By Russell Barker

Deluka's 'Stop_Stop' is vaguely aloof, electronic sounding and a boring version of Ladytron. 'Flashbacks' is catchier but lacks the killer hook. It's Republica with a Hoxton makeover.

Ben Lee Tyler's 'Not My Fault' is a catchy pop rock tune, but it's a bit lightweight and is let down by some soft rock style vocals and poor lyrics. 'Hate My Name' strips things back to acoustic, but is again let down by the same aspects.

The new EP by National Heroes is 'Tales Of The Town' and they are another of these bands in thrall to the sound of the Libertines. All of the Libs affected style and straggly guitars course through all four tunes and while they aren't bad per se, you can't help feeling this has been done much better, many times before.

More awful lyrics, this time from Chichino. I'll spare you examples and tell you to avoid the insipid soul-funk of their single 'Every Little Thing' like the plague.

Far better than any of this is the new demo by The Delta Frequency. 'Eyes Wide' sees them storming the castle like electro goth robots. There are some dead cool sneery bits and a soaring chorus that drops away almost before it begins and leaves you begging for more. 'High Five' is how their fellow Oxfordians Smilex would sound if given electro shock treatment and 'Charge Me Up' is as stompin', snarlin' electro blast with a "fuckin' with the man machine" chant. Perfect if you need a shot of adrenalin.

It's always good to end on a high note and at the other end of the scale to The Delta Frequency too. The 'Yern' EP by Julius, is the latest offering by a young man who has graced these pages before. Suffice to say the lush textures and warmth of the EP is up to his usual standards and then some. There's not a bad moment across six tracks, but special mention must go to 'The Line', which is the modern olde folk that Jim Moray and King Creosote specialise in and especially 'Wind And Bellows' which is a delicate acoustic piece, beautifully played and delightfully sung.