This week’s Fresh Faves were chosen by genuine readers of our Listening Post over the weekend and are reviewed here by Team Freshnet’s Nico Franks:
It’s a Bank Holiday Monday, so whether you’re prepping the garden for a BBQ, doing the DIY or waiting for the sun to eventually come out, here is the perfect soundtrack to accompany whatever you plan to do on this day of freedom….
This heaving slab of electronica from former music tech students Martin Roberts and Lee Tyler may not sound like it comes from a “two-man powerhouse” at first… But what begins with contemplative synths and meditative lyrics soon gives way to a full frontal assault of crashing drums and dramatic, pounding chords.
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BENJAMIN MASON – Give Me Your Tongue
Prize for creepiest song title and picture this week goes to Benjamin Mason, a singer songwriter from Pembrokeshire, Wales. The track itself, however, is anything but: with what sounds like a studio full of Benjamin Masons harmonising away over the plucking of an acoustic guitar.
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FUZZY SABOTEUR – Alpinecore
Whether or not Liverpudlian “merseytronica” outfit Fuzzy Sabotuer have coined a new genre of music for skiing to here is a moot point- the instrumental ‘Alpinecore’ is awash with ideas, from its rattling xylophones right through to its heavy riffs.
LUMIN BELLS – Somehow The Same
This track’s gentle beat and melodic core could help sooth many a sore head that has already taken an alcohol-induced beating over the course of this Bank Holiday weekend. And the Merseyside band sing from the same hymn sheet as pastoral folk stalwarts Fleet Foxes, if they were members of the National Trust that is.
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NED ROBERTS – Red Sun
Ned Roberts’ life as a performer has taken him from doing Bob Dylan covers in Northern England to recording a debut album of original songs in LA, with the help of esteemed musician and producer Luther Russell (Sarabeth Truck). Red Sun is a gentle folk song that grows in stature after repeated listens.
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THE BLUEPRINTS – Walk
Hey, The Blueprints, The Edge from U2 just called- he wants his guitar effects pedal back! Only joking lads- Walk is another piece of radio-friendly rock ‘n’ roll that York-based band The Blueprints have now made their trademark.
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TALK IN COLOUR – Candles
Candles is the first single to be released from a new EP of material coming out this summer from UK five-piece Talk In Colour. Harp, strident female vocals and fuzzy bass all combine to make what the band labels “lush electronic future pop music.” They’re not wrong.
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THE POCKET GODS – Searching For The Divine
Hailing from St Albans, The Pocket Gods admit to writing “songs about sex, snacks and UFOs.” And sharing a fondness for druggy, wall-of-sound, orchestral bombast with Spiritualized, The Pocket Gods seemingly come readymade to take on the established Brit-rock hierarchy.
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THE SHALLOWS – Running For Cover
“Built over a decade, this is an expression of our survival, preserved in art. It’s our vanity. Our inspiration. Our fears and hopes,” say this London four-piece, whose polished sound recalls the indie dance of Two Door Cinema Club, while their band bio suggests there’s more to them than just pop hooks.
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WES MARTIN – The Mark Of Cain
“The biblical meaning of The Mark Of Cain and its contemporary meaning have diverged somewhat,” singer songwriter Wes Martin tells us. This subtle tune, a contemplation of the things we carry with us through our lives, may be heavy in motif, but its tune manages the difficult task of remaining soothingly delicate.
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This week’s Fresh Faves
reviewed by Nico Franks
FROM TOM: If you’ve submitted a track that hasn’t made the Fresh Faves you’re welcome to re-submit it again. But if you have been a Fresh Fave in recent weeks could you possibly hold back for at least six weeks before sending us another one. If you keep sending us great tracks every week it leaves less room for new names who haven’t had a chance yet…
Ta Nico (Concise, wise & to the point!)
‘Talk in Colour’ are making a habit out of this! I loved them this week along with Fellow Fresh Faves ‘The shallows’ & ‘The pocket Gods’ I think the one to watch in the near future though is https://soundcloud.com/athenenoctuarecords/the-bird-and-the-monkey-meet They didn’t quite make it this week But they tell me they have a ‘Monkey in the Barrel’ so watch this space! Dan B-) xo