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.

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 WILL FARR

Any artist that manages to sneak on to the Eclectic Picks playlist more than 3 times inevitably becomes a candidate for special guest curator, and we’ve actually lost count as to exactly how many times Will Farr has made the cut. His sound isn’t easy to pigeon hole but it can be abstract, minimalist, kinda-techno, tongue in cheek, some of those things, none of those things. Either way, Will is another prime example of some of the great underground acts lurking in the shadows of the Bristol music scene. Turns out he has a good ear for scouting for talent in the inbox too.

If you made the cut this week, don’t just thank Will with words, check out some of his tracks here instead. It’ll mean a lot more to you if you got the nod of approval from someone on your wavelength.

A FEW WORDS

Ah, greetings everyone. Thank you for having me, Signal Committee, I love what you’ve done with the place.

I am Will. This week I have been bestowed with the honour of selecting and throwing musical curveballs at you, plucked from the entire Fresh on the Net inbox. Listening to music, picking what I like, and working out what order to put it in – paradise!

I hate reading about music, but I love it when people write about MY music. So, I think it’s only fair that I write something about the music that I have enjoyed this week.

Hope you enjoy the following playlist. Please support the artists, and at the very least tell them you like their music if you don’t fancy buying it. If you can adopt one, make sure you know what they eat and that you can provide the kind of habitat they thrive in.

To the music…

To Kill a Nation – Breath Life
Just the right amount of energy and lethargy to get the connoisseurs onto the dance floor, or to keep them there when they really ought to go to back to their tents. Ruthlessly short. If I’d have produced this it would have been about sixteen minutes long.

Rochelle Rochelle – When the wind blows
Not my usual thing at all, but I really enjoy the tiny synth noises and the unusual change in the vocal around 2.08. Avoided the trap of making the whole piece of music about the vocals and I love the balance.

The Bone Tree – Ghosts
Detuned guitars and their scant regard for timing keep my ears very interested. Vocals sound like they were recorded much later on by someone travelling on a bus, listening on a Walkman and enjoying the looks they are getting.

Five Minute Pop Promo – Another man 2
Enjoyably askew. Seems like it was made purely for the love of producing and that love carries across in its waggly arms. From a parallel universe where Bowie deviated into house rather than drum and bass.

Party On Machine Planet Zero – nr-jon
Sounds like it should be on the Hotline Miami Soundtrack (which everyone should listen to once they’ve finished here). Until then, know that this is high praise. Puzzling name of both artist and track, offset by great artwork.

Strange Flesh – Croydon Fox
100% my favourite track of all the tracks this week, and definitely in my top five for the year. I have no idea what the noises at 1.31 are, but they’re beautiful and perfect.

Cody Pepper – Make a Wish
I love all of the squiggly snippets of brass instruments and strings, they go really well with the energetic beats. My wish is that there was less of the main vocal in this track, but those noises win me over.

Exposed Brick – Shrinking man
Ah, a proper length track! Reminds me of about eight different excellent B-sides on some of my early naughties German electro records. I could gobble this up.

Malibuhotflush – Malibu Hot Flush
Sounds like the latest celebrity enema craze. To be mixed with Audiobooks “Friends in the Bubble Bath”, and the preceding track by Exposed Brick. Serendipitous.

slow bones – sunzu
Pray you’re not one of the fifty or so people who will definitely see me do my sexy dance to this. Babymaking music for the unhinged.

Evil Dick Syncock – Get back on your horse
I knew I’d like it as soon as I read Evil Dick Syncock. My favourite kind of slovenly vocal delivery in some joyfully disjointed country funk. The kind of record that dull DJs wouldn’t go near, but that transform any decent dance floor when delivered with enough irreverence. I haven’t paid too much attention to the lyrics, but it definitely opens with sliding down snakes for money and suggests getting back on your horse.

JoosTVD – Legends
A song to unite us all. If this song was an exam question, all the answers would be in the text provided. I doubt it is an exam question, though. Paints a deranged mental image of truant MPs stamping on grapes.

Cynthia’s Periscope – Fragments of Sleep
I really love electro and this is a really nice retro electro track. Imagine it nestled in between some other clicks and thuds and it makes a lot of sense.

Faux Hex – Hierophant
Yes.. all the kinds of unpredictable without sounding like a try-hard and being impossible to dance to. The only track I can think of featuring ‘repugnant’ in the lyrics.

Drang – Speak
Too short. I could listen to this for hours. Of all the tracks this week, I’d have liked to have produced this one.

Meat and Prawns – Underneath the ferns
Nothing sums up the apathy running through this track better than substituting lyrics in the second verse for ‘blah blah blah’. Something about the big build up sounds like it would feature in a Bond Film directed by David Lynch.

Cyrano – To Make You Feel
Euphoria for the anaesthetised. Reminds me of Jamie T – “Don’t you find”.

westwickhams – This is a Hangup
The perfect amount of reverb and absent minded instrumentalism with crisp percussion.

Bloodworm – Alone In Your Garden
We looked at each other and said ‘I like this’. I want to see this performed live, somewhere dark where I don’t know anyone and the floor is sticky.

Demon 11 – Boom Band
I like to be surprised by styles of music that I don’t generally enjoy. I don’t know much about guitars, but these ones sound like they’re played just for me. I’d sit quietly in a pub and listen to this whilst trying to work out how I got there.

HENS BENS – FILES AND FOLDERS TWENTY TWO
They type words and produce music in block capitals. Anyone I’ve shared this with assumes their speakers are broken. Totally on my wavelength on all fronts, despite trying not to be. There is nowhere I could put this to make it fit in with the list, so it is at the end to wake everyone up and remind you all who you are dealing with here. Also, I empathise fully with the PC sentiment.

…and that’s why they call it Fresh on the Net: Eclectic Picks.

You’ve been a terrific audience, good night!

ARTISTS SELECTED THIS WEEK

1. TO KILL A NATION – Breathe Life
2. ROCHELLE ROCHELLE – When The Wind Blows
3. THE BONE TREE – Ghosts
4. FIVE MINUTE POP PROMO – Another Man 2
5. PARTY MACHINE PLANET ZERO – nr-jon
6. STRANGE FLESH- Croydon Fox
7. CODY PEPPER – Make A Wish
8. EXPOSED BRICK – Shrinking Man
9. MALIBUHOTFLUSH – Make It Matter
10. SLOW BONES – sunzu
11. EVIL DICK SYNCOCK – Get Back on Your Horse
12. JOOSTVD – Legends
13. CYNTHIA’S PERISCOPE – Fragments of Sleep
14. FAUX HEX – Hierophant
15. DRANG – Speak
16. MEAT AND PRAWNS – Underneath The Ferns
17. CYRANO – To Make You Feel
18. WESTWICKAMS – This Is A Hangup
19. BLOODWORM – Alone In Your Garden
20. DEMON 11 – Boom Band
21. HENS BENS – FILES AND FOLDERS TWENTY TWO

STEP 1 – LISTEN

Listen to this weeks Eclectic Picks playlist using your weapon of choice below:

SOUNDCLOUD
SPOTIFY

(Spotify playlist is limited to tracks which are available on Spotify

After 7 days, the playlist will be updated with the next batch, and this week’s picks will be added to the 2022 playlists below.

STEP 2 – SPREAD THE WORD

Do you ever think, or hear people say, “there’s no good music any more”? Maybe they aren’t looking in the right places. Prove them wrong:

• Subscribe to the playlist
• Listen in each week
• Tell your friends
• Shout on social media

The more people listen to this playlist, the more exposure unsigned artists receive. So spread the word!

ARCHIVE PLAYLISTS

The playlists above are updated weekly, then added to the playlists below:

2022 Playlist – Soundcloud | Spotify

2021 Playlist – Soundcloud | Spotify

2020 Playlist – Soundcloud | Spotify

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)