Jon Bryan, Author at Backseat Mafia

Not Forgotten: Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

When reviewing In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, a term like ‘influential’ just doesn’t seem to cover it. Neutral Milk Hotel’s final full album (their second or third, depending on…

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Not Forgotten: Eagles – One of These Nights

Eagles are one of those bands that split opinion. For some they are the absolute epitome of bland, coke-blasted, West Coast Album Orientated Country-flecked Rock. To others they are an…

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Album Review: Ezra Furman – Transangelic Exodus

As a rallying cry for a generation of music fans with a notoriously short attention span, ”Suck the Blood From my Wound” is an attention grabbing opener. Transangelic Exodus has…

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Album Review: The Shins – The Worms Heart

For me the fascinating thing about The Worms Heart is not its concept, or even the music within, but it’s trying to figure out exactly when James Mercer came up…

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Not Forgotten: Leonard Cohen – I’m Your Man

It shouldn’t work. It should have been a complete and utter dud. Of the old guard of the 60s and 70s, almost no one had made the hard synthetic production…

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A buyers’ guide to Flight of the Conchords

I can’t remember the first I became aware of Flight of the Conchords. I had certainly heard of them prior to my friend Mark recommending their TV series to me.…

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Not Forgotten: Warren Zevon – Excitable Boy

Sometimes a single song becomes so synonymous with an artist, that they are unable to outrun its shadow and anyone who is not a established fan only ever associates the…

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Not Forgotten: Rush – A Farewell to Kings

By 1977, although Canadian progressive power trio Rush had taken the scenic route to commercial success, they were well on the way to becoming one of the biggest bands from…

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Not Forgotten: Smog – A River Ain’t Too Much to Love

For the first minute or so there’s nothing but melancholic acoustic guitar and a far away harmonica. It’s moving, deeply moving. Then comes Bill Callahan’s voice, and you’re utterly invested.…

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Video: Levellers release new video for McGee

Ahead of the release of their new album, We The Collective, British rock institution, Levellers, have released the video for their new single, McGee. Shot live in Abbey Road Studios,…

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