Between albums, Andrew Bird has been steadily releasing Fingerlings discs - collections of odds and ends, mostly live - via andrewbird.net. Now that would not be especially interesting in itself unless Andrew Bird wasn't one of the best artists most people have never heard of. Imagine the spontaneity and warm melodic flow of Jeff Buckley with a Tom Waits instrumental sense. Andrew Bird can't easily be pigeonholed - he is who David Byrne wishes he could be, Brian Wilson 40 years on, Beck with taste. Fingerlings 3 follows 2005's incredible Mysterious Production of Eggs with a few live recordings from that album, and throws in some new recordings from his home studio (a couple of which will feature on next year's new album). Not one track is less than hypnotic, mesmeric and captivating - even the covers of Son House and Handsome Family songs. Bird uses violin, guitar and his gentle voice in such a sophisticated manner, it is easy to see why mainstream popularity may well stay out of reach - how wonderful for the rest of us.

ACE rating 9/10

Let's face it - there's not a Beatles album that, were it to be released by a new band today, wouldn't be an album of the year. So, this is a somewhat remarkable event - a 'new' album, conceived for Cirque du Soleil, which mashes up pieces of Beatles songs to make new songs. While that may sound contrived and somewhat disturbing, the initial 'spot the song' game quickly vanishes, and instead what you are left doing is thinking just how remarkable The Beatles were all over again. This process shines new light into old windows and what that reveals is still great. George Martin was clearly the proper fifth Beatle, and certainly the only one who could still be trusted to treat the material properly. The material is revitalised wholly by this treatment - this is an experiment that has succeeded completely, made even better by not using the obvious hits. Excellent.

ACE rating 9/10

If the thought of another Christmas with Slade and George Michael fills you with dread, there is some salvation this year in the form of a Christmas disc from Sufjan Stevens (in a project which will rival his 50 states project in scale, he is planning a Christmas album every year) and Aimee Mann. Mann's take is reasonably traditional - the songs are old familiars (God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, Winter Wonderland), but all delivered with her gloriously, wickedly gorgeous voice, and an indie feel that derives from her usual soulfully sad demeanour. This is more Christmas introspection than office party music - even so, it is a slightly unusual sideways step from one of the best female singer-songwriters, one who rarely takes anything other than a sharply cynical view. Aimee Mann could sing the phone book and make it appealing. Here's an opportunity to give Bing a rest and give someone with all the alterna-cred in the world a go.

ACE rating 7/10