The Hot Five – My favourite new tracks of the week, usually rounded off with a classic, obscure or alternate track from my music collection.

Track of the week: Trwbador – ‘Breakthrough’ (feat. ESSA)

Welsh Music Prize-nominees Trwbador always make for interesting listen; their unique brand of “dance floor tinged acoustic electronica” has been making waves since the release of the It Snowed A Lot This Year EP on their own Owlet Music in 2010. ‘Breakthrough’ sees the Welsh duo successfully collaborate with Eton-educated rapper ESSA, who has previously collaborated with Wu-Tang Clan and De La Soul among other artists. The resulting fusion of electronic and hip hop styles creates an eclectic sound, ESSA’s thought-provoking lyrics flow effortlessly over a tranquil harp melody, synthesisers, and processed beats. Trwbador’s new album, Several Animals, will be released on August 11.

GOAT – ‘Hide From The Sun’

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel that you aren’t quite getting enough Swedish psychedelia? If that’s the case, then this is the song for you. Released as the first single from the band’s second album, Commune, ‘Hide From The Sun’ marries distorted guitars with sitar and table to create something refreshingly different. GOAT have a great reputation for their intense live shows, and will be performing at festivals throughout the summer before embarking on their first full European tour, which includes the Liverpool International Festival Of Psychedelia in September finishes at the Camden Roundhouse on October 3. Commune will be released on September 22.

The Gaslight Anthem – ‘Get Hurt’

Having spent time recording with Mike Crossey (Arctic Monkeys, Jake Bugg) at Blackbird Studios in Nashville, The Gaslight Anthem are back with their impressive new single, ‘Get Hurt’. There’s a subtly to the track’s arrangement; Brian Fallow’s vocal provides great character in the opening exchanges before the track expands into a well-worked chorus and beyond. August 11 sees the release of the band’s fifth studio album, also titled Get Hurt, which will be followed by five UK tour dates this November.

Zola Blood – ‘Grace’

Little is known about the mysterious Zola Blood, recently signed to long-dormant record label Pond Life. The ambience of their first release, ‘Grace’, only encourages the shadowy image of the London-based band, and the down-tempo electronica on show is complimented by a strong, reverberating vocal performance. Unfortunately not much else is known about Zola Blood, but it is clear that ‘Grace’ demonstrates the potential for more track of this high quality in the near future.

Hidden track of the week: The Libertines – ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’

On the last weekend of June, The Libertines returned with their first gig in four years. Since then they’ve followed it up with a set at British Summer Time, which sparked safety concerns due to the enthusiasm of the 60,000 strong crowd in London’s Hyde Park. Their live shows have been receiving great reviews, and it appears that their long-awaited comeback is a success, so here’s my contribution the Libertines hype: 2004’s ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’, a classic.

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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: ‘Playground’ by Starving Yet Full

Starving Yet Full was one of the two vocalists with the house unit Azari & III, which unfortunately has ceased to be. SYF is not done housing though, and he’s readying a solo album which, from the sounds of it, will include at least one out-and-out house cut. So you’ve got the cymbals, the beat, the bass, all those rhythm elements you need to get jacking too old school. SYF has a lovely voice, which is plenty of soulful and which balances the deeper rhythmic elements. Around the 2:30 mark there’s a break where they lose the rhythm sounds and let the synth play out a bit, a sound he continues even when the beat and all that gets back in. In the mean time SYF is singing that gravity “brings him right down”, so I’m assuming it isn’t all going smooth and easy for the narrator. At about the four minute mark he throws in a slightly deeper beat to really get into underground dance mode, and truly this is the kind of house track I love to hear in the club. It’s got a deepness to it, it’s easy to dance to, and the vocals on there are great. What’s more to want, really?

‘Mighty Bloody Real’ Joey Negro’s special dub mix

Joey Negro always knows what to do with disco, and here he takes the classic high energy track ‘You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)’ by the symbol of the gay disco movement Sylvester, and he makes it into a dub. As in, from the start, this one gets its high energy restrained a bit by the beat and the other percussion elements, which provide you with the dancing opportunity, as opposed to the original. That original bass sound comes in at about 45 seconds though, with the high synths shortly following as well. It’s definitely not an unrecognizable affair, though especially the percussion causes this one to still sound plenty of different (and how that bass is used as well). Probably, whatever you are going to do with this one, it’s going to set disco dancefloors alight (unless you really botch it up, that is), it’s just that kind of a track, really. Leave it in the hands of a master like Joey Negro, and it’s dancing until you drop. The more original elements come in, the more high energy it starts to feel, though he always returns to the bass and the percussion to keep this thing grounded just a tad. In the mean time we are halfway, and it still is primarily that bass and those very recognizable sounds of the original that we hear, and we’ve yet to be treated to those trademark vocals, which he is saving up probably. And yessir, at 4:30, there they are, to just provide that dancefloor with that extra punch of recognition. The original is one of those tracks which is just going to make any disco dancefloor happy in whichever form it is presented to them, and this one is a good addition to that whole bag of Sylvester sounds and edits.

‘Ain’t No Way’ by Opal (Horse Meat Disco edit)

The new Horse Meat Disco compilation is out (Volume IV y’all!), and that’s the best that queer disco has to offer. And yes, maybe disco is a bit gay by default, though the “gayness” part of it sure gets amplified with the lads from Horse Meat Disco behind the decks. So you’ve got all that sass and camp that you want to play it all up, and this is another example of that. It already starts with just vocals, with Brenda Watts yelling out that you need to get “your hands off of my man” as there is “no way I’m gonna give you up”. Add that disco bass in there, those trademark disco sounds, and you’re off rolling. Those vocals are so lovely 45” disco single, they’ve just got that whole old school '70s vibe in them. So you’ve got the bass to dance to, the synth to keep it all sounding light and fresh, and then the lads change it up after the two minute mark. They dial down everything except the vocals, and after that they get some deeper, faster synths in to ramp up the pace and the dancing a bit, and they throw in a bit of guitar for good measure. So they show they can even keep the crowd dancing and the disco vibe up without the vocals (and they also show they can play a bit with pace and slide into different disco modes in one track, which with a running time of 8+ minutes is a huge plus). Obviously the vocals come back for another go around, as you just need the girl telling these skanks to keep away from her man, whilst also telling her boy that there’s no way he’s going anywhere. Those boys just really know how to put the fun back on the dancefloor.

‘Be Brave, Clench Fists’ by Leon Vynehall

To start this one off you get some percussion sounds, though from underneath all that you already get some deep moodiness, which is quickly balanced out by a higher pitched sound. It definitely goes for mood at the start, with this slow piano coming in just before the minute mark. And, just before the beat, which starts to play at about one minute in and which cranks the pace up a bit. That beat is definitely in the realm of deep house, and that beat is not the thing that makes this one special (though it is necessary to keep this one moving forward, and we’ve all learned from Woody Allen that has to happen otherwise the thing dies). It’s definitely not an all out party track this one, as what makes you want to listen to this are the atmospheric elements that keep on appearing right on top of the beat. So it’s all about mood and doing a little dance with your eyes closed, though when the second rhythm element comes in to bolster that beat a bit there’s definitely a tick upwards in the danceability department. I really like the vibe and richness of this one, definitely one I’d be happy to be listening to on my headphones as well. That very very last part I could’ve done without, I have to admit.

‘Girls on Film’ by Duran Duran (Luxxury edit)

Luxxury prides themselves in the write-up that in this edit they’ve almost exclusively used bits from the original multitrack stems, though listening to the original you can already spot a few immediate problems for the disco/house dancefloor (and the cowbell like percussion isn’t one of them, obviously). So, first thing to do is slow the fucker down, and Luxxury does that right from the start, with the percussion and drums leading the way and keeping things more danceable and rhythmic than the original ever was. Still plenty of Duran Duran 80s vibes there though, with that guitar still in there, and the overall synth new wave vibe pretty much represented. With that, this edit revolves around the bass sound most of all probably, which for a dancefloor edit is the thing to do really. Maybe I would say at times it’s a bit too crowded with all kinds of sounds thrown in there, but with the bass doing its thing and with plenty of Duran Duran still blasting out of the speakers, it’s an enjoyable entree in a series of edits from these boys.

‘Sensify Me’ by Zimmer feat. KLP

I like how this starts, especially with the finger snapping in there. Lovely vibe they throw out there, and plenty of room for the female vocals to set the tone. After the beginnings you do get the bass in, though it stays a relatively low paced affair. In the mean time there’s plenty of richness going on in the background, from atmospheric synths to what seem like bongo’s to a more poppy synth line. The rhythmic layer is there with the bass, and on top of it all are the vocals. These two instruments get plenty of room, and then what gives this track its own flavour and its tone are all the things that happen in between those two main elements. It is tagged on Soundcloud as “horizontal disco” and “slow house”, and I’m not even sure what that means, though it’s definitely got slices of synth and pop in there as well, and a bit of sensuality with the way those vocals deliver the lines.

The Hot Five – My favourite new tracks of the week, usually rounded off with a classic, obscure or alternate track from my music collection. Tracks usually concentrate on guitar-based music, but really focus on anything and everything that I come across.

Track of the week: Novo Amor & Ed Tullett – ‘Faux’

There aren’t many songs that captivate you from the first listen, but for me this was really one that really did. The track’s reverberating falsetto vocals remind me of Vancouver Sleep Clinic and London Grammar, and the sense of space created gives it a very current sound. There’s a beauty about the laid back, well-produced atmosphere that is created by Cardiff-based Ali Lacey and Brighton’s Ed Tullett in this collaboration, so it’ll be good to hear what these two artists come up with next.

George Ezra – ‘Cassy O’

It’s been a busy week for George Ezra… After a massive show at the John Peel, and a number of smaller gigs across Glastonbury over the weekend, Ezra’s debut album was released on Monday. This song was very well received by the large Saturday crowd, and has gained some acclaim despite never being released as an official single. The 21-year-old delivered an impressive performance, which suggests good things about Wanted On Voyage, which is available now.

Royal Blood – ‘Figure It Out’

Royal Blood were another band to emerge triumphant at Worthy Farm. I apologise if news from Glastonbury is getting rather frustrating or old now, but Royal Blood provided one of the most energetic sets of the weekend. New single ‘Figure It Out’ maintains the high quality heard in ‘Out Of The Black’, ‘Little Monster’, and ‘Come On Over’, with a great rock hook in the chorus that has embarrassingly got me playing air guitar around the house all day.

Seeing as this is Musos' Guide, I don’t feel bad in telling all you muso’s that Royal Blood are releasing a special edition white vinyl version of debut album Royal Blood. The album will be available from August 18.

Bon Iver – ‘Heavenly Father’

First thing’s first, this isn’t necessarily what I expected it to be. The sampling of Justin Vernon’s vocal at the beginning of this track disguises the track before that unmistakable Bon Iver vocal enters. There are some great harmonies in here, and the arrangement of the track is both creative and rewarding. ‘Heavenly Father’ will appear on the soundtrack to new movie Wish I Was Here, which stars Scrubs’ Zach Braff.

Hidden track of the week: Arcade Fire – ‘Wake Up’

Despite pulling off one of the greatest headline sets I have ever witnessed, it seems that Arcade Fire have had the least attention of the three Glastonbury headliners this year. Potentially it’s because they’re the act that requires the least justification for a headline slot, while much media attention has focused on the more controversial inclusion of Metallica. A set crammed full of hits, riffs, and energy culminated in a massive rendition of the classic ‘Wake Up’, taken from their 2004 album Funeral.

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Scientists have determined that the Earth’s surface will not be able to support human life much longer, due to pollution and overpopulation. In 1957, Dr Carl Garstein proposed three alternative solutions. The first was a drastic reduction of the human population on Earth. The second, the construction of vast underground shelters. Alternative three?

In a world of frightened dullards, there is always a sorry shortage of outlaws, and Alexander Shulgin was more than a hellraiser, he was a chemical adventurer, the psychedelic conquistador. He explored psychedelic drugs in a way that transcended chemistry and turned into something closer to art. His writings stand up with Alexander Trocci and William Burroughs and Aldous Huxley. This blog is dedicated in part to Sasha, I’m sure he wouldn’t approve of the black metal.

Now that the summer has come and the first creeping vibes of an acid frenzy are crawling up your fingertips to your sunburnt wrists, and tickling your hayfever nose, it seems musical production has gone into overdrive. Prodigious creativity abounds at the moment, with record after record proving that rock and roll is still resolutely the Cure For What Ails Us. Last week my meek and worthless attempts to group records together was an abject failure, I shall now group them by price, into three paragraphs of frothing bug-eyed raving. With corporeal records first, digital somewhere in the middle and right-up-in-yo-grill free at the end (is this an ultimately arbitrary distinction? Well however did you see through my elaborate ruse?). And if you’re going to slyly mention yet again that I’ve written about more than three albums please go off and bother someone else with an increasingly badly named column. Also I moved house this month, so any inaccuracies and general malaise can be put down to that. Also midway through writing this month through one of the remarkable coincidences that attend the making of this column, I discovered that Gareth Gates covered Norman Greenbaum’s excellent ‘Spirit In The Sky’, for shame. With any luck Norman won’t just turn in his grave, but jump right out of it and kick your teeth in.

Why not kick off with the newest from old hands Sunn O))). It’s always struck me as peculiar that one of the most oppressive and least accessible bands in the world have gone on to have something of a mainstream success. When O’Malley and Anderson got together I doubt they imagined there was quite such a market for doom, gloom and the utter absence of sunlight. LA REH 012 blots out the sun with the best of them. On a sunny Sunday morning you want to listen to the output of Graceless Recordings, bandcampin’ it up out of Nashville, quickly becoming the prime purveyors of every kind of underproduced echoey slime and hate-fuelled dirge. There is too much here to try to highlight one, but my personal favourite this week is Alraune’s self titled tape. Get on everything they make, but particularly that! I recommend Gatecreeper on the name and album art alone, but once I’d listened in full to their almost peerless grubby death metal rumble, I was convinced they were one of those metal bands much much too great to get signed. They probably will mind you, and spoiled no doubt. Go and download for free (or get that artwork in limited edition corporeal CD) before they get signed and ruined. QRIXKUOR’s debut Consecration Of The Temple is finally here, on the awesome cassette format. For the last week I’ve wandered round in a haze, like I was the only one who heard the late-night newscast about the imminent asteroid impact and everyone else was wilfully blind to it. Haven’t you heard QRIXKUOR? How can you continue to just go to work with all this in the world? Ever just sound your barbaric yawp over the rooftops at the thought of no new Be-Helds records? Fret no longer, because the Orange Drop are here with their own quintessential brand of poppy-doom. Limited edition artefact CDs always welcome. Go and listen to Deathcats, now already! Now, if you’ll excuse me: THERE’S A BAND CALLED DWELLERS AND THEIR ALBUM IS CALLED PAGAN FRUIT AND THEY’VE GOT JOHN BAIZLEY-TYPE ARTWORK AND SASPARILLA GROOVE AND LIMITED EDITION CDS AND IT’S THE GOOD KIND OF STONER ROCK, NOT THE AWFUL UNCLE ACID TYPE BUT ACTUAL GENUINE STONER ROCK OH YES YES YES. Ahem. Anyway, feeling energetic and lively while still communicating effective doom is a tough one, but Buioingola manage it, their Dopo l’Apnea is driving and intense but also crawls at a snail’s pace.

I want to dedicate about a paragraph to Naught, and possibly a whole article, and a blog, and the wing of a children’s hospital because their music is the Real Deal and quite possibly the Cure For What Ails Us. Extremely extreme metal has been trapped in the gutter for the longest time, facing off between the ultimately nihilistic or anti-ego message of the music, and the fact that tight, muscular heavy metal music is ultimately uplifting and energising. Real heavy metal is about pride, identity, power. On Tómhyggjublús (translation: ‘Emptiness Blues’) Naught deliberately strip any kind of hopefulness or reluctant power out of their songs. It’s one of the few albums which genuinely brings you down, works you out, leaves you feeling wrung, drained, somehow broken by the experience. While their doom is muscular and crushing, there’s no power behind it, no form and no pleasant musical resolution. These boys from a shithole Icelandic town in the middle of the North Atlantic have done something pretty spectacular.

Enter Venus by Druglord is technically free, but you really ought to drop at least some denero on them for lobbing this massive unrefined hunk of pure proto-Sabbath Wizardyness at the wall, and the enthusiasm with which some of it sticks. I particularly love how the vocals are buried beneath an entire pyramid of fuzz, to the point where they’re only discovered thousands of years later by explorers, and their tomb is probably cursed. I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before, but Cemetery Piss are probably the best black metal act currently in America, and in a nation responsible for Cobalt, Liturgy and Agalloch that really is something, anyway, Cemetery Piss now have a bandcamp so tally-ho, eh? I had to take to listening to Altar’s perfectly titled Plague Pit in my garage rather than my house because the hundredweight of pure bloody mulch it chucked up with every repeat was starting to permanently stain the carpet. Everyone in my stunted, sprained little circle has been tugging themselves silly over Veils’ debut Unquestionable Appreciation Of Suffering. It doesn’t take much ingenuity to start your debut with the phrase ‘god is dead’ but it takes some serious stones. Like proper hardcore it sounds like a wasp flying around in a shed. Finally, Threshing remind me of Culpeper’s Orchard, despite inhabiting utterly different (though perhaps neighbouring) musical pastures. Lumpy, meditative, hugely druidic rock and roll, both playing to legions of nightworking mountain men pogoing all their CND buttons off. Rawk the fuck on, chaps.

One of the more interesting efforts of the month was the Soft Pink Truth’s Drew Daniel mixing intros and outros together into some sort of hypermasculine Neil Young Arc type thing. Somewhere on the internet there is an hour and a half mix of The Grateful Dead tuning up, and it’s the same as this: baffling, pointless, and utterly riveting. Also on the slab is Chrome’s Feel It Like A Scientist which I haven’t got round to hearing, but I feel secure in recommending anything those mentalists put together on good faith. Also the ever-excellent Black Moth have a new video, ‘Room 13’ is pretty sweet.

Lastly, if you’ve been awaiting Julian Cope’s new novel 131: A Time Shifting Gnostic Hooligan Road Novel in the same way a shipwreak victim awaits rescue, you’ll be satiated by checking out 131 Doorway, a website warmup for what is sure to be simultaneously the best and worst novel you’ve ever bothered to patronise with your heathen eyes. There’s plenty of utterly nutzoid stuff on there, and a million hand-crafted treats. Most of it is free too, you lucky bastards, and whether you’re looking for electro footie anthems (a ‘Whirled Cup’ is apparently under construction in Brazil, so this might be peculiarly apposite) or a fifteen bloody minute nouveau-metal droneathon fictionally created in 1972, you’re sure to find something of warped interest among the stuff.

Until next time, party on, dude.

What did I miss? What did you miss? Who do you miss? As usual, comment, twitter, or explode a series of stars in morse code, I’ll pick it up.

Act now and you too can regret following me on twitter @stevendinnie