The Barometer: Coldplay; Girls; Sun Airway; Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses; Twin Shadow; Neon Indian; Drake ft Alicia Keys; Bob Dylan

What's hot on our playlist

Coldplay

Christmas Lights

Hating Coldplay is so 2007. Sure they're playing it safe, but the festive warmth of this comeback single is not without charm.

Girls

Heartbreaker

Interesting change of direction for Girls. This is more Pulp/Supergrass ballad than snotty, lo-fi rock'n'roll.

Sun Airway

Oh, Naoko (Acoustic Version)

This debut single is an upbeat, Coldplay-esque track inspired by John and Yoko's relationship.

Ryan Bingham & the Dead Horses

Depression

Grizzled, rootsy rock'n'roll – like The Band covered by Bryan Adams. Lyrically naïve but with a timeless spirit.

Twin Shadow

Slow

With its achingly hip slow-mo video and George Lewis Jr's Morrissey-esque croon, this is a total Smiths rip-off. Great song nevertheless.

Neon Indian

Mind Drips

You'll love or hate the production – loud bass and barely-there vocals but a great pop song lies beneath the chaos.

Drake ft Alicia Keys

Fireworks (Deadboy Slo Mo House edit)

Subtly done, this fantastic remix still relies on Keys's delicate piano and "chipmunked" melodies.

Bob Dylan

I'll Be Home For Christmas

The 'Christmas in the Heart' album saw Dylan, disillusion fans (again) who thought they'd finally got to know him. Managing to make the refrain sound more like a threat than a declaration of love, this song is drunken, curmudgeonly and well-fed.