Marina And The Diamonds
From Abergavenny, the half-Greek, half-Welsh chanteuse Marina Diamandis is one of the most exciting, strange and (dare I say it) kooky singers I've heard in ages. Kooky is normally one of those adjectives that says annoyingly, wilfully, wibblingly tuneless but in the best traditions of that barmpot Kate Bush, with whom she is often compared, Marina reins in the oddness with great skill. What you end up with is new-wave-ish modern pop with interesting rhythms and tunes that sit effortlessly in the subconscious, waiting for their opportunity to burst forth. By the time this issue of RedHanded hits the streets, the Mowglis Road single will have been released, this incessant, mesmerising, wonderful single should have gatecrashed the charts with its pure, strident vocal hook and bouncing keyboard line that recalls nothing less than the Doctor Who theme. Get yourself onto iTunes this moment and download Mowglis Road and Obsessions. If there's any justice in the world

Queen
Absolute Greatest
EMI
While our Ones To Watch are young women with talent and looks, it’s important to remember that our record industry was once reliant on grizzled, old, long-haired rock blokes who made their guitars out of fireplaces. Brian May and Roger Taylor continue to flog the collapsing skeleton of the Queen name for all it’s worth. Why does the world need another Queen Best Of? When Greatest Hits I and II have sold quazillions and are very much still available, what is the point? It's obvious they've gone for the lowest-common-denominator here: they kick off with We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions and of course, it’s hard to argue with the inclusion of Under Pressure, A Kind Of Magic, I Want To Break Free and Don't Stop Me Now. But they also include 1995's Heaven For Everyone, the forgettable, lumpen song extracted from Freddie's painfully thin frame in the last year of his life, at the expense of something glorious like Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy. The earlier Greatest Hits do a far better job as an epitaph for the fondly-remembered, camp-as-Christmas, old Queen.

Pearl Jam
Backspacer
Univeral / Island
Another bunch of grizzled old rockers, but this time grunge survivalists who may just have made the album of their career. Okay, so this was released a couple of months back, but in case you missed it, it's the ninth album from the only Seattle-ites of the early 1990s who didn't end up with no head, dead from a drug overdose or simply splitting up because no one cared anymore. Now having attained the status of classic rock veterans, Pearl Jam are rapidly approaching 50 but far from sounding like they're researching Saga insurance for their sensible saloons, Backspacer is energetic, impassioned and wonderfully tuneful. There's punk rock frenzy to the first four tracks, and first single The Fixer has the best use of yeeeaah-yeeeeah in a chorus I've heard since Bon Jovi, or something. The album is packed with towering choruses and giant hooks: Amongst The Waves and Force Of Nature are two of the most effective, the latter sounding like a sister piece to their first album classic, Alive. This is evidence that the law of diminishing returns doesn't always hold true.

Foo Fighters
Greatest Hits
Sony
Oh, is it Christmas? Another Best Of compilation, this one from another grunge-era survivalist par excellence. No one would have guessed that the drummer out of Nirvana would, 15 years after Kurt took a 12-bore to his cerebrum, be the frontman of a band that could sell out Wembley Stadium. Dave Grohl wrote and performed all the songs on the first Foos album and it's these songs (This Is A Call, Big Me) that have the greatest charm. As time has gone by, the songs have become more uninspiring and less individual. Yes, now they're massive, but only because they sit easily in the million-selling pop rock milieu. Having said that, it’s undeniably a collection of good songs: Everlong, Learn To Fly, Monkey Wrench and Breakout are all sound pop rock. But no I'll Stick Around? Shocking. This is a great stocking-filler for a young relative you're trying to educate, but not one for a fan.

Ellie Goulding
From Herefordshire, this blonde 21-year-old has been signed by Polydor and performed on Jools Holland in October. She’s toured with Little Boots and worked with DJ/producer Mark Ronson – expect to see her turn up in the gossip columns before long. Musically, she’s more straight-ahead than Marina And The Diamonds, but her glittery, strident pop is delivered with a degree of indie sensibility that gives her a credible edge. Last month’s Under The Sheets single is a piece of shimmery, glossy pop that’s been across music video TV for weeks. Its chorus is the size of a Welsh rugby player’s neck. There’s no question of ‘justice’ here: this woman IS going to be massive in 2010.

James McLaren finds a kooky diamond in the rough