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

It’s been a fantastic year here at Team Mods so far as the inbox has been tipping the scales at heavyweight proportions with upwards of 180-220 tracks. I have to be honest 8-10 hours of music can be very, very hard on the ears and I must admire the hardcore who, unlike me participate, every week without fail! I doff my cap also to those who submit music, to the crafters and builders, keep it up. I have personally submitted stuff that hasn’t made it in the past and know the sting of rejection… but as I often think, like the character Butch in Pulp Fiction when addressed by Marcellus Wallace, “You feel that sting Butch? That’s pride, that’s pride fucking with you”. Take the hits folks and the rewards will flow, they may not manifest themselves as you first wished, but they do in some way, somehow, find a way.

ATLANTIC MACHINE – A New Life

Hello London band Atlantic Machine to my old leathery lugs, two part harmony filling up my jugs with joyous embrace. “Embrace a new day and start a new life” created an image of folk on a misty meadow, licking new years dew from a four leaf clover. Lyrically acid folk, musically anthemic, heraldic and pure as that first tab. Behind this curtain I am convinced there is much more to this band. It’s an easy get out clause to suggest you go listen…but you’re reading this right? Right click a right good pick.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

BESS ATWELL – Cherry Baby

“Everything must go because we are closing down”. Part breakup song and part renewal and part re-birth. Speaking as a hungry catterpillar awaiting the crysalis moment, I think Bess Atwell has hers here. There is composition and control in the production of this track only earned by careful thought and execution. This is something excellently recorded and layered, in a sense it needs multiple listens to see the audible rings in this beautiful old oak. I aways thank my fellow mods when I miss something genuinely ace. In this moment I also thank you all who voted her and brought her to my attention.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

DIZRAELI – Madness

Right, confession time! I still remember following this guy on Myspace, back in those times where ONE website did it all. First brought to my attention by a very cool collective of DJs based in Chester called FunkDub who also booked and brought such acts as Pharcide, Dreadzone and Little Barrie to a venue I earned my spurs in called Telford’s Warehouse. To discover Dizraeli is back and independent fills me with unbridled JOY! Sublime, tight, nasty and filled with lyrics any poet would be happy to polish especially “Muscles spasaming in nasty ways, faces glisten like their cast in clay” a sure fire strobe light pompeii moment of animal gurners just captured perfectly. The man is an artist of pure CLASS.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

HOT DREAMS – California

Striding forth proudly and releasing this track as their single just a few weeks ago Hot Dreams are absolutely hitting their stride. Dates booked for a tour UK wide and sitting in a garden of equals I’d compare them to Guillemots or Wild Beasts. I’d imagine them supporting bands of this calibre and ilk soon, or at the least snuggling up to them at a good old fashioned tidy British festival this year. Check out their links online to see them at a venue near you…

Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter

INEZA – Where Are You From

The difficulty I experience on a weekly basis is the sheer volume of great artists that slip right by me. Again that is why this system works so well. Audience participation ensures a diversity of tastes and throws some great music into our top ten. Ineza labels herself neo-soul and R & B and if she continues to marry this simply stunning voice to great storytelling she could see herself step up into a mantle left vacant on these isles since Amy Winehouse. But who am I to judge? As she herself asks, “where are you from?”, knowing it really doesn’t matter as long as you are of good spirit and on the same path.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | YouTube | Bandcamp

IZZIE YARDLEY – Aurelia (Live Demo)

How do you write words to do justice to something you feel in awe of? How do you compliment the hummingbird or the bumblebee as they simply do that to which they were born? This song simply urges you to sit and gaze outside and enjoy the gift of your life. Izzie Yardley has such an engaging manner and lushious voice I think I might be in love. She encourages the listener to listen as she “fills her eyes for the last time” and her fingers slide around the guitar neck as smoothly as a watercourse does the rocks. “What if we are all the same, i’d die if something takes my place” is such a juxtapositional line you can’t but help relate.

Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter

KYOTI – Restart the World

Sometimes it’s nice when you get it right and Kyoti had my vote and quite a few other mods. It’s great to see we can all get along somethimes especially when someone emplores us to “Restart the world, turn it up turn it on again”. Hooky and sat like a well decorated confectionary over some tastey action underneath. Gimme some more electro synthy vibes please and whilst your at it nail your lyrics then make me and loads of fans chant it back at you? Tick, tick, boom. #nailedit.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

NOISENSE – Spring In January

Sometimes you find something essentially perfect and then another person just describes it better than you could ever do. So much like a gallery owner touting their newest collection of works I force the musician to the fore and emplore them, in their own words to do their art justice…”Music that will surely fit people who won’t fit anyhow. Eclectic, progressive, neoclassic, cinematic and more. If you listen to my music, you run the risk of feeling something. Be aware”.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

THE MOSTAR DIVING CLUB – Lovely Bones

As readers of this blog may know am a sucker for this kind of artist. What is this kind of artist I hear you ask? Well for starters I’m not about to be Jimmy pigeon holes on your account. Apart from the references to flailing and skin wearing as love, the tidy as fuck bass part reminiscent of your bestest Spaghetti Westerns and the sea shantyesque intro… apart from that I’d simply ask you go over it again and again and pick the fine jelly from its eye sockets before some other grim reaper in your circle claims The Mostar Diving Club as their fave new band. Oh hold on, it’s you, isn’t it.

Official | Soundcloud | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube | Bandcamp

TOM SHAWCROFT – Why?

Is it a good or a bad thing to reference Justin Beiber here? Before you think I’m about to cut loose and be all nasty and harsh and stuff, sit back down pal. Wind your neck in. This is a love song in the best traditions of finest pop. Many, many, many people myself included have felt the burn. We can’t always write tunes about Welsh rock formations after the neolithic split millions of years ago and how the two land masses of Britain and Ireland have spiritually made those who inhabit those rocks fight over such petty things? I mean is it just me? Love does cruel things to us all and thankfully Tom Shawcroft is harnessing the pain and turning it into raw musical power. As Frankie once said “Ferry across the Mersey was powered by love”. I’ll get my coat…

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.