For your entertainment during another working week here's five more hand-picked delights from the Scruff Of The Neck stable.

False Heads – ‘Thick Skin’

Kicking off this week, London-based snot poppers False Heads return with their newest single ‘Thick Skin’. Woozy in its delivery and clattering in its composition, it’s yet another reason to sit up and take note of one of East London’s fastest rising bands. When Iggy Pop is championing an act, you know they’re on to a good thing.

Rock Bottom Risers – ‘Legal In A Week (or maybe two)’

Released just over a week ago, the new single from West Yorkshire reprobates Rock Bottom Risers is built around stoned, propulsive grooves that come courtesy of perfectly matched bass and percussion. The idiosyncratic drawl of vocalist Kane Scott is a steadfast as ever, providing more than enough bite and grit to offset an effortless rhythm section.

The Claremonts – ‘Money’

Drawing from a wealth of decade-spanning indie, Manchester’s The Claremont’s belie their young years through their deft musicality and on-stage chemistry. Latest cut ‘Money’ is steeped in jangle-pop tradition, falling somewhere in between The La’s and The Stone Roses at their prettiest, it’s simple and melodic, allowing the band’s promise to shine through.

RINSE – ‘Taser Party’

Spiky guitars and a chunky bass line form the backbone of ‘Taser Party’ the most recent single from Stoke alt-rockers RINSE. Frenetic and atmospheric, it’s a natural progression from the band’s last outing, ‘Not Too Late’. Building on the brooding atmosphere of the aforementioned, ‘Taser Party’ feels both subdued, and somewhat more driven in comparison, 

Bright Young People – ‘Solitude’

Following False Heads as the second band on the list signed to 25 Hour Convenience Store, Rhyl’s Bright Young People relish in their own sleazy brand of indie rock. ‘Solitude’ is the band’s first single for the label and is three minutes of blistering swagger and snarl that’s impossible to ignore.

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks, most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the Week: ‘To Be Free’ Tim Zawada edit

Love that on-the-low-down Chicago bass that this one starts off with, like we’re riding the inner city streets ready for whatever the night brings. Then, the jazz saxophones, which come in after a bass and percussion combo laying down the rhythm. That combination comes back, before ditching the percussion and returning to the sounds that it all started out with. Then, at 1:45, the vocals, singing that We are the one, and that, yes, We’re going far. Then, the clear singular male voice, singing We gotta get away from here, before the bass lets us flow down the river that takes us once more. This time, after the three minute mark, the bass gets the guitar and the saxophone to go along, before diving into the hazy vocals again, thinking about flying away before there’s a little growl in the male voice, insisting they’re going to spread their wings. I mean, that bass, by golly, it’s so sexy, and then with all the helping elements like the sax, guitar, percussion, and then with the vocals coming in time and again; a lovely rhythm piece to get it on to here.

‘VV Violence’ by Jessy Lanza

Jessy Lanza starts this off with some sass, saying that she May say it to your face, but it doesn’t mean a thing (just so you know, hon). She keeps up with the rhythmic vocals, singing that You don’t even talk to me, this all the while there’s some quick firing percussion going on helped out by, around the 45 second mark, a deep, bass like thing. At the minute mark the thing moves to the electro-pop side of it all, upping the tempo, going up a pitch in the vocals, and doing the thing you can dance to before dialling it back with the slow bass sound. Later in the track there is a more dance interlude, where the focus moves to rhythm and beats, though later on the vocals do make their entry again. It is a nice combination of pop, more experimental electro, and dance, giving it an edgy but catchy feel that fits the Jeremy Greenspan produced album that she put out.

‘Beau Sovereign’ by Leon Vynehall

Leon Vynehall has someone whispering in our ear about Our love, which clearly is doing something or another to this person. In the mean time the percussion and, a bit later, the actual beat come in there, kicking this deep house tune by Mr. Vynehall into gear. Then we also get the synth in, providing us with some of that house vibed goodness for the dancefloor. Apparently, our love is all that she wants, putting the sex there where it belongs (namely, in House music). At the two minute mark the synths really start to build up, making no mistake that you should be jackin’ it up on this one. There are some nifty synth shifts in there, from the old house hands to some more atmospheric sounds for the track to slow it down to. However, there are always the drum and beat for the midnight people who want to dance, giving them all plenty of opportunity to do so on this nice deep house track with some vintage elements to take us way back down the alley once more.

‘Star Tripper’ by Breakbot

That’s as close to entering space as you can get really (without risking copyright infringement, that is), with Breakbot starting this one out the way you expect Star Tours in Disney to start out (or at least, to treat you to as the waiting room music). Surely, the first minute is more about the start of a cinematic space adventure than that it is about slow burning space disco, which with the drums and rhythm sounds it veers closer to the rest of the track. And it takes until the 2:40 mark to really get the catchy in, with the bass and sans the synthesizers that basically spell out Up, up, and away. One thing cannot be denied though, that they don’t know how to put theme in their music, and when they say ‘Star Tripper’, dear me, they mean it, giving this a nice, slow space burner to do some shuffling to underneath the starts at night.

‘Keep Moving On’ by Satin Jackets feat. IsaacO

This one starts by laying down the atmosphere, with the high pitched “ooooh-hoo-ooohs” mixed with the deeper, soulful vocals announcing that They will keep moving on. Those vocals are accompanied by the piano first, before slowly but surely other sounds start to arrive. It takes a while before we get to drum sounds of this, and when they do, they are idiosyncratic as opposed to a steady beat line. It helps the head nodding on this low-paced track, giving us the heartache and the yearning through the vocals and the piano, with the drums adding to the solemness. The high pitched backing vocals keep singing the title line, as the singular drum and all the accompanying atmospheric sounds ride this one to a fitting close.

‘Starr-Let’ Dr. Packer rework (Preview)

There comes the disco and funk, courtesy of the The Brooklyn, Bronx & Queens Band, who’s track ‘Starlet’ is reworked by Dr. Packer. From the start, there’s this amazing disco tempo that just has dancefloor written all over it. There’s a nice bass in the back there, providing the rhythm along with the drums, and you’ve got a plethora of vocals. Especially in the verses the bass and the vocals are the starlets (…) of the show, and of course it is all about love and dance and taking a chance. Just one of those funky disco reworks with plenty of good vibes, and all kinds of pace to make sure the dancefloor stays packed. At about 3:20 that pace is dialled down for a moment, though you can already hear it gear up again, though that’s asking a bit much for a preview. Though, before it fades out you hear the guitar riff again, all the rhythm elements being back, so you know they will be at it even after sundown.

For your entertainment during another working week here's five more hand-picked delights from the Scruff Of The Neck stable.

Barron – 'Waiting For'

Ripe with melody and rich with emotion, 'Waiting For' signals the debut music video from Manchester's Barron. With enough pop sensibility to harbour definite cross-over appeal, it's indie rock at its most polished. That shouldn't deter listeners though, 'Waiting For' is rife with subtle nuance and proves Barron are a band to keep your eyes on.

Furr – 'Think Sharp Kid'

Heading North East up the M62, Leeds-based Furr offer a weightier take on rock. Unsurprising given their LS postcode, debut single 'Think Sharp Kid' is a distinctly British take on grunge, and comes across like Queens Of The Stone Age had they formed in West Yorkshire rather than South California. There's reason it appealed to Radio One's more alternative DJ's.

Morning Smoke – 'Waste My Time'

Hailing from Brighton, Morning Smoke are arguably one of their cities more morose outfits. That doesn't mean to say there's not a lot to love however. 'Waste My Time' is the band's most recent single and depicts their trademark despondency while never shying away from occasional melody. Having followed the band since their debut single, it's fantastic to hear just how far they've come the three years that followed.

Holy Matrimony – 'In A Dream Of You And I'

The first of the week's bands to harbour a more electronically driven aesthetic, Holy Matrimony are both refined and somewhat understated. 'In A Dream Of You And I' is the trio's most recent release, and floats effortlessly on the steady percussion that backbones its hazy bed of electronics. A track both indebted to its influences, yet feels unequivocally contemporary.

BlackWaters – 'Moon On A Stick'

In keeping with this weeks' tradition of new singles, BlackWaters' 'Moon On A Stick' is a frenetic and punchy indie-pop number with enough energy and bite to appeal to even the punk crowd. Upbeat and full of a wild and and wilful abandon, it's the sort of single that turns crowds in to a heaving mass of sweaty limbs, and we can't wait to here it live!

The Weekly Froth! A weekly take on six tracks (five this week), most of which have recently popped up somewhere in the blogosphere. Bit of a mixed bag with a slight leaning towards house, disco, and remixes, but generally just anything that for some reason tickled the writer’s fancy.

Track of the Week: ‘Save Their Souls’ by Bohannon (Poolside edit)

Poolside start this edit with a slow moving beat and some higher pitched percussion to keep the balance right. After that, some lovely, deep atmospheric sounds to get that feel right on in there. Especially that horn-like sound that blows in from way underneath is lovely. Then, at the minute mark, the vocals, almost chanting Save their souls. After that the track moves into the groove, anchored by a nice little guitar riff, and it brings that funk with them. The way those vocals are used, and that being balanced by those deep rhythm and atmospheric sounds; it gets the hypnotic beat of the African jungle right in there. And then, the Jazzy horns, giving it that NY slant. It’s really a tremendous track this one, the '70s done right I reckon, and put out there so that we, too, can do some grooving to Mr. Bohannon himself.

 ‘It’s The Being In Love’ by Michael Jackson (Late Nite Tuff Guy edit)

I actually just got this one on vinyl, a release from the Midnight Riot label (though the edit itself isn’t that new I believe). As we have come to expect from LNTG he brings the smooth disco edit, first giving you the beat, and then the synths and the chopped up vocals, which break out of the loop at exactly the one minute mark to say that it Is the being in love. LNTG does use the whole loop thing with this one, and after the first part is over he slides in a second part that comes from underneath to then take over with the It’s the falling in love that’s making me hot (You go for it, you!), then diving into a similar loop with a little guitar riff, the beat and drums, and the vocals doing part of the sentence before bookending it with a complete lyric. Around the three minute mark he breaks out of the loop, with the new vocals appearing on the scene and doing a whole verse worth of that sexy. Then, in unison, double layers of vocals, and then back to it with, this time around, the horns as well. It’s just another lovely, smooth, clean edit by LNTG, exactly the way I like them (hence, the vinyl acquisition ya know).

‘Firecracker’ by Todd Terje & The Olsens (radio edit)

Todd Terje is at it again, upping the pace and the weirdness with this firecracker (…) of a tune, definitely going all out in terms of those sounds that are not overused by any other artists. Which makes it a peculiar sounding one indeed. He doesn’t throw every convention overboard though, giving us some nice bass action at 1:20 for instance. There’s always a groove underneath the oriental to make sure to keep it at least as grounded as he wants it to be, which is just enough for those who actually want to dance to it in any case. Love some of the switches, those are nice, and there is a fun-ness and a tempo to the track that will get anyone out of their sleep-induced days at the midnight club. Though to say I’ll be listening to this track on repeat, it might be too far out for that button right there.

‘I Feel Numb’ by Classixx feat. A. Frankel

Classixx team up with A. Frankel from Holy Ghost! to get the dancefloor going with some throwback synth-pop. A steady drumline is given, when the vocals come in for the first time a bass is added in the background, and next to that there is plenty of synth action until the actual singing starts. The upbeat demeanour, apparently, belies trouble, as he will Take you by the arm, saying you need to slow down, as he feels numb. Again, the vocals without the synths, which then get added later in the verse. The chorus sees a padded vocal line, some backing vocals, and a little rhythm synth chugging along. Just before the three minute mark the bass and beat are dropped in favor of just the vocals, and obviously the boys then slowly build it back up for the dancers on the dancefloor. And all them all get a lovely slice of catchy synth-pop to do some dancing to, including the instrumental outro where we even get some cowbell to do that little shimmy to.

‘Not Coming Down’ by Cleopold

I love how, from the get go, the slow pace is created, and then (equally from the get go) the soulful vocals come in. And those vocals are up, front, and center, especially during the verses. The chorus sees a bit more punch from the instrumentals, especially the bass and percussion, and it even includes backing vocals. From that point on the pace is slightly upped, giving it a bit more of a pop feel, with the bass providing some funk & rhythm. Before the two minute mark the track comes down (…) a bit, with just the vocals. Slowly Cleopold adds some percussion, and obviously a short while later the catchy starts again. It’s a track from their debut EP, called Altitude & Oxygen, so if you fancy this soulful-yet-poppy turn, be sure to have a listen to that one.