EOIN BUTLER's guide to singles, downloads and free audiostreams

Florence & The Machine

Hurricane Drunk Island ****

Women rule the roost in pop in 2010. For the average male music fan, this reversal of fortune takes a bit of getting used to. Whereas once the charts teemed with odes to, say, cocaine-fuelled sex romps with supermodels on board luxury yachts, today's playlists are dominated by tracks – like this sixth single from Florence Welsh's Lungs album – that, frankly, say nothing to me about my life. Well, plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose, I suppose.

Ellie Goulding

Starry Eyed Polydor **

A month after picking up the Critics Choice Awards at the Brits, and only a week after her debut album hit the shops, 23-year-old Ellie Goulding is experiencing a pretty sizeable media backlash. So is the much- hyped femtronica wünderkind really just Dido with better beats? On this evidence, yes.

Alicia Keys

Empire State of Mind (Part II) Broken Down J Records ***

Part IIis essentially the hook from Part Irepeated endlessly, with Jay Z's contribution erased. In a recent interview with Blendermagazine, Keys outed herself as a committed anarchist. Incidentally, Empire State of Mindis distributed by that well known Mom Pop pottery collective, Sony Music.

Goldfrapp

Rocket Mute Records ***

The lead single from the forthcoming Head Firstalbum is so unashamedly cheesy and 1980s-influenced, one could easily imagine Chevy Chase's Clark Griswold cranking it up on the car radio and singing along. I'm not quite sure if that's a recommendation or not. Probably not.

Juile Feeney

One More Tune Mittens ****

The title, of course, is what thousands of pilled-up clubbers around the country end their nights out chanting at unfortunate DJs. What's highly unlikely is that many of them will have this cut from Julie Feeney's Choice- nominated Pagesalbum in mind. And that, most definitely, is a recommendation!