John Parry, Author at Backseat Mafia

Album Review: Jessica Moss – ‘Unfolding’: The Montreal violinist/composer’s most incisive, inspirational statement to date.

Violinist and composer Jessica Moss has always made instrumental music that speaks out. Her essential work does more than reflect times, events and tragedies, it engages with them and voices…

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Album Review: Smote –‘Songs From The Free House’: A striking return for the drone rock/ dark folk adventurer.

Daniel Foggin, landscape gardener, guitarist, psych folk expressionist and drone rock interpreter works relentlessly. His creative portal Smote is now five albums into its journey with the venerable Rocket Recordings,…

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Album Review: Joe Harvey-Whyte & Paul Cousins – ‘In A Fugue State’: A contemplative dreamscape of pedal steel and tape loop alchemy.

Joe Harvey-Whyte may be a go-to pedal steel player (Liam Gallagher, Billy Bragg, Josephine Foster, Nilüfer Yanya and more) but as a multi-instrumentalist and solo artist he’s been calmly extending…

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Album Review: Snakeskin –‘We Live In Sand’: Enlightening, intense dream pop from the ever impressive Beirut duo.

Lebanese, electronic dream pop duo Snakeskin don’t so much shed layers from release to release, they harden their resolve, reinforcing their messaging into songs which are even more powerful and…

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Album Review: Yara Asmar – ‘everyone I love is sleeping and i love them so so much’ : Extraordinary electro-acoustic stories crafted from simple things.

Tinkering, testing, tuning and transforming, Yara Asmar is a restlessly inquisitive multi-instrumentalist. Since her debut release on Hive Mind, ‘Home Recordings 2018-2021’ the Beirut- based musician has used music boxes…

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Album Review: Lophae –‘Imagine More’: Another instalment of lyrical, melodic, shape-shifting jazz from the London quartet.

Now here’s something to hunker down with, ‘Imagine More’, a second instalment from new(ish) London jazz quartet Lophae. That’s a logical title for a follow up to the combo’s acclaimed…

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Album Review: Absolute Losers – ‘In The Crowd’ : Power pop gets a real refresh from this tightly sprung Canadian trio.

There’s the coolest Ian Dickson photo of The Jam live at the 100 Club circa 1977, Foxton caught jumping mid-air, Weller leaning into a power chord and Butler sticks raised…

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Album Review: Dun-Dun Band -‘Pita Parka, Pt. II: Nim Egduf’: Minimal riff magic and warmly woven improv melodies from this exceptional ten-piece.

Dun-Dun Band are a ten-piece ensemble from Toronto assembled by eclectic sound-maker and guitarist Craig Dunsmuir. An associate of the long song maestro Sandro Perri, check the Off World and…

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Album Review: SANAM –‘Sametou Sawtan’: Absorbing, ambitious free rock fusion from the peerless Lebanese six-piece.

It takes a singular vision to bring something new to the post rock table these days, loud/quiet trajectories and obtuse time signatures have long been overplayed, but Lebanese sextet SANAM…

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Album Review: Blue Earth Sound – ‘Cicero Nights’: Beaming out of Chicago, a fresh and funky take on the smoother side of jazz.

Now here’s a refreshing take on Cinematic Jazz, an album which thrives on the musicians’ interaction rather than the overall widescreen vibe, on the chemistry fizzing between instruments rather than…

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