His passport name is Alan Wilkes, but for many years Vinny Peculiar – songwriter, sometime poet and all-round racy raconteur – has stalked the haunts of the great and good in search of the missing link between Jarvis Cocker and poet Roger McGough. You could say that Peculiar is as peculiar does, and what we have here is a collection of some of the Manchester man's finest songs. Blending the lo-fi/DIY approach of punk rock with quality songwriting and some of the wittiest lyrics this side of Wreckless Eric, Peculiar might be viewed (incorrectly) in some quarters as a long-haired relic of a different era. But if you're looking for the kind of observational songwriting skills you thought disappeared with the demise of Pulp (or, indeed, The Auteurs), then The Root Mull Affect is a brilliant point of entry.

Download: Jesus Stole My Girlfriend, Flatter and Deceive,
Everlasting Teenage Bedroom