Showing posts with label Snippet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Snippet. Show all posts

Saturday, 9 December 2017

Ralph's Top 10 Chart - as played on Radio KC - 10.12.17






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







LISTEN TO A TOP 10 HERE

AS PLAYED ON RADIO KC - 26.11.17


 


RALPH'S BRAND NEW TOP 10 CHART 

Published on 9.12.17 and as played after 

RALPH'S INDIE SHOW on RADIO KC - 10.12.17 - from 5-7pm





No 1: Fold





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Leeds based Fold are old friends of Ralph's Life both here on the blog and on Ralph's Radio KC Indie Show, mainly due to the consistently high standard of their releases and the new single Choose Love which is to be released on Clue Records November 24th maintains that standard.

The bands music always comes with a message and Choose Love is no exception. They believe that humanity (and of course dogs) could do with a big hug right now and with that in mind the song is being supported by The Jo Cox Commission on Loneliness.















Ralph's favourite video this week is for the newly released single Lunatic by The Slow Readers Club. 

The Slow Readers Club are a Manchester based four piece who specialise in indie electro doom pop and who are currently selling out shows throughout the UK on their Through The Shadows tour.
















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One of the advantages of being a dog with a blog is the that every now and again a bit of a gem drops into the kennel's inbox. 

Puppet Rebellion are Oliver Davies on vocals, Dave Wimbush on guitar, Craig Gibson on guitar, James Halliwell on bass and Henry Rogers on drums. Together they've put together an album of well crafted alt-pop that should see them ascend the musical firmament not only in their native North West but UK wide.









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Ralph's favourite video this week is Shooting Star by The Gravity Drive. They are the hugely talented husband and wife duo Elijah and Eva  Wolf whose music never fails to garner critical acclaim.
Twitter: @TheGravityDrive
Written and performed by The Gravity Drive.








No 5 Snippet



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Colchester's favourite son Johnno Casson aka Snippet is the uncrowned king of feelgood pop-esque music and his latest album Human Good isn't bucking that trend. 

Johnno takes you on a journey of "people-rich" stories that encompasses a wide array of characters including fraudsters, pimps, prostitutes, drinkers, users and abuser’s and simple everyday folk just trying to make sense of this world. 











No 6: Dream Nails



Ralph's favourite video this week is Tourist by London feminist 'punk witches' Dream Nails.

It's on their recently released EP Dare To Care which I'd highly recommend whether you're a punk fan or not.

Dream Nails video directed by Jade Jackman. Tourist is available on Spotify, Bandcamp and iTunes:








No 7: Michael Jablonka 





Michael Jablonka is a musician so prolific that you may think he devotes every waking hour to his art and, if the fantastical nature of many of his songs are anything to go by, several hours of his dreams as well.
In addition to performing as Michael Kiwanuka’s chosen guitarist; a role that has found him touring arenas and festivals worldwide this summer. He has been fine-tuning his own powerful 21st-century take on bluesy alt-funk and soulful indie-rock. Michael Jablonka’s gifted, intricate guitar skills bely the no-frills anthemic intent of his rootsy songcraft.









No 8: Akiva





Ralph's favourite video this week is M.O.D. by Akiva. Three quarters of Akiva – Malcolm Carter (guitar, vox), Rob Mercel (bass) and Dave Mercel (drums) – have known each other since their schooldays at a Bedfordshire comprehensive sharing a love of raves, classic guitar riffery and grunge.

Singer, guitarist and synth programmer Dave MacKenzie then arrived from England’s northwest, bringing with him a passion for break-beat, the Madchester scene and anything with a bit of groove and swagger.






No 9: Neon Atlas



No automatic alt text available.Cork based indie band Neon Atlas are back in the groove as they return with their latest single Fever, due for general release November 16th.

Fever is a harmonious mix of ebow progression united with a fragile and compulsive vocal which meanders into an infectious chorus. The final result slowly allures you with its intricacies and delicate craftsmanship which hugs you like your old favourite woolly jumper. 












We are delighted here on Ralph's Life to be premiering the video to accompany Mule, a track from the album It's Hard to Be Happy When Your Heart Is Full Of Sin by Equinox. Ralph reviewed the book a year ago almost to the day, followed by a feature on the album prior to its release earlier this year to a raft of critical acclaim.

The video for Mule sees the starkly disturbing spoken word of Equinox overlaid on an exquisitely simple soundscape by American musician Nat Lyon. 

























Thursday, 12 October 2017

Johnno Casson aka Snippet

PictureColchester's favourite son Johnno Casson aka Snippet is the uncrowned king of feelgood pop-esque music and his latest album Human Good isn't bucking that trend. 

Johnno takes you on a journey of "people-rich" stories that encompasses a wide array of characters including fraudsters, pimps, prostitutes, drinkers, users and abuser’s and simple everyday folk just trying to make sense of this world. 

Alongside love letters to England and Johnno’s home town of Colchester, Human Good is shot through with a sense of defiance and optimism that everything will work itself out and be alright in the end. In Johnno's own words it's "melodic, passionate and full of sweet surprises."




PictureFrom the off, the eponymous lead track Human Good sets an optimistic tone, with Johnno's quintessentially English vocal overlaid on a bouncy soundscape. 

Snippet quickly follows that with the slightly trippy and addictive They Keep Coming before getting meaner and moodier in the shape of Time Of Our Lives.

The lead in to I Don't Need To Love You is as wistful as the title suggests before Snippet gets all sanguine with the delightful (Not) Down And Out.

Another track not to be missed is the poignant Gentle Days, whilst not forgetting the equally wistful Hurt For You. This is an album of ups and downs, but not in a bad way as Johnno Casson employs his ever clever song writing talent to tease your emotions. We don't do marks out of...but if we did...Human Good gets a 'must have' comfortable 8/10.





Monday, 14 August 2017

Equinox ft: Feral Five - Video Of The Week




Ralph's favourite video this week is Kiss by Equinox ft: Feral Five.

Taken from the album It's Hard To Be Happy When Your Head Is Full Of Sin available from Bandcamp.









The album features collaborations with:

Vince Clarke
Ashley Reaks 
Feral Five 
Dementio13 
Ceiling Demons 
Rosie Bans 
Snippet 
Radio Europa 
Nat Lyon 
Pulco 
Jay Stansfield 
Deux Furieuses 
Superhand 
Will Harris

Camera, lighting, editing and production by Jay Stansfield.

Wednesday, 21 June 2017

Equinox

Ralph covered the book release by the mysterious Yorkshire poet Equinox last year with the promise that an album featuring works from the book would appear featuring collaborations with a range of musicians.

Well that time has come to pass as It's Hard To Be Happy When Your Head Is Full Of Sin is now available in digital and CD formats. 

Nothing overly unusual in that I hear you say, however Equinox has teamed up with a number of indie musicians (including a good few Ralph's Life favourites) to provide unique soundscapes to his spoken word. More unusual still is the track Goodnight Vienna which features the skills of none other than synth pop doyen Vince Clarke.




The written word of Equinox takes no prisoners with subject matter ranging from male suicide to prostitution but with equal amounts of undying love and devotion, and its setting to music overlaid with the Northern intonations of Equinox gives the work another more meaningful aural texture.

Twist my arm for a favourite track from an album that is as intriguing as it is clever and it'd have to be Kiss (sorry Vince) which features Feral Five with its sleazy electro back-beat giving it a radio-friendly disco feel.

Contributing artists are: Ashley Reaks, Feral Five, Dementio13, Ceiling Demons, Rosie Bans, Snippet, Vince Clarke, Radio Europa, Nat Lyon, Pulco, Jay Stansfield, Deux Furieuses, Superhand and Will Harris.