Ralph's Top 10 Blogged Band Chart - 9.7.16

OK bands you know the score .....

the more hits your blog gets by the fans ..... 

the higher you go .....

So Tweet it, Facebook it .....

Generally expose yourself .....


ralphslife.co.uk

                                         

Click here for the Ralph's Life website

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.

Tracks from the Top Ten Blogged Bands are played 
every Sunday 5-7pm on Radio KC as part of 
Ralph's Indie Show.

No 1: Hunter and The Bear

Ralph has given tracks from Hunter and The Bear a spin on his Radio KC Indie Show previously, so it was good to hear that they've got a new single planned for release on August 5th. Considered to be one of the UK's most exciting, upcoming bands, the release of Renegade will only help to reinforce that claim.

No 2: Scott Dean

Ralph is delighted to be featuring the new Scott Dean single Lucky Seven on the blog this week. It's taken from his highly impressive Neon album and it doesn't dissapoint with deliciously reverb-laden guitar and his atmospheric vocal giving the track an anthemic feel. 

It'll be getting a spin on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show on Sunday the 19th of June and Scott will be playing shows in support of the single and album this summer. The lyrics of Lucky Seven were inspired by a brief period working as a croupier and explore the effects of obsession & addiction in society. 

No 3: Feral Five

Feral Five developed the mechanised yet organic production-line feel from the sonic generative geometry, and created new Rule 9s too - using nine different languages for the vocals, including Icelandic, Mandarin and Russian, and sculpting with synths and beats.

“This collaboration speaks to the nature of digital work, it’s all data,” says Bitonti.

No 4: Mt.Doubt

After giving the Mt.Doubt single Afterglow a spin on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show a few weeks back it's about time we had a shuftie at the album from whence it came. Entitled In Awe Of Nothing it's the follow up to My Past Is A Quiet Beast, one of the best debut albums to come out of Scotland last year. It was released by Edinburgh based Leo Bargery as a solo project prior to the Mt. Doubt moniker and is a joy to listen to.

No 5: Borrowed Body

Ralph has featured singer/songwriters Chris Tavener and Scott Dean in the last two blogs and to complete the set of three, we're featuring the debut album release by Borrowed Body aka Niall Hill this week. London-based, Niall has put The Rising Sea out via indie record label Screamlite and it's a collection of seven highly listenable, emotive Alt-Folk tracks which are evocative of Nick Drake or on a more contemporary level Bon Iver.

Borrowed Body kicks off the the album in fine style with the meaningful soundscape of Over The Garden Wall. The poignant vocal backed by simple melody is a delight.

No 6: Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles

Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles came together in the autumn of 2015 at the initiative of the former and founding lead guitarist of Catfish and the Bottlemen, Billy Bibby. In their first six months they've played over 30 shows - including the 2016 editions of Focus Wales and Manchester Dot to Dot Festival – and recorded a four-song EP, Bide Your Time. 

No 7: HICARI

A young Liverpool band catching the imagination right now is HICARI (which means 'Light' in Japanese) the multi-cultural 5-piece synth-pop band who are based in Liverpool and influenced by the likes of CHVRCHES, The 1975 and St Lucia. 

Whilst HICARI also lean heavily on 80's electro influences as a foundation for their bouncy, synthy sound they're very much of the moment and that's evident in their debut release Catch Fire which is due for release in early August. Needless to say Ralph will be giving it a spin on the Radio KC Indie Show, so listen in on Sunday 17th of July and check it out.

No 8: Chris Tavener

Ralph's never averse to a bit of quirkyness and young Manchester based singer songwriter Chris Tavener has imbued his new EP i'm sorrdy b'im drunnk with no small amount of it. If you're old enough remember the unique stylings of the inimitable Jake Thackry you'll understand...no? Just me then.

It's four tracks of lyrically clever musical goodness that's a delight to listen to. Kicking off with the single release from the EP Super Cool Sadie with it's satirical look at unrequited love and it's a lyrical hoot.

No 9: Suzerain

London's Suzerain have just released their second album Identity after a two year gap, but it's been well worth the wait. As lead singer Tom Pether said - "it took a while to break into something we wanted it to be. Identity is something that is difficult to grasp on a day-to-day basis, it can change but isn’t always obvious. For us, this album feels like our identity at the moment.”

No 10: Graham Marshall

The Graham Marshall story is reflected in his catalogue of songs: survival, adventure, love and tragedy are more than mere subjects of whim to strum his guitar to.

At 20, his band, Screaming Silence, was a hit in his hometown of Glasgow, Scotland. But on the brink of the showcase gig that would “seal the deal” with a label, the lead member “disappeared” after running into some unsavoury entanglements. A couple of years later, Graham entered into a rehabilitation program for clinical depression and put on a cocktail of drugs at the hands of questionable care workers.