When BRMC broke through with their first album, there was a definite Jesus and Mary Chain thing going on. Which was fine - they pulled it off very well. The follow up disappointed, and suggested the band was a bit of a novelty one-off wonder. If that was true, where on earth did THIS come from, an album of such awesome maturity, great laid-back feel and wonderful songwriting - as if The Verve had mixed it up with the Black Crowes at their finest. Some truly fine American folk music, a la Dylan, mixed with Johnny Cash blues and a great deal of soulful rock puts this up as one of most surprising albums of the year so far. There isn't a weak track, but stand-outs like No Easy Way Out suggest they've been listening more to the Stones than to J&MC rock and roll. Life affirming music.

ACE rating 9/10

A Canadian band with 4 full-time social workers sounds an unpromising start, but, like Sweden's Dungen, Black Mountain make music that could be of that glorious 1968-72 period when rock embraced blues, synthesisers, harmonies and Band-like analogue sound. Like a hazier, moodier Led Zeppelin or early Pink Floyd, there is a wonderful relaxation in letting a feeling emerge over the course of a song, unrushed and organic. The instruments are well played, and pick a literate path through their rock music - a hark back to an age when bands would let their instrumental breaks take their natural course. Importantly, this is music that can be enjoyed - having supported Coldplay on tour in the US, one suspects that this might be one occasion where the support trumped the headliner.

ACE rating 8/10

ACE favourite Iron and Wine is essentially one man - singer-songwriter Sam Beam, former professor of cinematography, now cult alternative folk practitioner. A project between Iron and Wine and laid-back Americana band Calexico had long been mooted, but never achieved, until this recording of seven Sam Beam originals in December 2004. This will undoubtedly satisfy fans of both - the laid back atmosphere giving wonderful space to the breathy, almost whispered vocals and gentle melodies, with real harmony. Music is rarely so lovely. Like an early 70s Neil Young, the songs roll out hypnotically, a mesmerising feast of gorgeous, lush music, propelled by the most natural of beats, the sound like a summer day in a wheat field with nothing else to do. One of the best things about In The Reins is that it adds another layer of 'reason to believe' to the Sam Beam mythology - one of today's best songwriters.

ACE rating 8/10