As we stumble optimistically towards Spring, there seems to be more and more reason to pay close attention to that music you can hear... You could do worse than start with Malcolm Middleton's 'Sleight Of Heart', a compilation of upbeat self-loathing out-takes and covers which must be his finest misery-pop moment yet, and the celestial genius of Peter Broderick's 'Home' which warms the mind with an altogether more sophisticated melancholia. Also being loved by us is classically trained pianist Hauschka, who turns conventional musicianship on its head and boggles minds with his 'Ferndorf' masterpiece, and Matthew Herbert's Big Band who come up with their most dazzling, sophisticated and subversive record yet- the incredible 'There's Me And There's You'.

At Open Ear we firmly believe that the shimmering electronic beauty of Lali Puna's 'Faking The Books' should be heard by everybody- as should the glorious complex atmospherics of Broadway Project's Compassion. Latin jazz chanteuse Flora Purim's 'Speed Of Light' is one of the most wonderful things we've heard in a while and 'Deep Cuts' by The Knife is never far from the top of our listening pile. 'Mend' by local indie heroes De Rosa is still doing it for us here, while Butch Cassidy Soundsystem's 'Butches Brew' has helped us through a long, dark winter...

Brille records are home to some of the hippest bands on the planet. Always interesting, their quirky approach to pop music has given us such names as The Knife, Good Shoes, Envelopes and Operator Please. Listen to our selection and check http://www.brillerecords.com/ for more info