It started with Lily Allen, who I've loved since LDN (rhyming 'alfresco' with 'Tesco' had me from the start). I bought her first album and played it to death. When her second came out earlier this year, I bought it as soon as it was released (sadly, a bit of a rarity for me these days).

It had on it an absolute treasure of a song, called Who'd've Known.
It hasn't been released, so I can only find this dodgy video, but it is just so beautiful. I particularly adore the delivery of the line at 1.38, the way you can actually hear her break into a bashful but delighted smile as she sings it. There is just something about the mundanity mixed in with the love's young dream sentiment that just makes me beam everytime I hear it. (Oh and whether you like Lily Allen or not, this version of Chinese by a children's choir is bloody brilliant).

Then just recently I discovered Kate Nash. You may have heard 'Foundations' which is a great song. It has another fabulous line: You said I must eat so many lemons, / 'cause I am so bitter, which made her appeal to me straight away. Now I've listened to the whole album a few times, her ability to transform mundane into meaningful is truly brilliant, plus she really does have a gorgeous voice.

But my favourite song by a mile, and the one which has been stuck in my head for days, is called Birds. Sorry for the crappy video again - it also hasn't been released as a single. The change of tempo at 0.33 where she says 'again' as a sort of afterthought is fab. And the string-of-consciousness verse at 1.19 is really sweet but also such a typical conversation I overhear teenagers having on the train. Love it.