Various - Nobody's Business (Candy Twist Records)

Remember those Beechwood Indie Top 20 compilations the provincials (like me) used to devour? I often wish those things were around these days to show the world that there's a whole layer of beautiful music being made by people whose sole aim isn't to appear as the soundtrack to a car advert.

Oh, hang on... what's this?

'Nobody's Business' has been compiled by one-man DIY-dynamo Dennis Greeuw, who puts out the excellent Candy Twist fanzine, amongst other things. Over its 12 tracks this album just about covers all that is good in pop music today - right there is one easily-digestible package, just how those kids we hear so much about like it.

It starts with the frankly remarkable Fireworks, whose latest effortless masterpiece is 'I Wish You'd Go'. I've rattled on long enough about The Fireworks on here, but they don't half make the essential sound easy. They're just incredibly cool.

Cave Ghosts relate the glacial pain of 'Mistakes', before The Hobbes Fanclub throw in a prime piece of Sarah jangle with 'Baby It's You'. Liechtenstein come out of the woodwork with the post-punk funk of 'The Map', which also sounds like mid-period Siouxsie and the Banshees, and is therefore (of course) wonderful.

The Felt Tips chuck in a demo version of 'Going Natural' and it tips most other songs release this year into the bin, whilst Lost Tapes' 'All I Miss' is all Field Mice melancholy and shoegaze harmonies and perhaps just about steals the show.

Oh, look, here's Horowitz with the spitting, snarling live favourite 'That's Deceit', which bodes well for their forthcoming album, which, along with the September Girls record, is the one I'm looking forward to most.

Last up is Young Romance, who dispel all fears that they've lost their innate beauty with the drop-dead wonderful 'Twenty-five'. Remember, comrades: just two people make this noise. It's truly remarkable.

'Nobody's Business' is a fantastic snapshot of underground pop music at its height. Whilst some may look back at the mid-late 80s as a time when indiepop reached its zenith, history will one day show us that, as those old fuddy-duddies in Airport Girl once said, these times are good times. Make them yours and someone else's by buying this record.