Every week Signal Committee present an Eclectic Picks playlist. All tracks are selected from the full inbox of 200 tracks that are submitted each week to Fresh On The Net. This week all the hard work and credit goes to our special guest moderator, Pulses

WHAT DO WE LOOK FOR?

Our playlists are orientated to the alternative music fan. Lyrics are not essential, abstract ideas are embraced and the fusing of different genres is encouraged. If you used to write band names on your pencil case at school, you’ll probably like our playlists.

INTRODUCING PULSES

After we released our debut album we stumbled onto Twitter, wondering how to tell people about it. Soon enough, we found the BBC Feedback Friday post. At first it seemed like a thinly veiled game of artists pretending to like each other’s work in the hope of reciprocation. But then we found Pulses’ track, Magma Rockstar and thought…. “damn that’s good!”. Electronic, but with a nice blend of guitar work, it was one of a handful of tracks that really stood out that week. That week was a light bulb moment for us, realising there was an awful lot of decent music not getting the audience it deserves, just like all of the artists on the list below.

Since we first discovered Pulses’ music, the lad has been prolific. He seems to bring out a new single so often sometimes he forgets to even tell anyone about it. During and after lockdown he’s got his hands dirty with Facebook Live Streaming and he’s also one of the founding members of the ‘Lone Wolf Festival’ – a unique opportunity for solo artists to shine.

OUR PICK OF THE WEEK

Regular favourites to the Eclectic Picks, Michael Donoghue and Minimums, came close but they’ll have to settle for a podium spot. This week we’ve gone for ‘Peeky Hole’ by Ben Sword. This track might scare off the faint hearted but, if so, that’s a good thing…. the smaller the audience the bigger the occasion. It’s got serious energy, guitar riffs that Beavis & Butthead would rock out to and some screaming that Zack de la Rocha would doff his cap to. Apparently Pulses had his whole family rocking out to it too.

A FEW WORDS FROM PULSES ON THIS WEEK’S PICKS

Knowing how important it is to those who submit their music to Fresh On The Net, I felt a duty to approach the task of making my eclectic picks with a due sense of duty and solemnity. Bidding my family farewell, I ascended the most remote mountaintop I could find, to cogitate, contemplate and deliberate on the rich selection of tunes submitted via the interweb. The sheer quality and diversity of genres drove me into a trance like state, at the end of which my subconscious had scrawled the names of 15 acts onto the mountainside in what looked curiously like human blood. Listening back, I trusted my subconscious had chosen an accurate representation of quality tunes that represented the eclecticism of submissions this week. The acts are listed below with brief notes on what makes each so special.

Pink Mirrors– Die Young: Chant-along indie rock to shake your fillings loose

Lauren Hoyle– Fun: Pop hit in waiting with a chorus as big as a continent

It’s Just Cat– Ache: Streetwise and edgy, a friendly mugger of a tune

Ben Sword– Peeky Hole: New genre- disturbed hotel manager voyeur rock

Minimums– Augmented: Elegant EDM that demands to be played twice over

Weird Milk– Make It Alone (Lonely Boy): Angular rock-funk with the urgency of a child desperate for the loo

Lines of Flight– Midnight On Front Street: Electro Folk that insinuates itself into your brain and refuses to leave

Tom Houston– Don’t Drop It Dexter: Banging dance beat underscoring a fascinating tale delivered in a pleasing Scottish brogue

Michael Donoghue– Aequorea IV: Dance supremo producing unpronounceable track

Sadfmic– Allotments: Relentless indie rock driver by unpronounceable band

Chima Anya– Trolls: Gritty cautionary rap tale of perils of social media

Albert Jones– Fallen Into Place: Singalong pop by silky voiced troubadour destined for a Saturday afternoon at Glastonbury

Syrel– The Twin Bathroom: Ambitious (and successful) orchestral epic that at over 8 minutes still wasn’t the longest submission this week

The Holy Orders- Prairie Dogs: Unstoppable indie juggernaut with too many new wave/rock/punk influences to name

The Lunar Keys– Stop This: Insidiously catchy pop hit in waiting, start this again.

LISTEN

You can listen to this weeks playlist using the player below, or click here to open the Soundcloud playlist in a new window. For the best listening experience… crank up the volume and immerse yourself in the music!

ARTISTS SELECTED THIS WEEK

1. PINK MIRRORS – Die Young
2. LAUREN HOYLE – Fun
3. IT’S JUST CAT – Ache ft. Lauren Smith
4. BEN SWORD – Peeky Hole
5. MINIMUMS – Augmented
6. WEIRD MILK – Make It Alone (Lonely Boy)
7. LINES OF FLIGHT – Midnight On Front Street
8. TOM HOUSTON – Don’t Drop It Dexter
9. MICHAEL DONOGHUE – Aequorea IV
10. SADMIC – Allotments
11. CHIMA ANYA – Trolls
12. ALBERT JONES – Fallen Into Place
13. SYREL – The Twin Bathroom
14. THE HOLY ORDERS – Prairie Dogs
15. THE LUNAR KEYS – Stop This

RADIO OPPORTUNITIES

We all have ambitions to get on national radio, but in the meantime there are loads of great, independent radio stations that are always looking for new music of the alternative variety. They offer no promises, but the following hosts tell me they that, if you made this list, they’d like you to get in touch to be considered for their show:

• Chris Watts, presenter of “In The Moog” online on NCCR (UK) (Twitter: @chriswatts1965.  Electronic/synth-based tracks (mp3 &/or WAV) to chrisinthemoog@gmail.com, together with artwork &/or band pic and your Twitter handle).
• Lucas Gil, presenter of Supernova on Glitterbeam Radio (Twitter @lucasgil, apply by his website here)
• Joe Figueira of North Manchester FM (Twitter @moretonguy, apply with MP3, short bio & twitter handle by e-mail to joefigueira@yahoo.co.uk)

POLITE REQUEST TO ALL ARTISTS

If you’re on Twitter, IG etc make sure you put a link to your social media pages on your soundcloud profile. It’ll save curators, moderators, radio folk etc lots of time letting you know you made the cut. On the other hand, maintaining anonymity might lead to a cult following in a remote location that you don’t find out about until someone from Svalbard FM hunts you down 20 years later to do a Searching For Sugar Man-esque documentary.