Our 200th Fresh Faves were picked by our readers over the weekend – and reviewed by Fresh On The Net’s Johnno Casson (aka Snippet) this week. You can hear all these tracks in a single Soundcloud playlist here.

Hi ya

As someone who has been on the team since the very beginning of the Listening Post and the Fresh Faves it is a real honour to review this selection of songs as chosen by you to be our 200th Fresh Faves selection.

New music artists continue to give great music and Fresh On The Net supporters continue to give great feedback and from this comes a wonderful sharing music community and I know the team really appreciate it.

The gap between the quality of songs of independent music artists and mainstream artists can often be paper thin and often the difference in quality of what you hear is non-existent so tuning into #newmusic is the gift that keeps on giving. Its also really refreshing and exciting to see so many independent artists we have known ‘getting on’ and developing their music making careers with but a little help from Fresh On The Net.

Artists continue to submit to our dropbox every mon-thur and where chosen by the team to be included on the Listening Post – have their music critiqued without the standard rallying of their troops, family and friends to back them up-and as artists that is a really brave thing to do so salute to you all.

We listen to every song that comes into our dropbox and every single week the range of songs we receive is amazing. Each moderator picks 1 song as their fave and lists others that they think deserves attention, from those selections we build the Listening Post and I just wanted to say-if you don’t get through then please don’t think you or your music are not good enough. We only have so many spaces and it’s a personal perspective of the team purely based on what comes out of the speakers, we have many artists who don’t make it through at first but go on to be included in subsequent weeks/months-Keep on keepin’ on and developing your songwriting skills.

And we are lucky to have such great listeners/readers of the blog and your involvement is not only bloody brilliant but it is key to what we do, so from me (and the team) a big thank you.

x

And onwards and upwards we go with the 200th Fresh Faves…

31HOURS – Royal Box

This is a bit lot lovely!

From its lone bass intro straight out of the Ron Carter text book it makes its intentions clear from the off-it wants your heart, it seeks your soul and it will reach both via lyrics of servants and performances being out of your hands.

But dear reader/dear listener-what’s he chatting about in this song? The royal variety performance? Saucy upstairs/downstairs carry ons at the palace? Is it the royal family who are huffing and puffing?

OR is it a wider social narrative of class and social standing?

I do not have a scooby but I will tell thee this-I am loving the journey and the sound emanating from 31Hours and based on the votes this week you agreed too.

31Hours are a five piece from Oxford (Jo Griffin, Jake Kavanagh, Sam Davies, Rebekah Whittingham, Simon Himpson) and they deserves your ears (with hearts and souls to follow).

This is music to eat pineapples to, this is music to dance like a freaky bishop to, this is music to make your teeth whiter, oh I don’t bloody know I’m just a man with an over-active imagination, I’d go with beautiful atmospheric pop music.

Get on it, sway like an itchy (yet interesting) tree then pounce.

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ALBERT MAN – Don’t Be That Guy

This track proved to be a popular choice with your dear listeners/readers, with sweet piano led shenanigans that come over like the lovechild of Billy Joel and Adam Levine.

Don’t Be That Guy is big on stomp and wide on ambition, it’s a great song to walk to, I can imagine lots of characters walking purposefully in the video, not just anybody though-only qualified people with a natural sense of movement. Not through the whole video though-this isn’t a Peter Kay vehicle.

Picture it-Albert starts the video dressed as the Hollywood ‘taker’ with the hideous tie and the hair dye and slowly through the video he loses the flashy clothes to reveal the real Albert Man, in beard and hat.

I can imagine hundreds walking together at the end (perhaps in a giant aeroplane hangar) with fire around the edges and dry ice, yeah lots of dry ice, with a few trapeze artists for good measure,the odd elephant could work too,ah just riffing man with video gold.

Try walking to the song yourself – put it on and walk purposefully around your home to the beat….what do you think?…..works bloody great for walking doesn’t it?

He has a great gravelly rock voice does Albert and he looks great in a hat, believe me it’s not everyone who can work a hat in this game.

He’s half-German half-Mancunian too, now that sounds like a real interesting combination.

Ladies and gentlemen, we give you Albert Man, now walk with me.

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HAVE YOU EVER SEEN THE JANE FONDA AEROBIC VHS? – Family Man

This smells of gritty pubs and sweaty clubs,this stinks of youthful exuberance and a I don’t give a fuck attitude-I, of course like it a hell of a bit, a whole of a lot – it has put a spring up my boulevard and looking out of the window has caused my garden bed of pansies to wither and appear forlorn.

JaneFondaAerobicVHS are a 3 piece from Finland (Susanna Pilli-Sihvola – Vocals, Bass Ekku Lintunen – Keys, Vocals Janne Petteri – Drums, Horn) and they are coming to eat your children.

This is good ‘ole rock n roll with an 80’s twang & 60’s girl group whirl, oh and they give great organ.

JaneFondaAerobicVHS are the kind of band I can imagine the great John Peel championing, music to remind you that you are alive.

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JIMBODENI – Hear Me Now

I settle myself, slow my breathing, take off my smalls and climb into the floatation tank I’ve fitted in my lean-to, I need the right kind of music to chill me bones and luckily Jimbodeni just happened to come along at the right time.

The opening gambit of lush synths is right up my floatation and then Jim lad starts to gently croon ‘Every day I still feel the same way’, its like he’s been reading my mind and understands the stressful week I’ve had and the pressure my life has been under-within seconds I’m peaceful, I’m centred, I’m a bit light (and to be frank – fluffy).

But hold up! The tune soon develops into an post club Ibiza slow burner to watch the sunrise to, only I can’t see the sunrise as the blessed recycling boxes are in the way in the lean-to, I try to stretch my neck but realise its pointless as the dismantled shelving unit (in MDF) is also blocking a clear view of the bloody sunrise. Its 6.47am and I start to wonder whether this was a good idea as its a bit parky out here but BANG!!! The tune hits 2 mins 46 sec and loads of strings from different songs start to appear on top of the groove and take my mind off everything but this song, my mind is suddenly emptied and it relaxes me yet again, it feels like my body has taken a chill pill but the only problem I have is I now need a wee! Oh well, its my floatation tank so I’ll just go in-situ, no one will notice.

Lincoln based Jimbodeni has already been getting support from BBC Introducing in East Midlands and its not surprising with his beautiful falcetto voice and lush synth and string arrangements. Good luck on the journey.

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LAURENCE MADE ME CRY – Mneme

I know Jo from Lawrence Made Me Cry in an online sense and have championed her music for a while now, writing about her for Fresh On The Net as far back as 2012 and even did a wonky remix of one of her songs (featuring Pulco).

I think Jo is an extremely talented lady and its double prizes that she is a lovely person too.

She has a voice to melt hearts and ice cubes at 30 paces and an ability to mesmerise you simply with the tone of her voice-that is a precious gift.

I find her music to be both meditative and built for the changing seasons, I know that sounds a bit hippyish but on listening I was temporarily lost for the right word(s)-I guess I mean it’s music to take with you on journeys.

In my humble opinion this isn’t her strongest track because she has some real corkers in her arsenal but its still more than able to stand taller than most contemporaries in her field.

I love the french singing (very nice touch on this tune).

Anyone singing in French would get my vote tbh…….

HOLD ON! …thinking about it – that was a lie – if David Cameron put out a record of French Cafe music it definitely wouldn’t get my vote.

If Boris Johnson did an album of Edith Piaf covers that would be another very big no

and

if Michael Gove and George Osbourne did a mash up of Daft Punk and Air I would burn the feck out of it on all formats – CD, vinyl (with gate fold sleeve) AND limited edition blue cassette – a man needs to have principles with his choice of French singers you know.

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NORDIK SONAR – Magic

The Fresh Faves are alive with 80’s tinged music this week, oh and a strong Nordic undercurrent too.

You guys lapped this one up and kissed it fully on the mouth.

NORDIK SONAR are from Sweden and they either have first rate syrups on their heads via the costume department or a really stylish hairdresser in charge with a hell of a lot of bleach to tease their sexy boy platinum blonde haircuts.

This is well made electro pop music and you really liked it, fans of synth pop, the Pet Shop Boys, the ’80s and Eurovision will want to keep on pressing repeat.

The song is like an ’80s eurovision electro pop monster crafted by Abba’s Benny & Björn following a night of poppers, vintage synths and greasy dancefloors in Helsinki and once it gets you it will not let you go, it will not let you have your life back and I warn you(!) more than 2 plays of this song and you might be eternally stuck in a Stockholm based synth fantasy dream sequence (in 1983).

Take two Gary Numans, a sachet of Depeche Mode and a lie down in a darkened room and I’ll check on you in the morning.

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SASHA – Fall On My Feet

Our Sasha, how you cleanse my tainted palette so.

What a gorgeous voice and simple but deft delivery of a gentle winner of a tune.

I am not lazy (just careful with how I use my energy) so I won’t list the comparison artists to Sacha, she deserves better than that and here at Fresh On The Net we strive to be better, performing with a piano and a subtle arrangement will never go out of fashion when its done as beautifully as this.

Sasha is 20 years old and has been studying songwriting at the Institute of Contemporary Music in London, in a sign of how out of touch I am with the educational system, I thought you could only learn such things through life ‘n’ that. Anyway, I digress-this young lady is obviously a canny learner, she done gone picked up ’nuff skills as her music is tip-top gorgeous and full of deep promise for a future in this music game.

Fall On My Feet has just been released as Sasha’s latest single and it will make you swoon over your cornflakes, go woozy under canvas and fall in love with an organic lifestyle.

This is better than music in adverts!

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SORORITY – Calimari

You know when you get a dead leg and it makes you walk funny for a minute but you also laugh your head off as you wobbly recover your equilibrium? That’s what this reminded me of and I blooming love it.

Never in the history of popular music has a song about Calimari sounded so good!!! This appeals to my Snippet sensibilities big time, I much very like the rhythm and sweet awkwardness of this tune.

My new favourite band.

I couldn’t find a thing about this artist online other than their info bereft Soundcloud page so instead of giving you reams of insightful and factual information about them I will instead list things I like from the sea alongside Calamari.

FISH-They’re great aren’t they? So fishy and full of swim (except when they are on my plate)

SALT-This is really good when added to food for taste, works really well with fish strangely

DOLPHINS-Whats not to like about dolphins? Those clicky noises they make (so cute), their playful behaviour (also cute), I really don’t like them with my tuna (not cute).

TURTLES-Hard shell, soft inner (like my own tough vs easy going disposition), also-they can get old which is most pleasant.

VIEWS-Little bit of a controversial one is this as its not exactly from the sea per-say but as I am setting the rules its in! Plus being near the sea makes me well with its wonderful range of views and that is very advantageous to life.

SEA MONSTERS-Sea monsters are well cool although not when you are in the water at the same time (not cool and possibly scary and dangerous). The great thing about sea monsters is they look like they were made in ’50s B-movie-vision and when a new one is discovered its always more outlandish than anything you’ve seen before. I live most of my life waiting to look at new sea monsters, send in snaps and sketches.

Soundcloud

TITUS MONK – Coughing Up Long Black Hair

I heard this recently on Adam Walton’s fine BBC Radio Wales radio show and loved it.

I think I described it then as being like a walk through a mysterious woods (in Czechoslovakia), does anyone remember those dark and slightly eerie Czechoslovakian cartoons they used to show on the BBC years ago?

They were wonderful, full of interesting characters with great drawings/animation, a bit trippy and odd…. actually, thinking about it – what were they dishing out to kids back in the day? No wonder I am wonky wired – kids TV did that to me!

Any road up, I’ve gone off the point-this Titus Monk tune could be a soundtrack to those cartoons, its the kind of music that happens when BBC Radio 3 gets really interesting like with the Late Junction show.

Titus Monk is the brainchild of a man called Adam, a nice chap from Criccieth in Wales with an active musical imagination that freethinkers would give their eyeteeth for.

He makes music that isn’t made for putting in a box or filling under a certain genre,this is outsider art for enlightened people,go with it and enjoy the glorious ride.

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WOJTEK THE BEAR – The Drunken Sailor

There is nothing better than a singer singing in his natural brogue and it always resonates with me when that singer is Scottish.

This is a nailed on grower that doesn’t try to ram its tongue down your throat on the first date, it takes its time, it buys you flowers and remembers the first names of your Mum and Dad, it takes you out on several dates (with no kisses or actual penetration) and then when you are ready it puts its arm around your waist and it cuddles you like it hasn’t seen you for 10 years and you feel special, you feel loved, you feel like you are home, you feel like you have found your bearings and that’s all it ever wanted.

Songs eh-they’re bloody great ain’t they?

I thought with a name like Wojtek the Bear we were going to get a Gogol Bordello vibe and that couldn’t be further from the truth for this guitar fuelled indie 4 piece of Graham, Martin, Neil and Tam and they are from Glasgow and they formed only this year.

I don’t want to put their sound into this box or that box, it worked for me and it worked for you and that is all you can ask for.

Thanks for tuning in to the faves

Johnno

x

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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.