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Scruff of the Neck Presents ... - 20160201

  • Published in Columns

 

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

Blooms – 'Head Is Spinning'

It seems like we've been waiting forever for BLOOMS to drop their debut single, and now that wait is finally over. 'Head Is Spinning' is a suitably trippy track that reflects its name perfectly. The accompanying video, however, takes things a step further; a film of primary colour covering each shot whilst off-kilter camera work adds to the overall feeling of disorientation. Fantastic stuff.

Fairchild – 'Breathless'

Moving from Australia's Gold Coast to a rain-soaked North of England might not be in the five-year plan of most bands, but then most bands aren't Fairchild. 'Breathless' is both stark, yet strangely warming, the band incorporating the aesthetics of the cities they've lived in, combining them to form an understated and groove-laden single.

 

The Jackobins – 'One More Chance'

An ominous, loose sounding bass and almost-martial percussion open proceedings on 'One More Chance', but it only takes a matter of seconds before the waves of uplifting and anthemic optimism come crashing in. Harbouring buckets of commercial appeal and self-confidence to match, it won't be long before Liverpool's The Jackobins blow up.

 

Jimmy Amnesia – 'Days Of Our Lives'

Making red-blooded indie rock that draws influence from the likes of a wealth of '90s and '00s acts, Leicester's Jimmy Amnesia aren't afraid of getting loud. 'Days Of Our Lives' is four minutes of blistering britpop, flecked with grunge and lavished with an acerbic fuzz that's enough to make anyone who hears it sit up and pay attention.

 

Psyblings – 'Never Make A Living'

Aside from their excellent name, Manchester five-piece Psyblings are taking the spirit of the '60s  and dragging it kicking and screaming in to the present. Brilliantly understated, at least as far as psychedelia goes, 'Never Make A Living' studiously pushes onward, ever-building and only reaching the level of true freakout in its closing moments.

 

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Scruff of the Neck Presents ... - 20160125

  • Published in Columns

 

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

Reykjavik Kids – 'Moneymaker'

Originally from the North East but now residing in the Capital, Reykjavik Kids are a post-punk duo with an interest in making music on dated synths, budget computers and beat-up guitars. The resulting compositions are both timeless and timely, the latest of which, 'Moneymaker' can be heard below.

 

Altar Flowers – 'Almost Endless'

Relishing in an '80s aesthetic of their own creating, Manchester's Altar Flowers occupy the murky middle-ground somewhere between pop pomp and goth. Their latest single 'Almost Endless' encapsulates such a sound perfectly, blending an inherent darkness with an infectious camp fizz.

 

Danxia – 'Empress'

Embracing all that is '90s, and even some that's not, Warrington's Danxia are a band determined not to let their feet touch the ground. Floating on an almost-endless current of ephemeral dream-pop, juxtaposed against walls of amorphous noise, 'Empress' is almost five minutes of perfectly shifting textures.

 

Jubilee Park - 'Morning Rush'

Weston-Super-Mare isn't the first place that comes to mind when you think of punchy indie-rock, but that's exactly where Jubilee Park come from. Eschewing the West Country's penchant for underground dance music, JP harness the aesthetic of '00s indie whilst managing to retain an edge of the contemporary.

 

Passion Falls – 'Chasing Ghosts'

Self-proclaimed 'Electronic anthemists' Passion Falls aren't afraid to shy away from the poppier end of the musical spectrum. 'Chasing Ghosts', the latest single to be taken from the band's Greatest Adventure EP, is an electronically-driven track that perpetually builds towards an emphatic crescendo, and whilst it may be more somewhat more mainstream than the other tracks on offer, it still packs no less of a punch.

 

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