These Fresh Faves were picked by our readers over the weekend – and reviewed by Fresh On The Net’s Ola Szmidt this week. You can hear all these tracks in a single Soundcloud playlist here.

Ola’s been a little poorly of late, and has apparently written these reviews powered by a combination of Panadol and a medicinal shot of port. Seeing how good they are, this will now become standard Fresh On The Net practice. Get well soon, Ola!

A LOVE LIKE PI – Wide Away

Three handsome boys from Brooklyn! A Love Like Pi will seriously make you miss the summer! Listening, I feel like dancing and sweating from endlessly spinning around to the beat, my head is moving and I’m smiling. Their sound is like a breeze cooling you down on a hot summer’s day. Even though Halloween has just passed, if I close my eyes, I can imagine I’m somewhere in the tropics or a cool club. The band’s website also has an interesting design, worth checking out! If you are a fan of electronic, downtempo and ambient, A Love Like Pi will be right up your street!

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter

ANDREW LEE FARQUHAR – Power Of The Sundragon

I must confess I’ve been listening to this piece by Andrew Lee Farquhar on my bike while cycling in York’s heavy fog during the day, and it was magical!

If you are fan of Ludovico Eunaudi and Hans Zimmer, this music will soothe you and satisfy your contemporary classical taste. We don’t get many submissions with original scores, so I’m glad Andrew shared this with us. If you enjoyed it as much as me, you can buy his music and carry it with you this autumn.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

BLACK CASINO AND THE GHOST – Veggie Tarantula

Loving the song title for starters! Crunchy! Vocals reminiscent of Karen O (Yeah Yeah Yeahs), and production a la The Black Keys, which is a monumental compliment from me. I adore the energy and I’m putting them on a list of bands to watch out for and definitely check out live! I’m hoping to see them play some summer festivals next year!

Black Casino and the Ghost are getting impressive feedback from different radio stations and bloggers, and I’m dying to see what the future brings for this group of noise makers! According to their bio, “Black Casino and the Ghost are an alternative rock band consisting of Elisa Zoot (vocals, piano) Ariel Lerner (guitar) Gary Kilminster (bass) and Paul Winter-Hart (drums). The band was formed in London in 2010. Their music is about isolation, disorientation, lust, and how to fly a plane through turbulence without spilling your coffee.”

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

BORDER SCOUT – Stars Out

This is an ambient, downtempo soundtrack to a movie that hasn’t been made yet, but I hope it will! Border Scout hail from the cold north and you can sense that in the sounds they make. They have released their debut album, The Nature Of Things, and you can buy it on their website. I also recommend you check out their video.

Quoting from their Facebook page: “It has been years in creation and a huge challenge to achieve and release, but it is a piece of work we are hugely proud of, and hope it can now spread far and wide and be well appreciated.”

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

ELLIE FORD – July

My personal favourite in this week’s faves! Please watch the video for this song, as it’s a minimal, noir beauty, and one of a kind!

Ellie Ford is a folkstress and super-talented harpist, and yes you may think she’s reminiscent of Joanna Newsom, but is that not a lovely comparison? Indeed. July is the first single release from Ellie’s debut album, The Other Sun, which was recorded with Harvey Summers at Broadoak Studios earlier this year. The album will be released on Hidden Trail Records in Spring 2016.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

SOUND SANCTUARY – Kodak Sun

I enjoyed listening to this track from Sound Sanctuary so much that pressed the replay button a couple of times. It’s simply beautiful! I like the vibe, as it reminds me of songs from artists I admire (Jose Gonzales and John Martyn).

I tried to find more information about the artist for you, but he’s very mysterious. I have no idea where he’s from, and my Sherlock investigation mode takes me back to his Soundcloud page every single time, where all I can see is a beautiful photograph and the song he shared with us. Thank you for sharing and we hope to hear more in the future.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

THE BALTIC STATES – The Storm

Any fans of house/techno/EDM out there? Here is the collective from Liverpool for you! This track from The Baltic States was very popular with Fresh On The Net voters this week too. I like the production and haunting vocals by Helena Morrison.

You can check them live at The Social in London on 7th November, and buy tickets here. Their EP, The Boxes, along with some cool t-shirts, is available on Bandcamp.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

THE CADBURY SISTERS – Sleepless Nights

So happy to see a band I personally know featured on our blog! What a lovely coincidence, and I’m glad that the people who voted publicly recognised its beauty!

Sometimes a song has to be played at the right time, when it means more and puts you in the moment; you focus on every sound and sung word and every harmony hits you deep. When your soul is slowing down in the traffic of the day and it’s getting dark, I think that is an ideal time to listen to this song. My personal prescription: at night or on a lonely walk, put headphones on and let your ears melt to the sounds of The Cadbury Sisters. I had a chance to support them in the past, and their live performance and energy is angelic and wonderful. I would highly recommend you check out the rest of the songs on their EP.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

THE VRYLL SOCIETY – Coshh

I believe this band has been featured on our blog before, but this is the first time I’m reviewing their music. Ha! Well, I can certainly sense some pretty good influences like The Stone Roses, Can, The Verve — and yes, they made me think of Kula Shaker!

The Vryll Society hail from Liverpool, and certainly create an amazing energy, because my house is on fire! I’m sitting down, trying cool my fever with paracetamol, but I want to hear more. I’m going to check out more of their music tomorrow. And yes! This is a perfect music for Groundhog Day in real life. I would not mind waking up to it every day for the rest of my life — it would pull me out of the bed!

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter

ZOLA BLOOD – Pieces Of The Day

I’m fussy when comes to production quality, and this one ticks all the boxes! Brilliant lyrics, blissful guitars, beautifully crafted drums and beats. The vocals are absolutely stunning, and I just love how the song evolves. Every little addition of synths kicks in at the perfect moment and makes my hair stand on end! I would love to hear some remixes too, and I can sense an ambitious and talented collective here!

I can imagine myself wearing headphones when hitting that agoraphobic mode in the subway and getting lost in this song by Zola Blood, and I hope they will get a lot or airplay. I’m putting this band on my list to watch, and I recommend you check out their Pledge Music campaign.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | PledgeMusic

PS from TR: If you’ve submitted a track that hasn’t been picked for the Listening Post, our team has definitely listened to it and there’s no need to send it again: feel free to send us an even stronger track another week. The same goes if you were picked for the Listening Post but didn’t feature in our Fresh Faves.

But if we’ve recently featured you in our Fresh Faves – or on my BBC Introducing Mixtape – please wait three months before sending us another track, so we have space to help other deserving artists… For more info see Robinson Has A Good Old Moan.