Elliot Minor - big following.

ELLIOT MINOR: Elliot Minor (Repossession Records): EM are probably the country's biggest underground band at the moment - they've been quietly building up a big reputation with appearances supporting other bands and even played in front of 10,000 at Dimebag Darrel stage at Download.

In the same time they've trickled out three singles and so plenty of people will know them by now. The three minor hits - 'Jessica', 'The White One is Evil' and 'Still Figuring Out' - are all on here and between them knocked up 1.9million MySpace views.

So the long awaited album is here and its been worth waiting for. The quintet from York all have classically trained backgrounds and it shines through in the tracks which have a heavy leaning towards ELO but retain their individuality. There are great harmonies, superb production and great orchestration when needed.

'Jessica' is in fact one of the stand-out tracks, fast paced with big production and a tight performance. There are plenty of other tracks dishing up more of the same, but there are also great ballads, especially 'The Broken Minor' with big piano and a fanfare of sound.

'Running Away' has more ELO harmonies, while 'Silently' has a very choir-like ballad sound showing their background to great effect.

This album could surprise you if you haven't heard them so far so give it a try - I think this will be big and there should be plenty more to come.

ENVY AND OTHER SINS: We Leave at Dawn (A and M): Not so sure about Envy though, who were the winners of the Channel 4 talent show Mobile Act Unsigned last year and this is the debut album for the Birmingham four-piece. Its not a bad first effort with some good poppy hooks that in places echo other artists but there is also a unique side to some of the tracks, perhaps enough to propel them on to bigger things.

The indie-pop single 'Highness' is a jangly beaty song about wanting the girl you can't have which peaked at 65, while there are synthy sounds on 'Step Across' and fast paced beats on 'Almost Certainly Elsewhere' and 'Man Bites God'. The ballad 'Don't Start Fires' is a big diversion but excellent too and one of the stand-out tracks while 'Shipwrecked' wraps it all up, keeping heads above water while life tries to put you under.

Envy and Other Sins: winners of Mobile Act Unsigned

By winning against 1,600 other bands, Envy got their opportunity to make an album with A and M and they admit "we'll stand or fall by it". Might just make it .

SINGLES JACK McMANUS: Bang on the Piano (Polydor).

You've probably already heard this single on the radio as its been played for a few weeks now. He was at the British School of Performing Arts at the same time as Amy Whinehouse and for a year after graduation played trumpet at West End musicals.

He's now 23 and sings traditional pop with his own twist, folky but not too so, and the single is from his first album, 'Either Side of Midnight'.

Its got a good hook and the catchy 'bang on the piano til the feeling's gone' chorus is all a bit like Billy Joel in his youth, which is no bad thing.

If you like the single, then try the album which follows in the first week of May.

KENNA: Out of Control (Star Trak/Interscope).

Ethiopian born American single songwriter Kenna has been on the scene since his first album in 2003 but to be honest I'd not heard of him before. It has taken that time to record a second after a lot of delays and switching labels, and the new album will soon be in the shops. 'Out of Control' has lots of familiar sounds in there, but basically its fuzzy synth, big bass beat and hoarsey vocals - not sure yet so might have to wait for the album.

The single is out on May 5 followed quickly by the album 'Make Sure They See My Face' a week later.

THE LIONHEART BROTHERS: Bring It Down (Racing Junior).

This Norwegian quintet is made up of former members of Serena Maneesh and 120 Days and this single blasts of 60s Booker T organ with psychedelic swirling instruments to make a cracking rock song. The vocals even have a touch of the Byrds, West Coast high pitched, while the drum riff drives on through.

It's the third single off their UK debut album 'Dizzy Kiss' which we weren't sent and was released in January, and they've just had a mini UK tour.

'Bring It On Down' might just surprise you - psych rock 60s smack bang up to date.

SINFONIA CLASSICA: Haydn Symphonies and Divertimenti (Landor Records).

Sinfonia Classica is run from Yarnscombe by Ambrose Miller and has recently performed in Yeovil and Barnstaple.

Independent classical label Landor has signed the chamber orchestra which contains instrumentalists hand-picked from all over Europe.

This debut release, out on May 12, is a programme of Haydn's symphonies and divertimenti that admirably showcases the orchestra's finely attuned sense of ensemble and anticipates the 200th anniversary of Haydn's death, celebrated in 2009.

Among the repertoire are two of Haydn's greatest symphonies, the heart-rending Symphony no 49 La Passione, and no 22 The Philosopher.

Two divermenti complete the programme - one, Divertimento in A, Hob X 10, has rarely been heard by modern ears and features a difficult horn part.

"We are very excited to be collaborating with a new orchestra of this calibre," said Landor Records chief executive Guy Harvey. "Sinfonia Classica worked recently with Czech pianist Libor Novacek, another of our artists, and we hope that this will be the first of many collaborations with this gifted ensemble."

The orchestra gave its first concerts in 2003 and now appears regularly with artists including Freddy Kempf, Emma Johnson and Natalie Clein.

It is led on this recording by German violinist Gernot Sussmuth, a former member of the celebrated Peterson Quartet and leader of the Berliner Staatskapelle orchestra.

Album length: 73 minutes.

8:40am Thursday 24th April 2008

Jack McManus: making a bang.

Sinfonia Classica: performed in Yeovil.

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