What the White Stripes started, and The Black Keys dirtied up, is moved on by Two Gallants. Guitar and drummer, voice and harmonica, stripping wild rock blues and country punk to its raw essentials and turning up the noise like Animal from the Muppets backing a combination of Jimmy Page and Gordon Gano of the Violent Femmes. The intensity throughout What The Toll Tells is riveting, as it was on the debut, The Throes, which made 2005's Top 20 albums in this column and at Rough Trade record store, but here they have stepped up the hooks and maturity. Where the music slows to balladry, the stories have the timbre of Johnny Cash. It's unusual for production to leave this kind of intensity within a CD, but the move up to a major label has brought with it the production of Tiny Telephone studios, which clearly understands the draw of this duo. Shockingly, abrasively excellent. Place booked for 2006's Best Album list already.

ACE rating 9/10

Well, the man responsible for finding Devendra Banhart has a lot to answer for, in my book, but putting this remarkable band out there has provided some redemption. With a distinctly backwoods beardy appearance, and no clear singles on this self-titled album, Akron/ Family aren't an obvious stablemate with the weird folkie. Not a family in any sense, but built upon a music-making style they titled AK, this is the sound of folk run through an indie rock sensibility, and it is a magical album. Imagine how the Polyphonic Spree would sound if they could write songs, or mix The Band with the Flaming Lips. Any fan of Sufjan Stevens, M Ward, Hayden or Wilco on a good day will simply fall in love with this album; its melodies are delicious, the gentle, understated instrumentation perfectly judged. It is rewarding to hear music that takes time to germinate, grow roots and flourish before being recorded. Simply wonderful.

ACE rating 8/10

Cult legends Will Oldham (here in his Bonnie 'Prince' Billy guise) and nouveau rock electronic noise and free jazz band Tortoise collaborate for the first time, much as Iron and Wine and Calexico did last year. Interestingly, they've chosen to take on a bunch of covers from artists as diverse as Elton John, Devo and Bruce Springsteen. Where it works, this is a great sounding record, as on Lungfish's Love Is Love, where the Kraut-rock drums add great texture, but Elton John's Daniel simply sounds like a rock band trying to make it sound a 'bit dark.' Fascinatingly mediocre, and not up to the best of either party's work. The sleeve notes talk about this collaboration as fun, vital and groundbreaking. Add in the quality of these artists and you'd have high expectations. Sadly, the disc rarely delivers on any of those promises. Not brave enough or bold enough.

ACE rating 6/10