A quick look at the singles market shows that amidst the usual crop of kid friendly releases and the plethora of crotch grabbing rap tracks of late there are good things either happening now or about to break on the horizon so to speak.

Available now is the new single from ‘Rehab’ from big faced chanteuse Amy Winehouse. If you happened to catch her performance on Charlotte Church’s show last week don’t let that put you off (for those who didn’t see it be thankful, she appeared to be…how shall I say it…pissed and unable to perform). The single however is a gorgeous slab of Motown/Northern Soul infused pop with her trademark smoky jazz tinged vocal sliding about all over the top of it. There’s a real authenticity here, the band are tight and laced with sweet little piano riffs and horn stabs held together with a backbeat that would have done the trick on any early seventies speed fuelled dance floor never mind in the present.

Out on the 23rd October there is the first UK single by United States Of Electronica “It Is On”. Despite the title of the band this isn’t the bleepy glitch and click you might expect. Already getting a sneaky bit of airplay on the radio this track is a dense wash of strangely compelling noise. Jubilant and celebratory like Daft Punk’s cheap seats cousin with brisk and bristling guitars. Sweetly cooing vocals and chunky by the numbers bass. A drunken floor filler for the indie kids yet possessing enough of a pop sensibility to trouble the charts (in an ideal world).

The Charlatans fire an opening salvo from their upcoming singles collection with a new reworking of You’re So Pretty. The 2006 version gets a reworking from Youth and quite frankly sounds better for it. Tim Burgess’ vocal still has that lost cause sense of edginess to it but this time the mix has been tweaked and that swan diving bassline has been polished up and brought upfront, as a whole the mix feels that bit more organic. This one will be available as a 7” and CD with a Chemical Brothers Dub of Feel The Pressure as a bonus on the CD and NYC on the flipside of the vinyl.

The Fratellis will doubtless continue their subtle “all conquering year” with the release of Whistle For The Choir on the 27th November. Nice to see that one of the gentler cuts from the album getting a showing. Less stompy than its forebears with a tender little lyric sat behind a pleasant acoustic strum. Might be slightly twee for some tastes but you’ll not find fault with this one in my quarter.