Distiller, 2010

French electro-pop, which sounds as you’d expect: bright, airy, cheerful, disco-tuned. Fortune’s debut is a bit too sugary sweet for me, and unvarying in its shiny synth sound, but might be worth checking out if you’re into Phoenix’s poppier numbers.

Viper Bite, 2010

Goodbye God is a mixed bag – part power-pop, veering at its most sugary toward quirky synth-pop (see “Days Of Thunder”), part subtle indie rock, where songwriter Jon Sebastian’s confiding voice takes precedence (see “It’s A Miracle”). It’s a brief assortment, with 12 tracks at under half an hour, and a bit disjointed – but enough strong individual songs make it worth a spin.

Self-released, 2009

Somewhere between Sufjan Stevens (especially Illinois) and The Postal Service, this debut comprises some suitably lovely electro-folkpop. Synths and banjo embrace like old friends in a sound that’s always uplifting, be it sad and dreamy (“Broken Horse”) or sweet and catchy (“Hannah”). Weathervanes will get a deserved re-release on Frenchkiss/Mom & Pop Records in Spring 2010.

XL, 2009

A lot of noise has surrounded this band in indie circles, somewhat ironically as the Londoners’ debut turns out to be an understated, low-key affair. Intimate boy/girl vocals brood over love and desire, with a backdrop of drum-machines, subtle melodies and well-placed instrumentation. It’s a bare sound, but also warm, atmospheric, and highly addictive.

Kscope, 2009

As an introductory EP Call Signs is a fairly bewildering handshake – manoeuvring enigmatically between laptop-powered electro-pop, danceable lo-fi indie, and lush, spacey doowop (yes, really; see their cover of 1959 Flamingos song “I Only Have Eyes For You”). It achieves its purpose though, pointing intrigued ears toward their 2010 full-length.

V2, 2009

Smart, danceable indie-pop that wins you over with its sheer catchiness, then flexes its dynamic muscles with some equally impressive electro-ambience. These Gallic hipsters are unerringly precise in their aim and execution – in this case producing a lean, vibrant, somewhat twee, somewhat retro, massively listenable record.