Album Reviews
NOT FORGOTTEN – U.N.P.O.C. – FIFTH COLUMN
I’ve been writing for Backseat Mafia for a while now, prior to that I honed my music reviewing on a website where members of the public were encouraged to review the music in their collection. It was as a tiny part of this small but enthusiastic online community that I first encountered Fifth Column, the …

Album Review : Andrew Bird- I Want to See Pulaski at Night
I’ve seen Andrew Bird live twice in my life. The first time was at the Chicago Opera House back in early 2009. The second time was at the Murat Theater in Indianapolis, IN in the fall of 2009. Both shows were stunning, Bird displaying a mastery of musical art like no other. But both shows …

Album Review: Youngblood Brass Band – Lux Volumi
Seems there’s a bit of a renaissance for brass bands at the moment. Not the colliery sort, instead these genre hopping, New Orleans ensembles, packed full of incredible players that, as well as being able to do things on their instruments that are almost beyond belief, they have this groove that is just infectious. Across …
NOT FORGOTTEN – SPARKS – HELLO YOUNG LOVERS
Once in a blue moon a new album is released by a well established act that stands out as the best of their career. It’s a rare thing for sure and it almost invariably only happens to acts that have not previously experienced the level of success that they had so richly deserved (the trappings …
NOT FORGOTTEN – GRUFF RHYS – CANDYLION
Looking back, Brit-pop was just a bit rubbish wasn’t it? Few of the bands it spewed forth had top-line careers which lasted more than a handful of years, great albums were thin on the ground and just about the only band of the movement that consistently released worthwhile music throughout their career was Supergrass. But …

Album Review: Midlake – Antiphon
So here’s the scoop in case you didn’t know or didn’t really care, Midlake was/is a band from Denton, Texas that was fronted by a guy named Tim Smith. They created strange worlds on their albums that were part renaissance fair and part Ray Bradbury novel. A renaissance fair that took place in another dimension …
NOT FORGOTTEN – THE POSIES – FROSTING ON THE BEATER
Over time tastes can change. When I was a child I hated the taste of cheese and onion crisps, preferring the sharp bite provided by salt and vinegar, however the onset of adulthood brought with it a distaste for my former favourites and their overpowering attack on my tastebuds and I started to find the …
NOT FORGOTTEN – CAMILLE O’SULLIVAN – CHANGELING
Camille O’Sullivan was not an artist I was familiar with prior to hearing Changeling, though a little Googling quickly ensured I had the basics, which was enough to give the impression that she’s a rather fascinating character. Born in London, raised in Ireland, she’s a vocalist, cabaret artist and actress. She studied fine art but …