On Christmas day, Bearded are delighted to announce that our new issue will be out on 29 January, available from over 1,000 stores across the UK, including independent record stores, WHSmith, Borders and newsagents. To celebrate, we’re also giving all Bearded readers a free album to download, showcasing some of the tracks released through Beardaid since its launch in July 2008.

Coming atcha like Cleopatra after two vodka tonics and half a white wine spritzer, Singles Slaughter rears its noble head once again to sort the best from the rest with such verve, guile and unerring discernment that it leaves lesser efforts quaking fearfully in tepid puddles of their own mediocrity.

Melbourne-hailing but entirely lacking the often outlandish and brash reputation that may precede our Aussie cousins, the entire ethos surrounding The Lucksmiths seems to base itself around a simplistic, wholesome sound that, despite its title First Frost, provides nothing but a warm and fuzzy feeling.

Singer-songwriter and modern-day troubadour M. Ward has announced plans to hit the road this winter and bring audiences on both sides of the Atlantic tracks from his highly-anticipated release, Hold Time(February 16, 4AD).

This is some seriously strong medicine. Matt Elliott, former member of avant-garde Bristolian breakbeat crew Third Eye Foundation, continues his solo trip into the emotional abyss with the appropriately titled Howling Songs.

Papier Tigre are a band with drive. A trio of French indie punk-rockers, their sound is clean and sure and gloriously loud. New album The Beginning and End of Now is just the stuff to wake you up in the morning.

Charidee compilation alert! A host of top indie stars are helping launch a competition to find the perfect music compilation for walking to work.

In a twist worthy of Agatha Christie, the indie landscape will once again quiver under the primal force of the mighty Jesus Lizard, who are returning in 2009 with an armful of reissues and the original lineup all present and correct.

Though now based in Brighton, Jean-Emmanuel Krieger - aka Baikonour - hails from Versailles, and his second album stands in comparison with Air, the other Gallic electronica outfit from those parts. Unfortunately, those comparisons start well then let themselves go.

Having boldly stood astride the UK indie scene for over a decade, the Fortuna Pop label is founded on an ethos of firing off releases as eclectic as they are consistently fantastic, bringing a collection of its finest moments together on this compilation to hammer the point home, each and every track bedroom-brewed for that extra-indie-earnestness.

Whilst the rest of the music industry protests art whilst relentlessly pursuing commerce, it’s nice to see a label doin’ it simply for the love. And what’s more, getting it right many, many more times than they get it wrong. To all those at and on Fortuna: shine on you crazy diamonds.