indie albums
New Music: Unruly Girls, Cruel Tales
Many years ago in the nascent years of Backseat Mafia, we wrote about a number of exciting Italian bands creating distinct indie rock with style and attitude. One of these was a wild and brilliant band called “Sweet Jane and Claire” who (as their name suggested) were very much a Velvet’s-influenced attitude-laden breath of fresh …
Video and Album News: Baxter Dury, Miami
Any uncertainty about Baxter Dury’s parentage is quickly dispelled the minute he starts singing. If singing is the right term: he is a blistering, sardonic cockney raconteur just like his brilliant dad (Ian Dury, in case you are not up to speed). The video release of his new song, “Miami” reminds me of the panache …
Album Review: Everything Everything – A fever dream
Everything Everything has been building a really solid career throughout their nearly 10 years of existence. From the 2011’s weird, fresh and intense debut album Man Alive, to the melancholic, introspective Arc, the band has seen the career grow at a satisfying pace. The political, upbeat and angry Get To Heaven, featuring lyrics with darker …
Album Review: Various Artists: Manchester North Of England: A Story Of Independent Music Greater Manchester 1977-1993
Compiled by the team behind other Cherry Red box sets (Scared To Get Happy, Still In A Dream, Millions Like Us, Action Time Vision, etc.), this 7 CD box set tells the story of how indie music exploded in Manchester after the rush of Punk and the seminal release of the Buzzcocks’ Spiral Scratch EP. …
Album Review: Public Service Broadcasting – Every Valley
I must admit, Public Service Broadcasting had me going for a moment there. After their debut album Inform – Educate – Entertain wonderfully demonstrated that Willgoose, Wrigglesworth and Abraham could do exactly that with samples from archive footage and public information films and some cracking tunes, the more thematically linked The Race for Space disappointed …
Album Review: The Cribs – 24/7 Rock Star Shit
24/7 Rock Star Shit is the new album by Wakefield lads The Cribs. Their seventh studio album (if you don’t include best-of Payola) begins in the most Cribs was possible; a screech of guitar into an immediately catchy riff. The classic Jarman brother vocals on Give Good Time aren’t note perfect, but that isn’t why …
Album Review: The Fall – New Facts Emerge
One thing that always remained the norm was the output of Mark E Smith and The Fall. However this 32nd 10 inch double vinyl album, titled New Facts Emerge, is testing, very testing, the chaotic nature of Smith`s backing bands have been as much an appeal as his writing style since the late 70`s, this …
Album Review: Siobhan Wilson – There Are No Saints
Siobhan Wilson provides the heavenly soundtrack to heartbreak and healing with her second album ‘There Are No Saints’. After returning to Scotland from Paris five years ago, Siobhan Wilson moved from Elgin to Glasgow and used her background in classical music and French jazz to stunning effect. Her second album ‘There Are No Saints’ (out …
Album Review: tunnel traffic – MEESH
Adam Hachey writes under the name tunnel traffic but we’ve met him before playing as part of a band called Meesh – enthusiastically reviewed by Backseat Mafia a few years back (sadly unavailable on the site at the moment). tunnel traffic have now released an album entitled MEESH just to confuse things, but one thing …
Album Review : United Waters’ ‘The Narrows’
I won’t pretend to know much about Mouthus. I won’t because I don’t. I know nothing about the noise rock duo that hailed from Brooklyn, New York and who released close to 200 LPs in the course of 10 years(probably wasn’t that many records.) Well, I do know something. I know that Mouthus’ guitarist Brian …