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

ANGHARAD DRAKE – Heaven Knows

Brisbane based Angharad Drake‘s new twelve track album Ghost was released last week.
On this song, entitled Heaven Knows, her beautiful Bon Iver (pronounced “Eve Air”) influenced vocals flow ethereally over this musical gem that rises and falls like the breath of life itself.

By pure coincidence I also reviewed her last success here in the Faves 218 batch. With her latest track, Angharad succeeds in crossing that barrier between true folk and the popular music genre. In the music business you simply have to get your name noticed and this lady is doing just that.

Angharad is a Welsh name that translates to “much loved one” – well I have listened to the album Ghost and believe me, it lives up to the translation of her name.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

ANNABEL ALLUM – Rich Backgrounds

“Fucking” in the second second, lyrically, is not the best way to get radio airplay. Leaving that aside this is a great song. It is getting heard, too, having made the influential Spotify UK Viral 50 last week.

Annabel Allum is a guitarist and vocalist who knows exactly what she is doing, and you can tell it’s one hundred percent her ideas and presentation. I understand exactly why it received attention from the FOTN moderators, and more importantly the Listening Post voters this week; heavy, full and with a forceful, passionate vocal, Rich Backgrounds is emotionally loaded. Structurally, the song is simple, but made magnificent by the confident delivery. And, at the end of my very long day, this is the Fave I find myself singing. Good sign.

The accompanying video is an enjoyable watch too. I love it! Annabel is walking backwards at the end for real. No camera trickery…

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

ANNELLE GREGORY – Romance In A Minor

Romance in A Minor is the first track on Annelle Gregory‘s twenty track album Rachmaninoff: Complete Works & Transcriptions for Violin and Piano.

This calming and beautiful piece is executed flawlessly by Los Angeles based and award winning Annelle.
This reviewer is no violinist, but I understand glides and mega talented fingerwork. If you take the time to properly appreciate this piece you will be rewarded with the warmth and calm that is only truly delivered by the classical genre.

Do check out her live performance with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra via this youtube video.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter

DARK HORSE – Dark Horse

Dark Horse, by Dark Horse is the opening song on new three track EP Shot Down. It’s up on Spotify, and all bands do appreciate a ‘follow’ there.

Dark Horse is Matt Knee from Wakefield and features the smooth focused vocals of Rosie Doonan. As a live act they are six strong with Meg joining Rosie on vocals. The project is really the solo production of Matt Knee who revels in studio layering, I suspect. This dark horse is a smooth ride, the song just powers along. I recall liking it instantly while moderating and putting it into my weeks shortlist within twenty five seconds (at the point it kicks in) so I am pleased it made the Faves this week.

Soundcloud | Facebook | Bandcamp

LISBON – Tyler

Matthew Varty, Joe Atkinson and Alex Wright are Lisbon. They have been at this career for five years and it shows. Turn the volume control up… up… up and bask in the stereo. My KEF speaker cones are pulsating, and that makes me so happy. Bloody great song guys. It has vocals and a musical construction that I admire hugely. The percussion stop-start is a musical masterpiece. Genuine. That’s why it made the Faves. This deserves radio play if anything does.

Oh, and “Tyler” is a film character, from Fight Club, if you are wondering.
[Nick! The first rule of Tyler is: you do not talk about… never mind. Ed.]

“Dreaming of the California sun. We’re all famous when we’re young!” From Whitley Bay, Newcastle… I get it!

Lisbon play at the Newcastle, Hit the North Festival this Friday 28th. Be there.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

MISFIRES – Come On Over

Based in Swindon, this four piece indie band Misfires are (on the strength of this song) better than Catfish & The Bottlemen in my humble opinion. Come on Over is actually everything a great rock song should be. Why? Because it is short, tight, and drives and drives and drives. Another one you need to turn the volume up on if you want to get the full impact at home.

Judging by what is clearly genuine social media comment, you just must go to see them if you like this stuff. Matty Owens (guitar, vocals), Jake Dodwell (bass, vocals), Mart Benning (guitar) and James Thomson (drums) are the musicians behind this Fave. I sometimes wonder how long bands spend crafting songs like this. Days, weeks, months? I don’t know the answer but I do know they are not misfiring. Defo.

Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter

PENGUIN – Not A Problem

I believe this demo is crying out for proper mastering. It sounds boxy to me especially at the start, and if that effect is intentional I am truly sorry. I know it sometimes is deliberate but this music is just too powerful to be boxed up. Invest in a professional mastering job guys.

The song is fantastic and I believe the structure and overall groove established right from the start is majestic. Songwriting at it’s best from a new band. I have an obsession and a belief that a song has to develop and this is as good an example of what I like as you can find. The last minute is so unexpected. The vocal mix with the music is perfect and hard to achieve in Alt-Rock. Great mix, if not yet mastered.

Penguin are so new there is not much else to disclose. Supposedly there are three of them. Anyway, this reviewer is very impressed.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter

THE HOUSE OF JED – You’ll Wait a Long Time for Me

Jarrod Gollihare is the producer, writer and multi instrumentalist behind the magical House of Jed: Indie-Pop at it’s British finest. And You’ll Wait a Long Time For Me is not Jarrod’s first success and recognition here; he regularly takes the time and trouble to listen and vote on other acts on the Listening Post. That said this is here purely on merit.

Crafted neatly and cleverly written, this smooth song gets in your head and stays. It has mesmerizing effect on my cells. With a sense of humour as good as his music, Jed claims to be influenced by Wombats. The creatures, not the band…

Check out his bandcamp page linked below to hear more great songs from the House of Jed.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | Bandcamp

UNKLE BOB – Try

Glasgow musician Rick Webster AKA Unkle Bob releases Try, a song from his forthcoming 19th May, seven-track mini album entitled The Highest Mountains.

The collection of songs will document his journey from Ghana to Berlin and the Scottish Highlands. That is a journey.

From the shimmering piano intro, Rick’s considered vocal haunts the soul. You can get fabulously lost in this song. Written in the isolation of the Scottish Highlands, Rick has probably experienced the same remote influences as log cabined Bon Iver did when writing For Emma, Forever Ago. And the shortness of the song only adds to the charm. It is perfect for late night airplay! Hint hint Unkle Tom…

It had me hooked solid after the third play. A short but brilliant song. Rick: this needs a video!

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

YOKE LORE – Only You

Brooklyn, NY based Adrian Galvin is Yoke Lore. He teaches yoga and runs a dance company when not writing and performing. This song is fast, slow, clever, dynamic, rhythmic, soft and mellow and all within the first minute. However, “classy”, is the one word I will use to describe it.

Yoke Lore is a SXSW participant (South by South-West, in the common tongue) currently breaking through to a wider audience, and this production is top class, professional affair to match. He is currently touring the US, and kicks off seven UK dates in Brighton in exactly four weeks, including a stop at Thekla, Bristol on 24th May.

Yoke Lore translates to “Connected Tales” or “Fixed ideas”.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

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.