This week let's start on some of the new music being released.

After gaps of weeks where nothing emerges from Tauranga – much like our buses which apparently carry too few people – a whole lot arrives at once.

Today I'll focus on the debut album from up-and-coming Mount Maunganui band Marmalade Skies but let's recap other current offerings...

The Knids' new album 'Monochrome' has dropped. I like it a lot and will return with a full review. Meanwhile, Anthony Coulter has poppy new single out, 'Spacebound', and Shirley Ryder, centre of a very successful recent fundraiser, has released a song on YouTube, 'Irish Eyes', recorded at Whakamarama's Soundtree, with a very touching video by Shane Davies.

There's also a whole bunch of new blues. The Flaming Mudcats, Auckland's, and possibly the country's, finest electric blues outfit have released their fifth album, 'Til The Money Runs Out', featuring and mixed by Waihi keyboard wiz Liam Ryan, the man running the youth competitions at the jazz festival. The Mudcats will be here too for the fest.

There's also new old blues from Mike Garner, both solo and collaborating with three women blues singers on the EP 'Q Blues'. Details to follow...

And here's one more - no connection to Tauranga but dead cool - I'm sure you'll want to hear: Keith Richards has dropped a version of Lou Reed's 'Waiting For My Man', from an upcoming tribute album to Reed, 'The Power Of The Heart', which will also include Joan Jett, Rufus Wainright, Ricky Lee Jones, Rosanne Cash and Lucinda Williams. It's due in April.

On to Marmalade Skies, who recorded their debut album 'When I Wake Up' in their drummer (and producer) Jacob Gerritsen's garage. Just saying that blows me away. Nothing that sounds this good should have been recorded in a Mount Maunganui garage. Perhaps the mastering, by maestro Felix Davis in the UK helped. It sounds great – open, expansive, warm, precise, a pleasure to listen to.

Marmalade Skies are essentially a four-piece, the classic two guitars, bass and drums, with singer/guitarist Ethan Perkins writing most of the songs. Calum Beatson looks after the tasteful lead guitar – no show-off nonsense here – while Ethan Robertson plays bass and contributes the very sweet 'Rhyme Or Reason'. There's also Gabriel Perkins on keyboards but, no disrespect intended, this is guitar band.

And it's a guitar band in a shimmering summery way. You can almost hear the surf lapping against some tunes, though there is no connection to 60's “surf rock”. The guitars are bright and jangly throughout and Ethan P's smooth tenor soars and is both approachable and likeable, particularly since he sings in a happily local accent. He also has a charming way with witty lyrics which first comes through on opener 'Nightmare', a very cool little pop song.

All I can say is check out this immensely appealing album, filled with catchy, smart songs. It's not complicated; this isn't rocket surgery. It's just really good.

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