We didn't get chance to do a proper review of Melody's Echo Chamber's debut album last month, so today's advent calendar post aims to put that right with a sneak preview of a couple of the tracks.
First up is the charmingly ambient You Won't Be Missing That Part Of Me, a song that sounds very simple at first listen, but which is deceptively complex in its internal structure.
Second we have I Follow You, published to YouTube earlier this year and already popular with many fans of female-led vocal-centric music.
And if you want to hear more from Melody's Echo Chamber, and singer-songwriter Melody Prochet, you can still get the album on iTunes.
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Don't mourn the passing of the awesomely named Dananananaykroyd - celebrate their new incarnation as Alarm Bells.
OK, the name might not be so good, but that's not really the important part, cos it's all about the music, right?
Today's advent calendar entry is new track Cocoons, the lead track from Alarm Bells' debut EP Part One.
Cocoons is the kind of song that will help you wake up in the morning, even if you forgot to have a cup of coffee - and will annoy all hell out of the rest of the passengers on your morning commute, if you forgot your headphones.
As for the video, well that strikes me as a cross between American Psycho and the computer graphics used in the 1980s children's TV show Knightmare. Big tick in the 'approve' box from me on both counts.
You can pre-order Part One now via the Bandcamp widget below, for delivery on December 20th.
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If you're having a lazy lie-in this morning, your peace is about to be shattered by Epic Myth, the last single from Pulled Apart By Horses' album Tough Love.
The video comes ahead of the release of a deluxe edition of Tough Love on Monday, and it's a proper story of hard rock.
Guitarist James Brown explains: "The video idea for Epic Myth seemed a great way to celebrate Tough Love and the final single from it - even if we all did have the worst collective hangover ever after! Happy Christmas everyone!"
Get more from Pulled Apart By Horses via the iTunes link below - and look out for the deluxe edition of Tough Love from Monday December 10th.
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Today's Advent Calendar post is a good one - Ultan Sherry's instant classic Let The Snowflakes Fall.
Ultan has Asperger's Syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum that can make it difficult for some people to express themselves in the usual ways.
However, in Ultan's case, there seem to be no such difficulties, as the second video below reveals.
The media studies student at NUI Maynooth is pursuing his dream of releasing a Christmas number one, and has caught the public's collective conscience with Let The Snowflakes Fall.
Now, let's be clear - we're not saying this is the greatest song of all time. But most good Christmas songs are a bit cheesy, right?
Let The Snowflakes Fall has more than a little in common with some of the more recent Christmas songs that the nation has taken to its heart - such as 2003's Christmas Time (Don't Let the Bells End) by The Darkness, or Peter Kay's Once Upon a Christmas Song, released in the guise of Geraldine McQueen in 2008.
It also has some of the most unintentionally hilarious lyrics ever penned, including the instantly infamous line "when that fine morning comes, get out the Christmas plums" (skip to 2:39 above for that gem).
But we're not laughing at Ultan - we're smiling with him. This is an unashamedly upbeat song in the true Christmas spirit, and I for one will always support that.
It's also a man in pursuit of his dream, which makes it a worthy contender not just as a 'Rage Against the Machine' style alternative to The X Factor (that's, like, so 2009), but as a worthy Christmas number one in its own right.
Ultan, good luck from us - we hope you get the top spot when that fine morning comes.
Help to let the snowflakes fall on Ultan's Christmas wish by buying his track from iTunes (click the button below), and make a little Christmas magic happen in 2012.
You can keep up to date with our Advent Calendar posts via RSS here.
Published on YouTube today by Paramount, the trailer for the upcoming Star Trek sequel Into Darkness hints at more of the same from J.J. Abrams - including an intelligent recognition of the science of Star Trek and a nod to the franchise's best-loved storylines.
This time out, it's Wrath of Khan that gets a reinterpretation, the storyline that turned Star Trek's fortunes around following a fairly muted reception for The Motion Picture.
Now Star Trek's place in history is already assured, does that mean expectations are higher? Possibly. But then, so are the budgets and the visual effects capabilities.
The team seem to be pushing the 'darkness' angle on this one - the music's about as ominous as it gets, the Benedict Cumberbatch voiceover puts Khan very much in control, and the title seems to be styled as the somewhat shouty STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS by Paramount.
But this is a different cinema-going public than it was a generation or two ago, and a trundle through space on a mission of scientific exploration perhaps wouldn't cut it (and definitely wouldn't suit Abrams' style of film-making).
I've always been more of a Trekker than a Star Wars fan, and while Star Trek earned a certain amount of criticism for compromising on certain aspects of science, I thought it did a decent job (and yes, I have studied thermodynamics and astrophysics, so I like to think I have the necessary awareness...).
The criticism so far here is that the last shots from the trailer might give a little too much away - but again, I'm not worried. If I had to guess, I'd expect that shot comes from early in the film - the set-up rather than the finale - but even if that is the broken remains of the Enterprise splashing down, well, they'll probably build another one - there are plenty of letters left in the alphabet.
You can keep up to date with our Advent Calendar posts via RSS here.
A personal favourite finally get their first mention on Popsiculture, as David Cronenberg's Wife's 'Spiked' is today's advent calendar post.
David Cronenberg's Wife are a fine example of making good music, rather than lots of music - their first album Bluebeard's Rooms was released in 2008, with follow-up Hypnagogues coming in November 2009.
Don't Wait To Be Hunted To Hide, their third album, has taken three years to appear, but finally went on sale at the end of November.
Spiked is typical DCW - energetic and entertaining, with a darkness that reveals itself if you pay close attention to the lyrics.
It's a unique balance of covering challenging topics, without becoming depressing, and it's a style David Cronenberg's Wife have had spot-on since their earliest days.
If you've never heard Hypnagogues in particular, I'd highly recommend downloading a track or two and familiarising yourself with this much under-rated group.
You can keep up to date with our Advent Calendar posts via RSS here.
Slight technical problems with the SoundCloud server have delayed today's advent calendar post, but here better late than never is Tina Weymouth, the upcoming single from This Many Boyfriends.
You may have seen them mentioned on Popsiculture a couple of times in 2012 - back in February, and again in May, when Starling and (I Should Be A) Communist were released.
Tina Weymouth continues the trend of tracks that wouldn't sound out of place alongside New Order or The Smiths, and I continue to say that's no bad thing in my opinion.
You might have heard Tina Weymouth already, but it's worth another listen ahead of its release as a single in its own right.
It's due out officially on January 21st 2013, ahead of a nine-date mini-tour by This Many Boyfriends which lasts through late January, February and early March.
You can keep up to date with our Advent Calendar posts via RSS here.
Sinkane's new album Mars is due out on December 17th, but we've got a preview of Runnin' for you below.
Today's Advent Calendar post pulls no punches, with a particularly timely video of street violence and martial law, but it's a worthy addition to our December line-up with a free download of the track available via the SoundCloud player below.
Look out for a full album review closer to the 17th, and more track previews to come too as Mars nears its release date.
You can keep up to date with our Advent Calendar posts via RSS here.
Our second Advent Calendar post is Eugene McGuinness's Sugarplum, due out on December 10th, but here for you to preview below.
It's a punchy track with good development and, according to several commenters so far, a particularly good ending.
We'll let you decide what you think of it...
I'm in two minds on this one; I certainly don't think it's a bad song, and I love the punchy backing music and the catchy chorus.
There's just something in the verses that doesn't quite do it for me - although not to such an extent that I haven't listened to it quite a few times already.
Weirdly, I also find Sugarplum strangely reminiscent of Walk Like A Panther by All Seeing I (with vocals by Tony Christie). Obviously it's an up-to-date and much younger equivalent... or perhaps it's my imagination.
Anyway, make up your own mind - and you can find Sugarplum on iTunes via the button below.
You can keep up to date with our Advent Calendar posts via RSS here.
The award-winning (not really) Popsiculture Advent Calendar is BACK and this year we're kicking off with newcomers Among Brothers, whose 7" single I Am Certain was released on November 26th.
You can see the video below, and catch Among Brothers TONIGHT at The Chameleon in Nottingham, or tomorrow at The Croft in Bristol.
Your last chance to see them live on their current mini-tour of the UK is at London's Assembly Hall, Islington, supporting Los Campesinos! on December 15th.
I Am Certain is a musical and visual oddity, slightly unsettling in a Nick Cave or Smashing Pumpkins kind of a way, and with a couple of definite similarities to some of Smashing Pumpkins' more melancholy works, particularly in its opening.
But it's very much its own song, albeit an unusual song, and that personality is likely to attract a fair few fans to this track.
