ATHLETE - HALF LIGHT/TOURIST

(Half Light out April 25, Tourist out now)

DESPITE justifiable rave reviews for their stunning 2003 Mercury Music Prize-nominated debut Vehicles & Animals, the Deptford-based band have never really enjoyed their rightful share of the limelight afforded to such big-hitters as Coldplay.

Last single Wires was an emotional tug at the heart-strings, not that dissimilar to Coldplay's output and a million miles away from the sound of one of their previous big hit El Salvador.

Half Light, however, is the bold, abashed anchor of their latest album Tourist and a swipe at the jugular, featuring their trademark quirky electronic sounds alongside an anthemic chorus.

This could be the band's 'Yellow' and propel them to gargantuan proportions, with the band already reaping the rewards with a number one album keeping one foot in their past while also giving a knowing nod to the present, wheeling in the pianos for a more emotional-sounding LP.

Other album highlights include the soulful If I Found Out complete with gospel choir, destined-to-be Athlete classic Yesterday Threw Everything At Me and Twenty-Four Hours, proving they're still in the race.

PURE REASON REVOLUTION - THE BRIGHT AMBASSADORS OF MORNING (out April 4)

THIS epic 12-minute chunky of dreamy experimental music would not sound out of place in Pink Floyd's back-catalogue.

It's no surprise then to hear that the five-piece band count the prog-rockers as one of their influences.

Opening with noises that sound like someone going to the toilet on an alien spaceship, the track soon morphs into some psychedelic intergalatic trip.

Three minutes in the vocals acting like some guide on a voyage into the unknown before the track climaxes with a blast of hard rock. Like nothing you've heard before!

NEW ORDER - WAITING FOR THE SIREN'S CALL (out now)

IT'S not easy being one of the finest bands around as the weight of expectation behind any new release you put out is huge.

Firmly part of Manchester's musical scene, New Order have had the pressure applied even more firmly as countless bands namedrop them as an influence and NME proclaiming them "Godlike Geniuses".

With the imminent release of two films about Ian Curtis of Joy Division, the band from which they evolved, they're firmly back in the spotlight and could have rested on their laurels.

Instead, moving on from the lukewarm reception given to 2001's Get Ready, they have released one of the best albums of the year so far.

A full-blown assault on the senses, Waiting For The Siren's Call is New Order back on track with catchy guitar riffs, punchy beats and a general feeling of euphoria rushing through their tunes, like the sound of a band enjoying themselves again.

Equally brilliant is latest single Krafty, which would sound as much at home in a nightclub as being chanted by crowds of adoring fans at one of this summer's music festivals.

It's like the 80s Manchester scene and the Hacienda never went away...