This week’s Fresh Faves were chosen by readers on our Listening Post over the weekend and are reviewed here by Team Freshnet’s very own Sam Lee.

ADAM HALOGEN – So

With warped, disembodied vocals, So is a wonderful example of slowburning, soulful electro, blurring the line between the organic and the synthetic. Fans of Cyril Hahn’s beautifully downtempo remixes should enjoy this track, the first in a long while from London’s Adam Halogen (aka composer and sound designer Adam Janota-Bzowski); but this occupies its very own space on the musical landscape – it really is a thing of beauty. This is music from the future for cyborgs to fall in love to. For an example Adam’s sound design work see video at bottom of this page.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

FLIES+FLIES – Bad Crab Hand

There is very little endearing about Bad Crab Hand, the uniquely unsettling single from London three-piece Flies+Flies. It’s suffocating, disquieting and claustrophobic – yet, somehow, completely irresistible. The sparse electronic beats and spacious arpeggios lure the listener into a false sense of security – but don’t be fooled, you’re not safe here. Dark, yet delicious.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

HUGH – Look Back In Laughter

Not the mononymous moniker of either a waterside-cottage-dwelling chef or an A-list British rom-com actor and tabloid target, Hugh are in fact a new London quartet. You may recognise vocalist Joshua Idehen’s lazy flow from his other project Benin City, but the vocals of Izzy Brooks and the subdued production make Hugh a slightly more thoughtful – and very promising – prospect.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

I AM HORSE – Fire

Although it initially comprises of nothing more than a lone vocal and gentle violin, Bristol trio I Am Horse’s new song Fire quickly develops into something much more full-bodied. The delicate pizzicato strings add a touch of orchestral elegance to proceedings, but fear not – it’s far from polite.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

JIMMY & THE REVOLVERS – Sunday Morning

Imagine, and it’s quite an image, Simon & Garfunkel hosting a barnyard hoe-down, and you won’t be too far off the latest track from Liverpool quartet Jimmy & The Revolvers. Combining intelligent songwriting with good-natured throwaway fun, Sunday Morning continues the tradition of great songs being written about the first twelve hours of the Sabbath.

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JUMP THE SHARK – There’s Always One

Bounding along with all the energy of a hyperactive kids’ TV theme tune, There’s Always One is an explosion of colourful pop-rock from Nottingham’s Jump The Shark. It’s available to download for free from their Soundcloud, and we would highly recommend getting your hands on it if you happen to be suffering from a case of the Monday blues.

Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

KRAMIES – The Wooden Heart

“Expansive”, “widescreen”, “windswept” – all of these words have been used to describe the latest EP from Kramies, and very accurate they all are too. The lead single and title track The Wooden Heart is at once cinematic and comforting and, despite its name, full of warmth and personality.

Reverbnation | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | MySpace

RAFIKI – Another Time

Sounding like a jazzier, funked up version of the very fantastic TTNG (This Town Needs Guns), Falmouth five-piece Rafiki’s latest offering delivers laid-back beachside groove and shimmering complexity in equal measure. Vocally there are comparisons to be drawn with the well-spoken drawl of The Maccabees’ Orlando Weeks, but Rafiki’s brand of asymmetrical alt-pop is quite different to most other young guitar bands around at the moment.

Soundcloud | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

THE BURNING HELL – Amateur Rappers

Amateur Rappers was one of the most popular tracks in the Listening Post this week, and rightly so. The Burning Hell is the musical vehicle of Canadian Mathias Kom, and it’s safe to say that with this track they have ticked all of the boxes – and then some. Musically it’s razor-sharp and kraut-flecked (until it descends into glorious, cacophonous chaos towards the end), but it’s Kom’s dry observational lyrics that make Amateur Rapper so gratifying, and so much damn fun. Whatever else you do this week, be sure to watch the video for Amateur Rappers on YouTube.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

PS from TR: If you’ve submitted a track that hasn’t made the Listening Post you’re welcome to re-submit it another week. If your music has appeared on the Listening Post but not in our Fresh Faves, feel free to send us an even stronger track another week. But if your music has appeared in our Fresh Fave or my BBC Introducing Mixtape recently, please hold back 2-3 months before sending us another track, to give other deserving new artists a chance…

For more info about why we ask this – and how the Listening Post process works – see Robinson Has A Good Old Moan.