Also among the artists selected are The Chapters, whose 'Four Thorns' EP was accorded a rave review in this issue of Hot Press [view photos from Tower Records instore here] , Paul Casey, who supported Chris Rea on his recent tour, and wrote a tour diary for Hot Press on the event and Shelley – who has just signed a new management deal with Madonna's management company.

The programme, in which students of the Tisch School for the Performing Arts at NYU make the videos as part of their course, is now in its fourth year and among the acts that have benefitted in the past are The Blizzards, whose debut album raced to No.4 in the Irish charts this week; The Immediate, whose recent In Towers And Clouds is among the most acclaimed new Irish albums of the past five years; and Julie Feeney, whose superb 13 Songs has won her a deal with Sony Music, in the UK.

The full list of 13 artists chosen for the winter round is a hugely eclectic mix of established, new, indie, roots and pop. It reads as follows, in alphabetical order:

Beautiful Unit 
The Butterfly Explosion
Paul Casey
The Chapters
Bill Coleman
The Frank and Walters
The Jades 
David Kitt
Royseven
Shelley
The Spikes
The Twin Elect
The Walls

"You only have to glance at the list to get a sense of the quality of the submissions we received," Hot Press editor Niall Stokes says. "It's a delicate process, matching the artists to the directors, but on this occasion, the mix of really high quality established names and invigorating new talent is just about perfect. Knowing just how good the videos have been in the past, I'm really looking forward to this year's crop."

"The standard of the music submitted was higher than ever this time around," Suzanne Bach of Tisch School of the Performing Arts adds. "We're really pleased that the students have got such wonderful raw material, and such a strong selection of artists, to work with. The enthusiasm is running high, and I think that will translate into some really exciting work."

The completed videos will be unveiled at a special screening in December.

The Hot Press Newsdesk