Mono Stereo

Five countries are represented in the top ten this week, with Kabul Dreams from Afghanistan making their debut. This week has seen a shake up of the chart, with only 4 bands still in from last week.

Band of the week: Top 10. Saturday 9th January 2010.

1. Mono Stereo Sweden (re-entry)
2. Long Long Showers Sweden (+ 7 places)
3. The Drums USA  (+ 1 place)
4. The Gadsdens UK (re-entry)
5. Lunaria Argentina (- 4 places)
6. The XX UK (re-entry)
7. Gary War USA (- 5 places)
8. Divorce UK (re-entry)
9. Gaoler’s Daughter UK (re-entry)
10. Kabul Dreams Afghanistan (new entry)

Mono Stereo who have a busy year ahead of them, including a soon to be released EP are back on top of the chart for the third time, with their dramatic and evocative swooping guitars.

To kick off the new year, a chart to consider. The New Year Ninety is compiled by band pages read and visited on the indie bands blog over the past year.

The top band for 2009 was The Drums from the USA

The Drums

1 – The Drums – USA
2 – Jon and Lynn – USA
3 – Vaqueros Paganos – Argentina
4 – The Gadsdens – UK
5 – Brittni Paiva – USA
6 – Juliet Gough – Denmark
7 – Divorce – UK
8 – Krakatoa – UK
9 – Mono Stereo – Sweden
10 – Rajasthan Roots – India

Vaqueros Paganos

11 – The XX – UK
12 – Gaoler’s Daughter – UK
13 – Negro Fluo – Argentina
14 – Reader’s Wives – Ireland
15 – Gary War – USA
16 – The Fury! – UK
17 – The Swing Movement – UK
18 – OfeliaDorme – Italy
19 – The Five One – USA
20 – Solar – Uruguay

DIVORCE at HOBO vs //FAST// 23.01.09 from Andrew Browntown on Vimeo.

21 – Them Bird Things – Finland/USA
22 – Segba – Argentina
23 – Bauchklang – Austria
24 – Long Long Showers – Sweden
25 – Bombay Bicyle Club – UK
26 – Operator Six – UK
27 – Ben’s Brother – UK
28 – Ashdowne – UK
29 – The Pocket Gods – UK
30 – Armstrong? – Italy

The Gadsens

31 – Temposhark – UK
32 – Dinah Wants Religion – Sweden
33 – Lunaria – Argentina
34 – The Steepwater Band – USA
35 – My GirlFriend is Better than Yours – France
36 – White Clouds and Gunfire – UK
37 – The Legendary Pink Dots – Holland
38 – Goldhawks – UK
39 – Clues – Canada
40 – Beloved Rogue – USA

Krakatoa

41 – Chicros – France
42 – The Velvet Underground – USA
43 – Galapaghost – USA
44 – The Malingerers – UK
45 – Psychic TV (PTV3) – UK/USA
46 – Melody Nelson – UK
47 – Florida – USA
48 – Stereo Total – USA
49 – The Floozies – UK
50 – The Damned – UK

Jon and Lynn

51 – Grinderswitch – USA
52 – Richard Jay – UK
53 – Rearview – Canada
54 – Jointpop – Trinidad and Tobago
55 – Triple Smash – China
56 – Quack Quack – UK
57 – The See See – UK
58 – Papercuts – USA
59 – Metro Station – USA
60 – Desmond and The Tutus – South Africa

Mono Stereo

61 – Joyside – China
62 – Twiggy Frostbite – Sweden
63 – Deerstone County – UK
64 – The Thermals – USA

I didn’t run out of energy here, I ran out of bands…. The indie bands blog is not yet a year old, so hang on for next year when we will be able to run a full 90 chart run-down.

Have a great decade and thanks for reading the blog.....

….. catch up with us on the weekly newsletter.

keeping the tally

Votes made between now and midnight UK time on the 7th January 2010 will be included.

Voting is easy, just leave a comment at the bottom of this article, naming your band of the month, leave a comment on the bands main page in the blog (The links to the main pages are as on the list) adding the word ‘vote’, or send me a message using the contact form, including the name of the band you are voting for. As always only one vote will be counted per individual voter.

The top 30 bands, calculated using the internal stats are listed below. Only 20 bands make it in to the chart and votes are hugely significant in final chart positions.

Ashdowne
Beloved Rogue
Bombay Bicycle Club
Brittni Paiva
DeLasAguas
Divorce
The Drums
The Gadsdens
Galapaghost
Gary War
Gaoler’s Daughter
Goldhawks
Jon and Lynn
Krakatoa
The Legendary Pink Dots
Long Long Showers
Lunaria
The Malingerers
Mono Stereo
My Girlfriend Is Better Than Yours
The Pocket Gods
Rajasthan Roots
Reader’s Wives
Richard Jay
The See See
The Steepwater Band
Temposhark
Them Bird Things
Vaqueros Paganos
The XX

To keep in touch with the best indie bands around the world, sign-up for our weekly newsletter.

The Gadsdens Band of the Week

Band of the week: Top 10. Saturday 12th December 2009.

1. The Gadsdens UK (+ 3 places)
2. The Drums USA  (+ 7 places)
3. Gaoler’s Daughter UK (+ 1 place)
4. Jon and Lynn USA (re-entry)
5. Gary War USA (unchanged)
6. Mono Stereo Sweden (re-entry)
7. Divorce UK (re-entry)
8. Them Bird Things Finland/USA (- 7 places)
9. Krakatoa UK (- 3 places)
10. Rajasthan Roots India (-8 places)

The Gadsdens, a five piece band who play technical, yet intuitive music appeal to a broad audience base and the recently released debut single, The Sailor Song has brought them to a far wider audience.

Purchases made through the link will result in the indie bands blog earning a commission.

Them Bird Things - photo by Markus Åström

Band of the week: Top 10. Saturday 5th December 2009.

1. Them Bird Things Finland/USA (new entry)
2. Rajasthan Roots India (+ 7 places)
3. Gaoler’s Daughter UK (- 2 places)
4. The Gadsdens UK (+ 2 places)
5. Gary War US (re-entry)
6. Krakatoa UK (+ 5 places)
7. Ashdowne UK (- 2 places)
8. Galapaghost USA (new entry)
9. The Drums USA  (- 5 places)
10. Goldhawks UK (new entry)

Them Bird Things, are contininuing to gain wider exposure as the incredibly creative talents of Salla Day from Finland and Steve Blodgett and Mike Brassard, the songwriters from the USA combine, to create highly proficient and inventive lyrical and musical out-put.

Band of the week: Top 10. Saturday 21st November 2009.

1. Solar Uruguay (New entry)
2. The Gadsdens UK ( + 7 places)
3. Krakatoa UK (+ 5 places)
4. Reader’s Wives Ireland (-3 places)
5. Armstrong? Italy (new entry)
6. Bombay Bicycle Club UK (new entry)
7. Mono Stereo Sweden (- 6 places)
8. Segba Argentina (- 2 places)
9. The Drums USA  (- 2 places)
10. Rajasthan Roots India (re-entry)

Solar, play experimental rock, which is hallmarked by mood and tempo changes in tracks as they use their music as an art-form on which to paint the world around them.

Jon and Lynn band of the month

Band of the Month October 2009 top 20 chart

1. Jon and Lynn USA – up one place
2. Mono Stereo Sweden – new entry
3. Juliet Gough Denmark – up two places
4. The Fury! UK – new entry
5. Vaqueros Paganos Argentina – down four places
6. Ofeliadorme Italy – new entry
7. The Drums USA – down one place
8. The Gadsdens UK – New entry
9. Gary War USA – up seven places
10. Jointpop Trinidad and Tobago – new entry
11. Clues Canada – new entry
12. The Swing Movement UK – down two places
13. Operator Six UK – new entry
14. The XX UK – down six places
15. Divorce UK – down eleven places
16. Reader’s Wives Ireland – new entry
17. Bauchklang Austria – up one place
18. Brittni Paiva USA – new entry
19. The Pocket Gods UK – new entry
20. Chicros France – new entry

The band of the month is based on activity on the site over the month and by votes cast by readers of the blog over 7 days. With the top twenty spots comprising music from eleven different countries, there is no great surprise that the music is as diverse as the geography.

Lynn Stein and Jon Burr got together over the summer and decided to try out a concept that is a little different using just a bass and vocals and have created something of a phenomenon. Their ever growing fanbase appreciate the way in which Jon and Lynn have been able to improvise comlicated pieces to develop what is becoming a distinctive sound, with the clarity of Lynns voice and the accomplished bass picking by Jon. Having covered a few pieces, the indie bands blog was given an early listening to some of their original compositions, which went down particularly well with a large section of readers of the blog.

See more on the indie bands blog about Jon and Lynn including background and released material.

Brittni Paiva

Band of the week: Top 10. Saturday 7th November 2009.

1. Brittni Paiva USA (re-entry)
2. Jon and Lynn USA (-1 place)
3. Krakatoa UK (+ 2 places)
4. Segba Argentina (New entry)
5. OfeliaDorme Italy (re-entry)
6. Reader’s Wives Ireland (re-entry)
7. The Steepwater Band US (- 4 places)
8. The Drums USA (- 1 place)
9. Mono Stereo Sweden (re-entry)
10. Vaqueros Paganos Argentina (re-entry)

Brittni Paiva who is based in Hawaii has gained a strong following as she demonstrates her virtuosity on the Ukulele. As a young musician, who has consistently produced her own releases it is a real pleasure to see an individual doing something so very different, gaining a worldwide audience and rising to the top of the chart.

Her recently released album Four Strings: The Fire Within is now available on

Jon and Lynn

Band of the week: Top 10. Saturday 31st October 2009.

1. Jon and Lynn USA (unchanged)
2. Dinah Wants Religion Sweden (New entry)
3. The Steepwater Band US (New entry)
4. Krakatoa UK (New entry)
5. The Gadsdens UK (+ 2 places)
6. Chicros France (New entry)
7. The Drums USA (- 2 places)
8. The XX UK (re-entry)
9. The Fury! UK (- 7 places)
10. Gary War USA (- 4 places)

Jon and Lynn from the USA, have remained at number one on the Indie Band Blog Band of the week chart. Currently undertaking an increasing number of performances and working on some new material, which we will get to you as soon as we are able.