obvious – it won’t be anyone with a short attention span, though, as several of the tracks drift out beyond 7 minutes. Like a lot of pleasurable experiences, though, longer is definitely better than shorter. One to look out for, if you’re the person described above.

ACE rating 8/10

The second disc from 1990s adds further question marks to their choice of decade. Drawing heavily on 1970s glam rock – think Sweet, or (in their dreams) The Stooges, Kicks comes off as a competent piece of work, but not much more. There is nothing that isn’t better done by Teenage Fanclub, Glasvegas, or a handful of other Glaswegian bands. The production by Bernard Butler must have proceeded cautiously, as too heavily polishing these tunes could have gone straight through their veneer. ‘Insubstantial’ would be about right for the album as a whole, and that comes from adding together 13 less substantial songs. As the album proceeds, it is hard to avoid the feeling that you’re really starting to dislike these three Scots – they’re not as clever as they think they are, the songs grate easily and early, and the influences sound more like plagiarising than appropriation. This is a disappointment from a band who seemed to be based on a good idea with their debut.

ACE rating 5/10