Refreshingly straightforward and uplifting pop from three former members of the now-defunct Beta Band, namely John Maclean, Robin Jones and  Gordon Anderson. You’ll hear echoes of The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Beatles and many others, but The Aliens take their influences and twist them into fun new shapes. On the surface they’re not as innovative as the mighty Beta Band from which they emerged, but repeat listens reveal that this is about as intelligent as British pop gets. Available for just £8.98 from Amazon.