Album Reviews
Feature: Backseat Downunder’s 50 Favourite Antipodean Albums and EPs of 2023
In many end of year ‘best’ albums of 2023, there has been a distinct absence of independent antipodean bands – an astounding omission given the depth of quality exhibited by Australian and New Zealand artists in 2023. For the past few years, to counterbalance this annual bias, I have put together a top fifty favourite …
Album Review: Mako Bron is ‘Halfway Home’ and it is a shimmering enigmatic journey filled with soaring anthems and an air of wistfulness.
The mysterious and criminally underappreciated Mako Bron is the moniker of one Chris Brookman whose work we have followed assiduously now for years – his EP ‘Cloudbites’ made our list of favourite antipodean releases for 2021 and, now, his debut album ‘Halfway Home’ has just slipped in under the barriers as a late entry to our …
Album Review: Dustin Wong & Ari Liloia – ‘Guided To The Panoramic Merge’: delivering a box of folktronica delights and intricate sound-crafting.
There’s several reasons why you really shouldn’t let the release of ‘Guided To The Panoramic Merge’ pass you by as the year fades out. First it’s the inaugural collaboration between erstwhile post rock guitarist of significance and more recently electronic sound-scaper, Dustin Wong and emerging folktronica voice Ari Liloia. Secondly it’s on A Red Thread, …
EP Review: Erik Buschmann – A Bitter Mess
Dutch producer Erik Buschmann shares the euphoric and intricate new EP ‘A Bitter Mess’. Having already built a growing hype following support across BBC Radio 6 and Spotify editorial playlists, the instrumental electronic artist displays his full potential across the new 6 track release. Opening with ‘Sedate Me’, Erik wastes no time introducing some danceable, …
Album Review : John Garner – ‘Movie Night’ : Re-imagining the soundtrack through an improviser’s lens.
That most singular of labels, Lewes based Difficult Art And Music consistently end the year with a flourish. They capped 2022 with their three volume cassette release ‘Bivouac Of the Avant Garde’, a fulsome resume of the experimental, leftfield scene from those on the inside. Now to round off 2023, the final release from the …
Album Review : Lea Bertucci – Of Shadow and Substance : Pushing through electro -acoustic boundaries and shifting our perspectives.
For over a decade of releases and live performance Lea Bertucci has drawn on the shapes, sounds and possibilities of the clarinet, saxophone, strings, vibraphone and harp to create long form, experimental music that challenges, intrigues and entrances. This dedication means the New York based sound artist dances to the left of the leftfield, in …
Album Review: Navigating the Melodic Maze of Pop Filter’s Latest Album ‘CONO’ + Tour Dates!
From Australia comes the indie collective Pop Filter, featuring members from The Ocean Party, Cool Sounds, and Snowy Band. Their latest musical masterpiece, ‘CONO,’ is a testament to spontaneity, charm, and absolute understated brilliance. ‘CONO’, their third album, emerges three years after the release of ‘Donkey Gully Road’. The album came to life through weekly …
Album Reviews: Jan Nemeček -‘Dissolved’: The Serbian synthesist scales up the ambience with orchestral vision.
Jan Nemeček may drift around the fringes of the bustling Belgrade electronic scene but in many ways he draws from the inner soul of eastern European experimentalism. The sound designer, producer, underground clubland fixture ,Norbu label founder and electronic musician is a restless creative, thriving on the possible and energised by the communal DIY aesthetic …
EP Review – Altern 8 – E-Vapor 8 (Remixes)
Network Records, in collaboration with electronic music pioneers Altern 8, proudly unveils a thrilling remix package of the iconic rave anthem ‘E-Vapor-8.’ Originally produced by Mark Archer and Chris Peat, as Altern 8, in 1992, the track is a cornerstone of electronic music history, transporting us back to the early days of the UK rave …
EP Review: Lords Of Ruin – Coda Revival
Following the recent pandemic, Lords Of Ruin returned with their mesmerising debut EP, ‘Ruin Within’, which landed last year, enabling the band to play larger festivals and a series of support shows. Now the heavy rocking quintet, have returned with their second EP ‘Coda Revival’. The band comments about the record: “This EP is our way of …