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Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Don’t Upset The Rhythm is Noisettes’ disco-inspired bid for the mainstream, and by golly it’s good. From the moment the introduction bursts into life, you know you’re in for a belter.

What’s so surprising about Don’t Upset The Rhythm, along with other tracks that have been leaked from the Croydon three-piece’s second album, is that they represent a marked departure from the style that first brought them to the attention of the music industry.

Anyone familiar with Noisettes’ debut album What Time Is It, Mr Wolf? would class the band as purveyors of garage-band indie. But the sound of Wild Young Hearts (their next album,

out on April 6) is bright and effortless disco-pop, with just a touch of soul courtesy of the band’s frontwoman Shingai Shoniwa, who has a truly astounding voice.

What prompted their transformation? Spending more time in the studio and having access to more sophisticated production technology probably equipped the trio for the task; and extensive touring in the US and Europe may well have thrown new musical influences into their path; but motivation for the change seems to have sprung from a desire to enter the mainstream.

I can forgive them for that. After all, Shoniwa, guitarist Dan Smith and drummer Jamie Morrison have been periodically touted as the ‘next big thing’ for over four years – the band formed in 2003. Looking on from the fringes of the industry as shittier acts hoover up all the limelight and money probably gets dull fast. Good on them for grabbing a slice of the pie.

Don’t Upset The Rhythm is a party track par excellence. The entire song is an enticing paean to the joys of dancing the night away, and Shoniwa delivers the sassy lyrics with a knowing twinkle in her eye. Noisettes are fully aware that the song is essentially a piece of fluff, but they carry on regardless, and that’s what makes it brilliant.

The solid bass drum beat, and exciting percussion effects (listen out for the triangle), are the track’s bedrock. Twangs of groovy disco guitar converse with the bass in the verses and join with it for the choruses, which revolve around a rabble-rousing call and response. Syncopated pulsing synths add urgency.

If you are two minutes into the song, and woefully unmoved, the middle eight will change your tune. Synth effects swirl round your eardrums as the sound is stripped back, exposing the vocal line. Then instrument upon instrument is brought back into the mix to propel the song to its thrilling climax, which is darker, yet faintly ABBA-esque, sprinkled liberally with flurrying string passages.

I think it’s pretty obvious that I like Noisettes’ new sound. It’s more accessible than their earlier work yet remains intelligent and idiosyncratic. A change for the better, in my opinion.