Acolyte Chimeric ***

There's an audacious, likable bounce to Manchester band Delphic's debut album.

While there are overt hat-tips and head-nods to fellow new-school indie-dance travellers (and you can also draw a line between this and fellow Mancs New Order), Acolytestops short of becoming just a rehash or rerun of that Bloc-Party-by-way-of- Friendly-Fires sound. While you can attribute this in part to the production nous of Ewan Pearson, Delphic's real mettle is in how they develop and then maintain their focus. Blending glacial guitar lines, dramatic synths, lush big-room atmospherics and oodles of pretty harmonies, Delphic create oceans of sound that rave as well as rock. From the motorway-friendly drive and oomph of the title track and Counterpointto the menacing, anthemic drag of Clarion Call, Delphic have already produced several moments of sparkle. www.myspace.com/delphic

Download tracks: Counterpoint, Acolyte