The Hazey Janes - 'Hotel Radio'

Their name is derived from a song (or actually two) by Nick Drake, but they extend beyond simply folk; you'll also find country-tinged rock with some stomping powerpop thrown in for good measure. They have a fine ear for strong melodies, and a musician friend of mine reckons they are THE best harmony band around, bar none.

'Hotel Radio' is their first full studio album, a follow-up to their debut mini-album 'The Hazey Janes' (also well worth a listen - 'After All' is a great track, and a live favourite). Lovely jangly guitars open the album at the start of 'Always There', indicating some Byrdsian influences. The country feel comes through on 'Moanin' Face' and there's something Beatlesque about 'Get Down'. It's fairly difficult for me to choose a favourite track, but I'd have to go for 'Your Enemy' - an absolutely stunning powerpop gem. (And it sounds simply amazing played live - it overflows with energy and confidence).

Buy it from their site, their label, NotLame, Amazon and so on (don't confuse them with a female singer who was using a similar name for a while). Good news is that the next album is in the works.

Crashland - 'Glued'

I happened to mention this album on a music forum a while back, and was quite surprised when a couple of people came back with "yeah, I've got that, what a great little album!" Maybe it's not as obscure as I thought!

The album's a mix of rock and ballads, and I personally prefer the rockier numbers. My favourite track is 'New Perfume' - it hooks you, reels you in, then stays in your brain forever. At least that's the effect it had on me. On average I find myself singing it about once a month, while thinking "What IS that? Oh yeah, Crashland ..."

Runner up in the Best Track stakes is 'The Sun In My Eyes', which has a gorgeous rolling, singalong chorus that once again gets lodged in your memory. After that, I find the album 'dips' in the middle section, but 'Little Dreams' raises the bar back to the jaunty level, followed by 'Waiting For Someone' - a song that has a smattering of Oasis about it - and we're back to the catchy singalong sound again.

The band had a short-lived career, producing only this album (plus singles) and a couple of EPs. Amazon have used copies of 'Glued' dirt cheap, as do a few eBay sellers.

747s - 'Zampano'

I 'found' this band about a month ago when a friend suggested I check out their myspace. They impressed me so much that I immediately bought their album, and went to see them play live the following week.

I was reading the bio on their website (which includes a great story about how they almost got arrested as terrorists!) - the band members have eclectic musical backgrounds that include jazz, classical, soul, reggae, folk, musicals - you name it. Needless to say, this variety filters into the music they make, but one common thread is a strong sense of melody.

A couple of the songs on the album ('Miles Away' and 'Nature's Alibi') sound to me as if they might have fallen off The Beatles' 'White Album' (McCartney section) or possibly an early Wings album. 'Goodbye For A While' is reminiscent of an Elvis Presley ballad and tiptoes around doo-wop territory. In contrast, 'Death Of A Star' sounds like something Muse might sing (and that's a big compliment, coming from me). There's a couple of mellow numbers, mixed in with some bouncier tracks; listen for their harmonies too - they're lush. I'm a pushover for a great bassline, and the one on 'The Return' is stunning. When they played that song live, I couldn't drag my eyes away from the bass player's fingers.

Check out their official site (where you can download a track for free), and their myspace. Their music can be downloaded from the usual places, and for the physical album and singles, try Amazon, NotLame, eBay, HMV.