M Craft

Letter from Oz: The letterl M has had a patchy enough pop history. There's M, the one-hit-wonders behind the 1979 chart-topper Pop Muzik. There's Boney M, who had no shortage of hits in the 1970s. And then there's M People, who were basically Boney M for the acid-jazz generation. Since then, we've had to content ourselves with US indie-guy

M Ward. Now here's an Aussie singer- songwriter who's determined to restore the 13th letter of the alphabet to pop glory. After many years in the pop wilderness, broke and doing various menial jobs in London, M Craft has finally finished his debut album, and is ready to show the world why he's been hailed as a "major new talent" and "one of the most distinctive voices in songwriting in the 21st century" by the UK press.

Sidewinder sleeps: Martin Craft grew up in Canberra, Australia and formed his first band (Sidewinder) in 1991 with his brother Nick. Their family had moved to Australia from London in the 1970s, and the brothers were obsessed with English indie bands such as Ride and My Bloody Valentine. Their spaced-out shoegazing sound got them a deal with Half a Cow records, and Sidewinder released their first EP when Martin was just 15. The next eight years were a rock'n'roll whirlwind, as Sidewinder toured incessantly, released a number of well-received records, and generally became indie legends down under. By 1999, however, the band were experiencing classic burnout syndrome, and quietly fell apart before finishing their third album.

Basement traipse: After Sidewinder's break-up, the Craft brothers moved to London, where Nick formed a new band, Zillions. Meanwhile, Martin, broke and frustrated after a couple of failed attempts at solo stardom, put his rock dreams on the shelf and began working a succession of jobs in bars and cafes. Things went from bad to worse when he was electrocuted by a faulty amp, leaving him unable to play guitar for a time. Eventually, though, Martin's long- promised debut solo album began to take shape in a basement studio owned by his friend Daniel Lea. While Lea's flatmates were out, he and Daniel would set up their gear and record such tracks as You Are the Music, Dragonfly and Got Nobody Waiting for Me. Martin wrote, produced and played most of the instruments, with help from drummer Paul Cook and backing vocalists Tree Carr, Sarah Cartwright and Maya Lubinsky.

Velvets revolver: Silver & Fire is out now on 679 Records, and could well fulfil the promise Craft showed on his 2004 EP, I Can See It All Tonight. The hushed tones of the album have earned him comparisons to Elliot Smith and Jose Gonzalez, with some of the more upbeat tracks being compared to The Beatles backing Lou Reed.