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
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...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 2...Mog Stanley
It's been a while since Ralph checked out smooth indie blues man Mog Stanley (three years) and in that time he's been slowly but very surely composing an album of his unique bloozy styled tunes and he's called it RolandPreston based and armed with only a vintage guitar and home-made percussion box to keep him company, Mog Stanley uses an old-school, DIY set-up to stand out like the proverbial sore thumb with his catchy blues-fuelled and melody driven songs.
No 3... Vukovar
Ralph's ideally placed to find out what's happening musically in St Helens and a quick trip to Kaleidescope Records on Westfield Street proved to be worthwhile as local band Vukovar have produced a gem in the shape of their recently released album Emperor on Small Bear Records.I may have invented the phrase Bleak Pop just for Emperor as it lays it's foundations in all that's good from the likes of Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground to The Fall and Joy Division.
No 4...The Holy Orders
It's been a while in the making, but well worth it. Hull four piece and long-time Ralph's Life favourites The Holy Orders have released a new single on the indie Mono Sound Records and it's a corker.
Recorded at Mountain Sound Recording Studio in Hull with Patrick Tobin and mixed by Mark Osborne-Lawn, The Deuce Of Hearts sees The Holy Orders taking their uncompromising guitar sound into new territory.
No 5...Tony Steele & The Massacre
Third in the mean and moody male vocalists Ralph's been checking out this week is Liverpool singer/songwriter Tony Steele who has returned to music with a new single Starting From Scratch, released on September 25th and showcasing a stripped down folk/rock sound.Session musicians Charlie Landsborough Jnr, Laura Mackinlay, Peter MacParland and Grant Walker complete the line up of his band Tony Steele and The Massacre
No 6...Puddles Pity Party
It's not often Ralph veers off the track from reviewing unsigned indie bands, however a recent road-trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to see Puddles Pity Party is as good an excuse as any to buck the trend...how often do you get the chance to see a seven foot clown that doesn't talk, has the voice of a proverbial angel, makes people laugh then cry then laugh again and likes dogs!No 7...Zurich
Oxford based Zurich have just released their eagerly awaited debut EP Small Wars and Ralph was quick to give the single release from it, Alone a spin on his Radio KC Indie Show recently.
They're described as post-punk with more than a smattering of eighties electro, which I feel they've managed to give a fresh twist.
No 8 ...Lynn Gerrard
It's not often you get an invitation to go and listen to a gargoyle grumble as well as listen to live music, so Ralph sent out his roving reporter to cover the Lynn Gerrard (aka The Grumbling Gargoyle) live book launch in The Citadel St Helens recently. To celebrate signing a four book deal with Wallace Publishing to produce her poetry she took over her local theater for an evening of music, comedy and spoken word.
No 9...All The King's Men
With a new video out and a headline gig in top Manchester venue the Soup Kitchen coming up on the 7th of August it's all go for All The King's Men at the moment.
The psychedelic video for rheir debut single Fever brings us a choppy, guitar driven, raunchy vocalising piece of in your face alt rock.
No 10...Chris Flynn
Manchester singer/songwriter Chris Flynn has spent many years performing with bands, but is now releasing solo material of an extremely high quality.
His work has attracted a fair bit of high profile attention too, including I Am Kloot's Peter Jobson
