indie albums
Album Review: Pale Bird – Ten Things Which Aren’t Love
Pale Bird, aka Martin Austwick, or the artist formerly known as the Sound of the Ladies possesses an instantly identifiable folkish indie sound. Part of this is down to Austwick’s oddly soothing voice, his guitar work, or the feeling of space his production techniques provide between each instrument. It acts as an audible thread connecting …
Mammoth Penguins and Friends – John Doe
This is a bit unexpected. Mammoth Penguins’ first album, while with its own style, picked up not a million miles away from where Emma Kupa’s first band, Standard Fare, left off – quality indieish guitar pop soundtracking vignettes from day-to day life. So when the needle drops on some background noise, stately strings, mandolin and …
Album Review : The War on Drugs’ ‘A Deeper Understanding’
I don’t think a songwriter has excited me more about the future of music in the last few years more than The War on Drugs’ Adam Granduciel. It’s ironic, too, given that his music feels more like looking back into the past than forward into some unknown future. I guess I’ve been known to wallow …
Album Review: Sparks – Hippopotamus
When Sparks roared back to relevance with 2002‘s Lil’ Beethoven, it was treated as a glorious return to form. How long that form would last was another matter. Was it a one off, or the start of a more sustained period of creative success? 2006’s Hello Young Lovers very much confirmed that the previous album’s …
New Music: Wild Ones, Mirror Touch
Wild Ones are an indie pop band from Portland, Oregon – as always, a petrie dish of artistic creativity. With an EP already under their belt, Wild Ones are about to release their debut album, “Mirror Touch”, and in a crowded bus of indie pop/rock brilliance, they stand out with their effervescent, shining, intelligent pop. …
New Music: Mogwai, Every Country’s Sun
Scotland’s Mogwai are one of those bands that have been on the periphery of my vision (or hearing?) for many years, receiving strong critical acclaim and amassing a huge and dedicated following. I just haven’t had room on my brimming musical plate to encompass them, and to be honest the idea of a (mostly) instrumental …
New Music: Unruly Girls, Cruel Tales
Many years ago in the nascent years of Backseat Mafia, we wrote about a number of exciting Italian bands creating distinct indie rock with style and attitude. One of these was a wild and brilliant band called “Sweet Jane and Claire” who (as their name suggested) were very much a Velvet’s-influenced attitude-laden breath of fresh …
Video and Album News: Baxter Dury, Miami
Any uncertainty about Baxter Dury’s parentage is quickly dispelled the minute he starts singing. If singing is the right term: he is a blistering, sardonic cockney raconteur just like his brilliant dad (Ian Dury, in case you are not up to speed). The video release of his new song, “Miami” reminds me of the panache …
Album Review: Everything Everything – A fever dream
Everything Everything has been building a really solid career throughout their nearly 10 years of existence. From the 2011’s weird, fresh and intense debut album Man Alive, to the melancholic, introspective Arc, the band has seen the career grow at a satisfying pace. The political, upbeat and angry Get To Heaven, featuring lyrics with darker …
Album Review: Various Artists: Manchester North Of England: A Story Of Independent Music Greater Manchester 1977-1993
Compiled by the team behind other Cherry Red box sets (Scared To Get Happy, Still In A Dream, Millions Like Us, Action Time Vision, etc.), this 7 CD box set tells the story of how indie music exploded in Manchester after the rush of Punk and the seminal release of the Buzzcocks’ Spiral Scratch EP. …