A new year then, and a typically slow start. We've managed to dig out a few bits of interest as usual though, running the gamut from Babes in Toyland-style dirty rock 'n' roll to heavy grime..

Moonface is the latest moniker for Spencer Krug, whose prolific output with the likes of Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown marks him out as something of an indie rock MF Doom. The Dreamland EP: Marimba and shit drums is pretty much exactly that, an extended (clocking in at twenty minutes), hypnotic piece of marimba riffing backed by mystical vocals and some truly lamentable drum sounds. It's endearing stuff, and it's well worth a download..

We've featured Japanese Voyeurs before, and while they've done little to reinvent the wheel since we last heard from them (all the way back in October); still sounding like a mix of every female fronted noise merchant of the last twenty years - actually, who are we trying to kid, let's narrow that down to every female fronted noise merchant from 1990-1993, 'That Love Sound' is another classily composed, addictive grunge tribute that suggests they have the ability to surf the inevitable revival..

The first fruit of the collaboration between Dangermouse and The Shins' James Mercer seems to owe far more to the latter's background than the party hip hop with which DM made his name. Warm, nostalgic production rich in analogue squiggles and a mid paced sixties campfire vocal make for a surprisingly pleasant listen.

Fresh from his glorious mention in not one but two of the Flashlight team's reviews of the year (I would imagine he's done a screen print of it which he has framed for posterity), Mayer Hawthorne has released 'Green Eyed Love' on limited green vinyl, which you can get from Fat City - the clip above is the Classixx mix, which successfully manages to merge soul with lithe Soft Cell electro. Nice.

Nuttiest new record of the week goes to DVA with 'Natty'. I don't profess to know anything about him, but judging by his photo he's an 11 year old grime producer. 'Natty' is full of squelchy bass and tribal rhythms which sound, in a piece of perfect coincidental symmetry, a little like a marimba. The drums, thankfully, are rather better than shit in this particular case; DVA looks to have a bright future. Till next week, kids..