THE CONCRETES -

THE CONCRETES

(out now)

JUST as you were no doubt sitting there thinking "wow, there haven't been many Swedish bands hitting the mark recently" along come a load at once - well, two at the least.

First up is The Concretes with their awesome eponymous debut, a sickly-sweet slice of quirky-pop if ever there was one, like some vivid dream set to music.

Led by Victoria Bergsman's almost infantile vocals, the band have already delivered with the bubbly Seems Fine - bursting with energy like a child who's consumed too many 'E' numbers - and more recently their Christmas EP with the waltzing winter cheer of Warm Night.

Fans of these will not be disappointed by the other solid offerings on this album.

RADIO DEPT -

LESSER MATTERS

(out now)

MAYBE it's something in the soil because if fellow Scandinavian band Radio Dept's equally stunning debut is anything to go by, it could be a good year for the Swedes.

The understated Lesser Matters is one of those albums that grows on you like something more welcome than a rash with singer Johan Duncansson's melancholic icy vocals battling it out against a backdrop of unwieldy guitar noise.

The organic-sounding instrumental Slottet #2, catchy Your Father and earthy charm of Strange Things Will Happen are among the peaks on an album where the quality control never faulters.

Both heart-wrenching and blissful in equal measures, this lo-fi classic has to be a sure contender for one of the best albums of last year.

VARIOUS -

CHICK FLICK DIARIES

(out now)

IT doesn't exactly take a rocket scientist to work out what this one is about - take a handful of major films that are big with the girls, extract 50 songs from them and slap them together on a mammoth 3CD compilation and what you have is... . not bad at all actually, all things considered.

Granted, the likes of The Darkness make unusual bedfellows alongside artists such as Abba and Al Green and the skip button was invented for tunes such from performers such as Another Level and Girls Aloud featured here, but there's enough quality to keep it afloat.

Inevitably, tunes from big name movies such as Notting Hill and Bridget Jones feature, but it's surprise inclusions like ELO's Mr Blue Sky (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), Fatboy Slim's Praise You (Cruel Intentions) and Badly Drawn Boy's Something to Think About (About a Boy) that really add to the mix.

WIN A COPY

We have four copies of Chick Flick Diaries to give away - just answer the following question - who is the author of the Bridget Jones novels?

Answers should be sent on a postcard by no later than Friday, January 21 to: Nightlife, Worcester Evening News, Hylton Road, Worcester, WR2 5JX.