New band of the day: February 2011 playlist

There is an argument that every year contains roughly the same amount of great music. We're not so sure. We're not saying 2010 was a 1966 or a 1977-style term, but there did seem to be an inordinate number of brilliant records knocking around. The good news is that 2011 is hardly looking anticlimactic. It's too early to foresee any shape to the year, and it's unclear what changes our much-loved chillwave/drag/witch house favourites will undergo over the next few months (although if Balam Acab's celestial Dream Out is any measure, we can't wait to find out) – so for now let's just celebrate the sheer variety out there. As ever, our monthly roundup of the best music by the best New band of the day artists includes acts from the last few weeks, as well as a few from further back who happen to have released stuff this or last month – hence the inclusion of Brit rapper Lady Chann and How to Dress Well. Elsewhere there's G-Side's quiet-storm rap, D/R/U/G/S's ambient-trance and Two Wounded Birds' dark high-school hop pop. Therapies Son is a one-man Flaming Lips, Keep Shelly in Athens offer gorgeously sad girl-pop from Greece while Hayvanlar Alemi bring Television-ary psych-rock guitars all the way from Turkey. And Jensen Sportag's Mapquest is a sublime hipster take on 80s Essex-boy jazz-funk from the least Nashville band in history. Finally, there's Indian-Panamanian Londoner RKO with his Gaga-ishly infectious robo-pop, Star Slinger (aka the Manc J Dilla) doing fabulously strange things to 70s soul, Hiss Golden Messenger's croony acoustic meditation on that same era's west coast MOR rock, Jessica Lea Mayfield coming on like a noir Taylor Swift, and Nathaniel Rateliff, who puts the dour into troubadour. Enjoy! Guardian New Band Of The Day February 2011 February's NBOTD tracklisting Lady Chann – Treble to Your Bass G-Side ft Chris Lee – Nat Geo D/R/U/G/S – Love/Lust Therapies Son – Yellow Mama Keep Shelly in Athens – Hauntin' Me Two Wounded Birds – My Lonesome Jensen Sportag – Mapquest Beat Connection – Silver Screen RKO – The Payback Hiss Golden Messenger – O Nathaniel Hayvanlar Alemi – Welcome to Sunny Australia Swimming – Team Jetstream Nathaniel Rateliff – Shroud Jessica Lea Mayfield – Our Hearts Are Wrong Marthas and Arthurs – Clamour For A Fudge Star Slinger – Punch Drunk Love How To Dress Well – Decisions Balam Acab – Dream Out The Shoes – Wastin' Time