Having tried, and mostly failed in keeping up to date with interesting new things here on Songs Heard on Fast Trains, I more than anyone appreciate how the mundane churn of day-to-day life can get in the way of doing creative, interesting or rewarding things. I also know all too well how there is always something out there to steal your attention and lure you into doing far more pointless things - isn't that what the internet was invented for after all? So today's selections are from two bands who have disappeared for quite a while but are now back with a vengeance. I'm not suggesting they've been playing dodgy Facebook games or laughing at pictures of cats wearing bread during this time. They've just taken a while to get these releases out into the world. If there is a common theme, it's perhaps that these two new singles reveal bands who have changed and developed - let alone grown in membership - during their absence.

The State Broadcasters - Trespassers

Some bands seem to have been a part of the furniture for so long that you sort of forget to hear them. That sounds a bit glib I know, but having had the privilege of being bombarded with new music these past couple of years there are bound to be bands which fall by the wayside. But if fate deals the right card, you'll encounter them later and have one of those forehead-slapping moments where you wonder why you weren't listening earlier. The State Broadcasters caused me just such a moment, and the reason they've sprung to mind now is their addition to the ever eclectic roster of Olive Grove Records who continue to judge the timing perfectly with their slow and steady release of new Scottish music. Having arrived on the scene during my period of musical disillusionment, there is some catching up to do as The State Broadcasters already have pedigree - a single and album on Electric Honey, some high profile support slots and an award at Celtic Connections not least among their achievements.

Emerging as a taste of a forthcoming second album, "Trespassers" is a curiously formal waltz, sparse at its outset with Graeme Black's melancholy voice and a piano doing all the work. As the narrative unwinds, the benefits of being a six-piece band of multi-instrumentalists become apparent with a reassuringly solid double-bass marking time, while dashes of piano and ukulele adorn the track. The lyric is a tale of disassociation and longing, which builds to a chorus drenched in chiming guitars and dramatic key changes. The highlight for me is the entrance of the lush, beautifully arranged strings which carry the song away to new heights. Overall, there is an atmosphere of regret and heart-aching sadness, but those uplifting strings bring things back from the brink. In an era when everyone is suddenly a folk musician, this is unashamedly heart-on-sleeve pop music which misappropriates all the wistful, dark honesty from that contested - and somewhat devalued - genre. Make no mistake, The State Broadcasters are coming after your heartstrings with this stuff - and they won't rest until they've seen grown men cry.

"Trespassers" will be available as a free download on 11th June, in anticipation of The State Broadcasters second album "Ghosts We Must Carry" which will arrive in September. The band play The Captains Rest in Glasgow on 14th June with Randolph's Leap as part of the West End Festival. You can find their debut album "The Ship and The Iceberg" on iTunes.

Jesus H. Foxx - So Much Water

Whilst Jesus H. Foxx might seem a world away in terms of sound and approach, there are some remarkable similarities with The State Broadcasters. Also emerging from a host of other bands in the heady years at the end of the last decade, where the internet was making all kinds of things possible for small bands, they too have left a big gap between releases. They've left a huge hole in the Edinburgh music scene too during this time, because as I've remarked elsewhere, there just haven't been good guitar bands coming through at all in the last few years. A ramshackle, delightfully messy single "Tightt Ideas" preceded an EP in 2009. Since then, Jesus H. Foxx have officially been recording their debut album for Song, By Toad. This process has become one of those legendarily protracted experiences, up there with My Bloody Valentine and The Beach Boys - and for a long time we've had to be content with the assurance that "it'll be ready soon..."

Well, the album is here - and it's purely down to my laziness and lack of organisation that it hasn't had a full, over-wordy exposition here on this site. I might yet get around to it if real life gives me the time and the space. For now though "So Much Water" - a free single available for immediate download - captures the spirit of the record perfectly. Declaring it's intentions early with a glorious splash of colourful, ringing guitars, the song settles into a pensive and jittery rhythm. It's almost obligatory to reference Pavement when writing about Jesus H. Foxx but to be honest, the similarity - at least here - starts and ends with Michael Hunter's downbeat drawl and the phrasing of the vocals. A sudden explosion of competing voices and chiming guitar lines heralds a chorus which explodes again and again throughout the remainder of the song. This has much more in common with the familiar British indie-pop sounds of the last couple of decades than anything from across the pond. The band - numbering seven at full strength - uses it's multiple vocalists to excellent effect here, with chorus of backing voices appearing to support the long, blissfully jangling outro. There is a sunny, upbeat quality to "So Much Water" which is tempered by the laconic vocals and near-defeated lyrics. While elsewhere on their album you'll find strings, brass and all manner of rather wonderful cleverness this is the band at their simplest and most direct. Somehow Jesus H. Foxx manage to fuse together that scratchy, punky sense of urgency with lush summery guitar pop in ways which very few bands seem interested in attempting now. The fact that there is now a whole album of this awaiting your listening pleasure is something to be very happy about indeed.

You can download "So Much Water" right now, for absolutely nothing from Song, By Toad Records where the album "Endless Knocking" can be purchased too, and comes highly recommended. News of a launch event will follow at some point we are assured, but once you live in the world of Jesus H. Foxx you learn that the anticipation is all part of the fun.

With the major operator's Summer programmes out, it looks like a rather lean season for the traditional enthusiast railtour. Aside from the open days and galas which seem to be springing up, it's going to be a case of making your own entertainment it seems. So today, despite a nagging toothache which necessitated serious medication, I dusted off my plan to cover as much light rail track as possible during the year, and headed for Nottingham. As ever, took a roundabout route travelling first up to London. A nice, quiet ride up on the direct train from Highbridge, too early to be bothered by FA Cup Final crowds. The Circle Line was predictably sluggish in getting us to St Pancras International, and this meant only time for a cursory glance at the station. This was my first departure from the refurbished shed, and as on my first walking visit a couple of months ago, it didn't fail to impress. Found the statue of Sir John Betjeman too, staring in awe at the roof right at the front of the concourse where the entrance used to be.

Onto a busy Meridian unit for Nottingham. Managed to get an excellent fare for this, possibly due to passengers flagging this for the next, faster service. No particular concern for us, as we sped along the Midland Mainline, now under the auspices of East Midlands Trains. A timely, easy run. Recalled at Bedford that I'd been here before with a serious toothache, and that I was heading for Nottingham that time too. Arrived at a fairly busy Nottingham station and headed for the NET platforms at Station Street. The plan was to cover the network in a few moves, and then seek refreshment. Surprised at first by the clean and tidy look of the stops and the trams.

First onto a Hucknall tram, winding through the city centre and needing to readjust my bearings as we encountered familiar places from different angles! Impressive but sad to see the viaduct crumbling away at Weekday Cross, signalling a bygone age of railway. The tram pressed on into the suburbs, curving sharply to descend alongside the Robin Hood line to Mansfield and Worksop. We gathered speed here and soon arrived at the shared tram/rail station at Hucknall. A swift change of ends in order to double back to David Lane, a rather quiet stop with nothing nearby. However, this enabled us to take the next branch train to Phoenix Park using the alignment of a former freight-only branch to access the Park and Ride stop. Another change of ends, and a chance to note the surprising gradients on the branch as we headed back towards the city. Also figured that as there were two trams in the depot, we'd managed to see the entire fleet in our brief visit!

Hopped off at Old Market Square, an early memory of Nottigham for me, and headed away from the shoppers and towards the castle. My target was of course Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem. An absolutely must-visit pub didn't disappoint with it's signature beer still very good despite a change of brewery. Then a wander back to the station, with a chance to watch a freight pass and have a bite to eat before heading back to Derby. Lots of interesting things lurking at the RTC, including the not-yet-ready for traffic 56311 belonging to Fastline. Interesting to hear a couple of passengers beside us heading from Bristol conversing about Highbridge pubs, and indeed my local on the journey back! Despite the toothache, a good day out with plenty of interest. I remain really impressed with the tram system in Nottingham, and it will be interesting to see it develop and grow.

Spent much of today with our software supplier, looking at the new features which will enable us to coordinate school admissions with other Local Education Authorities. In fact, today was pretty successful - achieved more than we'd hoped, and actually got the bare bones of a Primary Offer Scheme working which reflects our policy, doesn't mess with Voluntary Aided schools, and produces the expected results when things are oversubscribed. Felt good to see it working after much talking about it in the past! Need to work out how to manually enter the ranking for the VA offers now, then on to the slightly more complicated Secondary School scheme. We also need to test it with something a little more substantial than the contrived little situation we set up today, but indications are that we are on the right track.

I've also hopefully also secured a day off in the week to use the last day of my Wessex Rover, but I'm loathe to commit that to print, as nothing is certain yet.

After work, met a friend for a pleasant drink and some catching up. I think for me in my rather insular little life, its easy to forget how important people are. Felt really good to talk about all kinds of random things. Was also able to share some tentative good news on my nephew too, who seems to be making excellent progress, and may even be home later this week! My sister sends regular and welcome SMS messages with weight gains, milestones passed. He's made such incredible progress in such a short time. Inspiring stuff.

Pleasant walk home in the evening sunshine afterwards too. A good day, all in all.

Busy day - started hacking on gwvedit on the (heavily delayed) train to work. Managed to get it saving files reasonably sensible, and generating relatively useful feedback on doing so. Needs some polish and usability tweaks however. Spent some time on Advogato looking at new entries and pretty much applying telsa's rules for certifying - even noticed a local!