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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.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: 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 2: 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 3: Billy Bibby & The Wry Smiles
Billy Bibby & The Wry Smilescame 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 afour-song EP, Bide Your TimeNo 4: 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 5: 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 6: Feral Five
Feral Fivedeveloped 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 7: 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 8: Graham Marshall
The Graham Marshall story is reflected in his catalog 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.
No 9: Duke & The Darlings
Long-time Ralph's Life favourites Duke and the Darlings will release a double A-side, Days of Wonder and The Click, on Saturday 14th May through Sweet Sweet RecordsDays of Wonder is a feel-good anthem about not feeling good; the on-point harmonies and saccharine delivery obscure the discontent towards a growing poverty gap in the UK. The Click closes the curtains, lights a few candles and looks inwards on being a twenty-something, and explores the accompanying paradox of being young and not being young with expressive orchestration and histrionic dynamics.
No 10: T.O.Y.S
Leeds band T.O.Y.S have been percolating since 2010 but 2016 sees them coming to the boil with the release of a new video for their bouncy G-A-C release. It's the first single from their debut album SICKS which is due to come out on Odd Box Records next month.The self-styled lo-fi pop rockers are on to a winner with this Cure-esque concoction. It's a heady blend of all that was good in 80's dancefloor electro brought bang up to date for the discerning listener and dance floor aficionado.
