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

Glass Caves – 'Alive'

Hailing from York, four piece Glass Caves have gone from busking in most city centres across the country, to selling out various venues in the very same cities. Latest single 'Alive' is named after, but not included on their new album, and sees the band reaching never-before-attained levels of anthemic optimism. 

Fliiis – 'Sonder'

Harbouring an aesthetic cocktail of melody and melancholy in equal measures, Fliiis are one of the current guard of Manchester bands threatening to give its established scene a run for its money. 'Sonder' is the band's latest addition to their arsenal, and relishes in the swimmy, poppy sensibilities of their contemporaries, whilst refusing to shy away from their own inherent despondency. Excellent. 

Breeze – 'Luna Love Me Good'

An ode to Harry Potter's very own Luna Lovegood, Breeze make what could have easily become a gimmick in to a tropi-pop banger; its tongue-in-cheek lyricism somehow feeling more heartfelt than even the most sincere indie-pop balladary. Upbeat and summery, Breeze are unsurprisingly the perfect antithesis to the current weather.

Veyu – 'Battlecry'

Veyu's self-style spacegrunge might sound like a genre hangover from the late 1980s but the fact is that fusing together post-punk with contemporary alt-rock, has alowed the band to create a genre that feels both anachronistic and timeless. 'Battlecry' sees moody bass rumbles offset by haunting guitar licks and a spectral vocal delivery. Atmospheric stuff.

Arcadia – 'The Shore'

Stoke's somewhat surprisingly, and rather rapidly becoming a musical force to be reckoned with, and Arcadia are one of the young bands providing the city with such a reputation. 'The Shore' sees button-bright indie-pop guitars capturing the current Zeitgeist of the city perfectly ad closing out this week's Top 5 in an upbeat fashion.

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: ‘Take U 2 My House’ by Thatmanmonkz (feat. Khalil Anthony)

Thatmanmonkz recently released his album Columbusing, which can be heard in full on his SoundCloud. This is one of those tracks, doing the deep house, with the deep talking male vocals, and this nice, funky bass coming in at about the fifty second mark. Khalil Anthony, over that groovin’ and moovin’ bass, talks about how he saw this gal at the club, not knowing whether to talk to her or not, and then realising that Tonight was my… opportunity. That’s the point the bass gets stripped, the beat and drum take over for a moment, and just after the two minute mark the bass re-enters to help out a bit in the rhythm department. Then, a lovely tete-a-deux with singing and talking vocals, with the singing vocals being removed from the doubt that the talking vocals had earlier, pondering What do you want me to do to you, now that we are alone (Oh that’s what we all know too well there, now don’t we?). The beat is relieved of duty for a moment when the talking vocals come back in, which is a nice touch, playing with the pace like that. The whole album is definitely worth a listen, with this one being one of my personal favorites, also because of that whole atmosphere it creates with the story and all.

‘Across The Sea’ by Falqo

Obviously this one starts with the sounds of the sea (you knew that was going to happen, didn’t you?), but soon enough some finger snapping and a bit of pop piano come in. Then, a cutting guitar of yore, which is super nice, though it gets ditched when the pop comes in just before the minute mark with the drums and the vocals. And, okay, still the guitar riff, though not as present. When the chorus comes around Falqo dials it down almost completely, letting the vocals run the show for a while, before hitting the pace again just before the two minute mark (conveniently on the line “People are moving”). It’s really a nice, happy sounding slice of catchy disco pop this one, with some nice touches that we don’t always see that often anymore. That keeps the balance between that and the conventions all right, giving us the ease of what we know and some tinges of otherness to keep it fun as well.

‘Love Is A Lonely Dancer’ by Antony & Cleopatra

How about that bassy sound to start this one off, soon being helped out by the vocals singing about those times When you walk the line like there’s a razorblade. Then, some vintage synth house sounds come in, giving it this vocal house sound with not one, but two sets of vocals! Dear lord, what madness! The female vocals come in at the chorus, singing the title line that Love is a lonely dancer. After that, more out-and-out house sounds. The song, at one point, goes into a short stretch without vocals, but soon turns back to the chorus again. After that it pumps it up a bit, adding some extra oomph by seemingly upping the pace some, but especially by adding more sounds to also give this idea of increased volume. This is three minutes of that ol’ school housin’ going on I’d say.

‘Midnight Plane’ by Trujillo

Starting with the beat, Trujillo is about to take us for a little disco slow burner there. After about 30 seconds this nice and lazy atmospheric synth sound comes in, which gets juxtaposed by a more rhythmic bass sound. To boost that part, Trujillo adds a bit of hand percussion in there as well, though he strips some of that for higher pitched piano sounds. At 2:20 the two come together, getting the groove going and riding that one for a while before a little piano solo is added there on top of the bass rhythm. Almost got that jazzy quality right there. Suddenly some vocals can be heard, just for a short “whoo-oh-oh”, which is the cue for a slight change-up, though really the main groove remains for that Rio-at-the-beach disco party feel to shake those hips to. Midnight plane we’d like to take there indeed.

‘Many Lovers’ by Judge Funk (Yam Who? re-edit)

Yeah baby, let’s get going with this one! High on pace, this one starts with a beat and space synth combo, providing some up-tempo rhythm for all those many lovers to get riding into the midnight to. At 1:25 that all gets dialled down in favor of some piano and the first meeting with the vocals, stuttering their way to the “g” there. That is, up until the 1:55 mark, when the soulful male vocals enter, announcing that they Can’t stop. The stutter gives it a nice 80s vibe, with the returning remark of being unable to stop fitting the high energy that the track exhumes. And that with some piano to boot, as witnessed around the three minute mark, even going a bit of solo there. And no, he just Can’t stop, giving you my love, though at 3:30 there is about ten seconds of a break before the rhythm gets back in and the piano now really gets a good crack at it. This really is one for the party that is a-going and for the dancers who somehow (and we won’t ask exactly how, honey, I promise) managed to get some extra juice in those dancing legs after midnight. For babe, the pace is up, and not about to stop, that’s for sure.

‘U Betta’ by Girl Ultra

Oh lord, you know some yearning of the heart is gonna come with those notes being hit at the start. Then, the R&B beat to go with those keys, with the bass adding a bit of funk as well. Then the vocals come in, super smooth, singing that, Boy, u betta take me into outer space (We all want one of those babe, no doubt). This one is one for the couples to get close and sexy to on the dancefloor, even with some full stops to really slow it down, and with the vocals giving you some reason to do that something something together to, ending with Whenever I get cold, baby come to me, turn me into gold, this before ending this one with a couple of repeats of the chorus. Some nice contemporary R&B, slowing it way down, especially near the finish line, with the just the piano giving this one its fitting end.

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

Trampolene – 'Tom Hardy'

Balls to the wall and tongue-in-cheek indie rock from South Wales kicking off this week. 'Tom Hardy' sees the indie rock trio musing on life's mundanities and how much better it would be if they were the eponymous actor. Fusing together blues driven indie anthemics with cheeky every-man lyricism, it's easy to understand the bands appeal.

New York Tourists – 'Adrenaline'

Something a little more sincere in the for of New York Tourists. Hailing from Blackburn, the band peddle a moody and atmospheric brand of alt-rock that throbs with a quiet dissatisfaction. 'Adrenaline' steadily mounts towards a fragile break-down, before exploding in an emphatic and cathartic conclusion.

Fake War – 'Uniforms'

Stoke's Fake War aren't happy with the current political climate, but rather scream, shout and spit about it as other bands might do, they write a quietly condemning commentary in the form of 'Uniforms'. Having created an amalgamation of post-punk, new wave and garage rock that perfectly suits their political malaise, it's likely we'll be hearing much more from the three-piece soon.

Factory – 'Norman Wisdom'

One of Merseyside's most promising acts at the moment, Factory subscribe to the kind of Scouse psych that's become a common export. Rather than feel like something you've heard before however, Factory manage to stay fresh and forward thinking without straying too far from their roots.

Sheafs – 'Anticipation, No Consolation'

Snarling and swaggering indie rock from the Steel City, Sheafs manage to encompass the attitude of brit-pop without ever sounding trite. 'Anticipation, No Consolation' is a short sharp kick to the ribs that doesn't so much as introduces listeners to Sheafs' sound, as it does bludgeon them around the head with it. Expect big things.

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: ‘Closing Shot’ by Lindstrom

You know that 8 1/2 minutes of Lindstrom is going to give you plenty of hypnotic dance rhythms to get up (and get down) to. Here, too, the main drumbeat is established right there and then, but those synths at the minute mark, that’s what the good stuff is made of. Also, additional percussion elements, just to make sure the body can join the mind in rapturous euphoria. Which, incidentally, seems to be what Lindstrom is going for, with the feel good sounds all out there. At the two minute mark he gets a bass sound in to help the percussion elements, and the main synth of before is traded in for something lighter and a tad more in the background. But if you could barely recall, well, it’s all coming back to you around the three minute mark. Not the exact same loop, but definitely something in the same realm in the sense it is a (combination of) lighter synth sound(s) eliciting the same feel as before, culminating in the moment at the four minute mark where the coronation takes place. So much to love here, not only in the stretches, but also in the moments, like those sounds that occasionally pop up from the 5:10 mark on, loveliness right there. Lindstrom already had nothing to prove, but if he did, then he just proved the man still has got plenty of game. And euphoric dancing ensues.

‘Action’ by Cassius feat. Cat Power & Mike D

How about some of that hipperdy-hop to get this started, though it is primarily the catchy percussion and the slapping bass that has this one moving. In the mean time it is Cat Power singing and Mike D talking, giving this one enough vocal prowess to hold their own against the rhythm part. Especially that, though, does nasty business here, giving you all you can handle with quick firing spurts looping around the place. At times, like just before the three minute mark, they throw the kitchen sink at ya with some horns, but after that it dives right back into the rhythm again. The track fades out because there’s also a nine minute version, which (I do hope) doesn’t get the same ending. But even if it  does, the nine minute version might just be something to look out for, because four minutes of this isn’t quite enough I’d say.

‘Filmed Message’ by Peza

Apparently, Peza had some stuff lying around that he decided to finish, resulting in this ominous synth vibed electro track with rap on top of it, singing that it is like a jungle sometimes, makes me wonder, how I keep from going under (Grandmaster Flash y’all). Add to that the Numan synths from his ‘Films’, and you’ve got this combo from Peza, to which he adds some percussion and rhythm to make sure this one keeps flowing forward. He knows how to let both sides come to the fore here, with both Grandmaster Flash’s lyrics being clear and audible, and in the mean time there are stretches where Numan’s synths come beaming through. And even in the vocal bits the feel is still very much present. Just before the four minute mark he throws some Upside down, boy you’re turning me in there, this while pumping up the synth action. After that he returns to Grandmaster Flash doing his thing again, though he keeps all of it all coming from all sides. Lovely, crazy mash-up where the fun isn’t forgotten.

‘Laid Back Love’ by Mike Woods

This one really starts at the twenty second mark, where the bass and drums come in. He strips the bass sound for a moment, just to let it come back in about half a minute later for the dancefloor to get funky to. After that, though, he does the same thing for a prolonged period of time, moving some synths in. At 2:20 the catchy really gets going, with some familiar sounds but the rhythm in place as well. At the three minute mark, BAM, the vocals, some Human League action telling you to just resign yourself to what you’re going through. And as they are loving our Love action, we get the familiar synths on a bed of bass, with the vocals definitely dominating the second part of this edit by Mike Woods. I remember seeing The Human League live a few years back, well fun, and this edit makes sure that you get the build-up to a good chunk of that ol’ faithful right there.

‘Touch’ by Shura (Four Tet remix)

Four Tet combines a droning sound with some light piano work to start this one out with, working well with that contrast there. After that he gets breezy with the fast-paced bass and the light percussion works he adds to counterbalance that. Then he enters the vocals, soft spoken but quick in delivery (sped up I reckon). She does have a lovely voice, and in this remix, too, it adds to the smoothness of the sounds Four Tet delivers here. At 2:30, how about taking it down to mainly piano and vocals, adding the bass a bit later to allow some people to get moving again. After that he moves to a double layered vocal construction, which actually works pretty well, and he always keeps balancing the lighter sound elements with the rhythm section. The pace is pretty quick, but funnily enough it is such a smooth and easy listen that kind of belies that. A well done remix of this ace Shura single.

‘Build Me A Bridge’ by Rayko

How about that nice little bass to get funky to? Add a drumbeat in there and some lighter sounds to balance it out, and you’ve got this nifty start in which the bass gets more prominent as the first minute moves on. After the minute mark two distinct sounds come in that give me flashbacks to Eighties pop perhaps even more so than those funky times the bass kind of alludes to. They sure add to the festive mood. After the two minute mark all these elements get turned down for a moment with Rayko going for some piano and vocal action, though he makes sure not to forget about what makes this track nice for the disco dancefloor. I love the bombast with which the backing vocals come in at about the 3:20 mark, that gives it some nice momentum building towards the return of those sounds that were introduced after a minute in. Still, it’s the bass that gives this track its backbone, its core, and he returns to that after the middle saw some boom with the vocals. The singular female voice does reappear though, wondering if You remember, remember at all (if he doesn’t he isn’t worth it honey!). I just love Rayko, he’s so good for just that disco dancefloor vibe with the love lost in here as well, putting out another lovely edit to dance to.