Florence And The Machine – Lungs 4/5

Plucked from the cuddly, credible world of indie rock and cast into the great music biz hype machine, Florence Welch follows up a string of fantastic singles with her full-length LP on Island Records.

Early singles Dog Days Are Over and the White Stripes-ish Kiss With A Fist stand out as the strongest tracks here, plus of course You Got The Love (a live band cover version of a mash-up, very post-modern).

Elsewhere on the album, Florence earns all those Kate Bush comparisons by playing the moody, arty diva.

A great debut. SK

Slow Club - Yeah So 4/5

Two precocious young pups trading skiffle-inspired rhythms, whistled refrains and handclaps, this Sheffield boy-girl duo's first album is a delightful blend of bittersweet pop and folkier tracks demonstrating their more reflective side.

The raucous likes of Because We're Dead will inspire hoedowns in bedrooms all over the country, while slower numbers such as Dance 'Till The Morning Light and Come On Youth recall Bright Eyes at their most stripped down and hopeful.

Anyone who fell in love with the soundtrack to indie flick Juno will find plenty to enjoy here, but just like that divisive compilation it's not for everyone – if you cringe at the thought of its oh-so-twee stylings you might be advised to steer well clear, but everyone else is in for a treat. SH

Gretchen Peters with Tom Russell – One To The Heart, One To The Head 3/5

This collection of songs takes a nostalgic glance at the American West.

If you're not a fan of country music, don't stick around for this album – after one listen to it you'll be sitting on a rocking chair, chewing tobacco looking out over your ranch.

Guadalupe highlights the quality of Gretchen Peters's vocals.

The one annoyance with the album is that an accordion is on some of the songs.

This is no criticism of the musician responsible, but on songs that are otherwise relaxed country numbers, the prevalence of the instrument is out of place. PW

Engineers - Three Fact Fader 3/5

The London four-piece co-produced their second album with Sigur Ros collaborator Ken Thomas, and his influence definitely shows.

Full of instrumental leads and beautiful - yet monotone - singing, it could be the soundtrack to an arty film about losing the one you love. It's not really a singles album, with one song flowing into the next, which can prove slightly difficult as there are neither any standout tracks nor any dismal failures. PW

Ebony Bones - Bone Of My Bones 3/5

Prodigiously talented former soap star and fashion iconoclast Ebony Thomas, now in her one-woman band Ebony Bones incarnation, launches an accomplished, self-assured, kaleidoscopic debut album.

While her vision is singular, it borrows heavily from respectable sources, including early '80s post-punk (especially Bow Wow Wow) and MIA (on the dense, polemic tracks like We Know All About You and In G.O.D. We Trust). Bone Of My Bones is rarely as challenging or musically interesting as its well-chosen influences, however.

A little derivative, but Ebony Bones has more than earned her 15 minutes of pop fame. SK

Reviews by Steve Kerr, Simon Harker and Polly Weeks