TRACK OF THE WEEK

Lil' Chris - Checkin' It Out
The diminutive teen star of Channel 4's Rock School now has a major label record deal and a remarkably good debut single, available in advance of full release from download stores. With his punky yelp, piercings and daringly angled baseball cap, grown-ups may want to slap him, but school-age fans of rocking boy band McFly may be prepared to switch allegiances.

SNEAK PREVIEW

Badly Drawn Boy
The Cheshire scruff has long been obsessed with Bruce Springsteen, but never more publicly than on forthcoming fifth album Born in the UK. The title track begins with a blast of Land of Hope and Glory and becomes an uncharacteristically pounding rocker. It can be heard on his official website now. www.badlydrawnboy.co.uk

IN THE NEWS

The battle of the download stores heated up considerably this week, with Napster offering a free MP3 player to new subscribers,
Apple announcing that it will soon be offering films through the iTunes store and the launch of new challenger eMusic - the first rival store selling tracks that can be played on an iPod as well as other MP3 players. It can only be good for the consumer. www.emusic.com

THE BUZZ

Larrikin Love
This young Twickenham band take the shambolic indie blueprint of the Libertines and shift it into new territories by adding the rowdy folk stylings of Dexy's Midnight Runners and the Pogues, and dressing as urchin pickpockets. Their latest single Happy as Annie, a live favourite, is available everywhere this week.

THE BLOG

Largehearted Boy
An Alabama blogger who can't possibly have time for a day job on top of compiling this dense site. With book reviews, extensive links to interesting articles on other sites and around 10 free tracks to download every day, he's as generous as his alias suggests. www.blog.largeheartedboy.com