Music
Obituary: Jaki Liebezeit – Can’s human drum machine 1938 – 2017
Jake Leibezeit will be best remembered for his work with German avant-garde band Can. He played on some of their most memorable albums, such as ‘Ege Bamyasi’ and ‘Monster Movie’, and brought a steady motorik beat, relentless and minimalistic, yet unmistakeably human. His rhythmic repetoire however had infinite depth beyond the bare-bones pulse of Krautrock, …
See: Syd Arthur release new video for No Peace
Rsing Canterbury quartet Syd Arthur have returned with a new single/video for the track No Peace, taken from their recent Apricity album, released on Communion/Harvest It’s a slow burner of a track, but features all the things that made their debut album such a winner – great tunes, and their lo-fi slacker rock infused with …
See: Minor Victories release new video for “Scattered Ashes”, from Orchestral Variations
We’re big fans of Minor Victories here at Backseat Mafia, and their eponymous debut was up there amongst the best albums of last year. The band have now stripped back those tracks to produce “Orchestral Variations”, which you might expect to simply be, well, orchestral versions, but no. Take “Scattered Ashes”, one of the stand-out …
Classic Album: Elton John – Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
Managing to traverse the chasm between critics favourite and global commercial acceptance at the same time as David Bowie, the former Reg Dwight seemingly had the best of both worlds by the mid 70s. Like Bowie, he had segued almost effortlessly from lauded singer-songwriter to glam rock icon (and, lest we forget, had even cracked …
Playlist: Boxcutter exclusively picks out some solo cuts from jazz/fusion artists
It’s about time Boxcutter, aka Northern Irish producer and musician Barry Lynn, started getting the recognition he deserved. Since his early Dubstep material released through Hotflush, or his debut album Oneiric, which came out on the iconic Planet Mu label, he’s managed to create a niche within electronic music which showcases his skills, both as …
Album Review: Ulrich Schnauss & Jonas Munk – Passage
The newest collaboration between Ulrich Schnauss and Jonas Munk, titled simply Passage, is a heady mix of intellectual ambient and euphoric electronic. You get Schnauss’ synths layered with Munk’s liquid guitar lines, sometimes with drum programming and sometimes on their own. The result is a complex and engaging record that offers the best both musicians …
Album Review: Del Paxton – All Day, Every Day, All Night
All Day, Every Day, All Night is the debut album from emo/ math rockers Del Paxton. Combining influences from a whole multitude of genres the band have created a somewhat unique sound that will surely excite fans of alternative, math rock, emo and pop punk. The record is essentially a collection of previous material produced between …
See: One Eyed Wayne release video for Attack of the Luxury Flats
We’re big fans of the post-punk/mod stylings of One Eyed Wayne, and we’re not the only ones with the band pulling radio plays all over the 6music schedules. They’ve drafted in Simon Parfrement (Sleaford Mods Video Director) to film and edit some visuals of the title track from the bands recent album Attack of the …
Album Review: Japandroids – Near To The Wild Heart Of Life
It seems that Brian King and David Prowse have gone full Hooters(the band not the chain store.) They’ve turned their DIY, punk-inspired anthems into full-on roots rockers. From 2009s Post-Nothing clear through to 2012s breakout Celebration Rock, Japandroids have cultivated this caffeinated, punk-meets-Springsteen-meets-Replacements sweat and blood-stained love letters to getting drunk, falling in love, punching …
Album Review: The Flaming Lips – Oczy Mlody
It’s been a long strange trip, hasn’t it? The Flaming Lips have been a musical freak exhibit in a constant state of flux since the late 90s. Each record since 1997s Zaireeka has been a reinvention of the Lips. After the band became a three-piece(along with honorary member and long time producer Dave Fridmann), Wayne …