OK bands you know the score .....
the more hits your blog gets by the fans .....
the higher you go .....
the higher you go .....
So Tweet it, Facebook it .....
Now Mr Snuggles and I have been sitting with our heads down counting the hits on each blog to see which band's got what place.
The Top Ten Blogged Band Chart is played every Sunday 5-7pm on Radio KC as part of Ralph's Indie Show.
No 1: Drewford Alabama
Now you know Ralph, always happy to write about and promote unsigned bands and artists, however, every now and again something fascinating comes along that piques his interest. Just such a case is the story of Drewford Alabama.
At the start of 2015 Jamie Morrison (Noisettes, Stereophonics) presented to the world the fascinating story of Drewford Alabama.
First of the Ralph's Life blogs after the excesses of the Festive Season is aimed at calming things down with news of the release of Exec. Style as a single by Fighting Caravans. They're a Leeds Based Alt Rock band that have been smouldering away since their formation in 2014 and variously described as 'recording political and spiritual disdain with Americana/Blues overtones'.
No 3: Girobabies
Glasgow band the Girobabies are following up the successful release of two mini EP's with the release of a much vaunted 300 copy, translucent, milky white LP, Who Took Utopia? on the fiercely indie-pendent Grebo Records which follows its digital debut.It seems a bit of an epiphany for the band as within the 10 tracks they're achieving a sense of 'all things to all men' and generating a more general soundscape, seemingly drawing on a number of influences ranging from The B52's SAHB and The Rezillos through shades of Velvet Underground and Talking Heads.
No 4: The Deadline Shakes
Ralph has given The Deadline Shakes a spin on the Radio KC Indie Show a few times now so it's no surprise he was relishing the release of their album Zealots.
From the lead track, the bright and bouncy Bad Spot In A Bad Year to the closer Boy they've created a beautiful soundscape of sonorific light and shade. It's like a squidgy mix of Prefab Sprout and Deacon Blue, but with a sometimes quirkier, more contemporary feel as The Deadline Shakes plough their own furrow.
No 5: Snippet
Long time Ralph's Life favourite Johnno Casson, prior to releasing the third album by his alter ego Snippet has regaled us with a collection of tracks that detail the last ten years of that particular musical incarnation.
What follows is a delightful trip through his self-styled 'Wonky Pop', from the psychedelically dreamy The Digital Yes to the trippy 50 Pounds Each it makes you smile and makes you groove in equal degrees.
No 6: Hey Bulldog
The previous single was more laid back, grungy and bluesy. Under My Spell is high-octane, punk-fuelled guitar driven goodness. Hey Bulldog are Tame Impala-esque with much bigger cojones if you will.
No 7: Joni Fuller
As the kennel is in St Helens, Ralph always likes to keep an eye on anything interesting happening locally in the North West. News just in was about the latest release by Lytham-St-Annes singer/songwriter Joni Fuller and it peaked the interest as it's a bit of poptastic musical history.Whilst Everybody Says So is being released on all the musical suspects it's also available on Aurovine.
Ralph is always on the scrounge, looking for new tunes to play on his Radio KC Indie Show, so when the Patersani single release Lost And Found was brought to his attention his interest was peaked and it's not left the turntable since.
Pounding percussion and a full-on driving guitar intro give this debut single a delightful alt-pop feel but with a decidedly rock-like foundation.
No 9: Ferno
Every now and again Ralph likes to explore other genres outside his normal Indie comfort zone. On this occasion, it's the ever so slightly mysterious London hip-hop artist FƎRИO. Now I say hip-hop, but FƎRИO prides himself on having created his own musical genre, the self-styled ESH Music which is released on indie label Ai Recordings.
No 10: Peach Trees
As an East meets West collaboration (that's Cleethorpes and Southport, not Russia and America) Peach Trees have come up with a pretty damn fine piece of get up on the floor, funky-ass disco music, made all the more listenable thanks to the soulful vocals of London-based Mr Ernie Jackson.
The release of This Is The Love by the nascent get-together of musical minds Ambrose Chappel and Dave Hubbard brings a poptastic blend of retro disco vibes and soul vocalising.
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