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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...Bella and The Bear
If you casually scan down Bella and The Bear's Facebook you'll see them modestly proclaim that they're 'really proud of this wee chapter' - if you listen to this delightfully well crafted EP which was produced by SAY Award nominated Hector Bizerk drummer Audrey Tait you'll be enchanted by this 'wee chapter' called A Girl Called BellaThe Bizerk influences are there with hip hop-esque interjections making a track like Skeleton with Lauren Gilmour's sometime tender, some time soaring vocal breaking into spoken word.
No 2...Ramisco Maki Maki
As unique musical artists go they don't come any more individual and talented than the artist formerly known as Ray McCartney and now referred to as The Ramisco Maki Maki Rocking Horse, accompanied by The Wat Wat Kings. He's as indie-vidual and alternative as you can get and we love him dearly here in the kennel and on Radio KCNo 3...Bud Sugar
Ralph's doing a quick check on what's hot and what's not on the East Coast (not New York obviously) and in the hot category comes the new release Blinkin' Thinkin' from Hull band Bud SugarIn their home city, Bud Sugar are as famous for their guerilla marketing tactics as they are for their music itself. Their latest adventure involved a collaboration with Stagecoach in which they boarded buses and played live to surprised and delighted commuters!
No 4...Token Joker
Ralph's not averse to rocking it out, so when the new Token Joker single Green hit the turntable whilst making up the playlist for his Indie Show on Radio KC last week it was volume up to 11 and time to check them out more closely for the blog.
The single (taken from their Just Part Of The System EP out earlier this year) is brash, ballsy, sexy, down right dirty and in your face, old school, guitar thrashing (and breathe) rock 'n' roll.
No 5...Governor's Luck
As aficionados of Ralph's Life will know we're a sucker for a good Crowdfunder, so it was with great interest that word of a campaign by Governor's Luck to fund their debut album hit the kennels inbox.Following five years of relentless gigging and the release of The Rumour Mill EP Governor's Luck released an album Drop Everything earlier this year. It's now their intention to use crowdfunding to finance the production of a limited edition on vinyl plus a UK tour.
No 6...The Pacers
The Pacers draw their influences from the sixties Psych/Garage scene, mixing it up with their own unique ideas to create unforgettable and energetic live performances in the same vein as The Stooges and The Stones, with a healthy
No 7... Damn Vandals
Along with the 'B' Side Whisky Going Free, the tracks are from the most excellent new album Rocket Out Of London which has been recieving rave reviews from all the usual suspects and featured as a Steve Lamacq BBC6 Music Recommend. Lead track I Hate School is Alice Cooper meets The Stones with a soupçon of Sex Pistols and it's deeee-liciously manic rock 'n' roll by Damn Vandals
No 8...False Advertising
If you've been following Ralph these last three years you'll know he's been a fan of Scottish band Vukovi as they've slowly but surely pushed their way to the forefront of the UK Indie scene. Well Ralph's tipping Manchester band False Advertising who have a similar feel to do exactly the same.
No 9..Officer
The last time Ralph's keyboard vibrated as he listened to the sounds of London singer/songwriter Officer was when he was bringing news of his then forthcoming album Myriads whilst listening to Glass Ceiling which had just been released as a single back in March.
No 10...John Lawrence
Just when you thought that a quality prog-rock concept album was a thing of the past, along comes the uniquely trippy Songs From The Precipice album by John Lawrence which harks back to the heady days of Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Steve Hillage, early Genesis et al.Songs From The Precipice is a complex work which requires an intensity of concentration from the listener rarely required in the lighter output of many bands and artistes today. Veering from jazzy stylings to folky and then rockier themes, it's as diverse in it's composition as it is compelling to listen to.
