Indie
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 : Joel Jerome’s ‘Cosmic Bear Jamboree’
Listening to Joel Jerome’s new album you can’t help but get swept up in the guy’s joy for music making. There’s a feeling of a guy getting completely lost in his own little musical world. Jerome is an L.A.-based producer who’s studio has welcomed some of indie rock’s most up-and-coming artists. He’s worked hand-in-hand with …
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 …
Classic Compilation: The Eels – Meet The Eels: Essential Eels, Vol. 1 (1996–2006)
To my ongoing shame, prior to hearing Meet the Eels, I had dismissed Eels as little more than a post-grunge novelty act after seeing them miming along with toy instruments to “Susan’s House” on Top of the Pops in the mid 90s. A few years later I picked up a copy of Beautiful Freak as …
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 …
EP Review: Spirit of Play – Apocalypse EP
Smart, literate and good natured, Spirit of Play’s new EP is shot-through with the book-smarts and approachability you might expect from a four piece band consisting of employees of the Times Literary Supplement. While you’d be right in not expecting visceral rock and roll thrills from such a self-confessed geeky group, the uncharacteristically aggressive Apocalypse …
News: MARK LANEGAN BAND Announces Still Life With Roses Remix EP/Tour
Following “career-best” reviews for his tenth album Gargoyle and a sold–out UK tour, Mark Lanegan Band announce the release of Still Life With Roses, a 6 track EP of remixes from the LP by various producers whose work he admires. The EP, released 29th September (Heavenly Recordings) will be available as 12” vinyl and download. It’s a …
Not Forgotten: Half Man Half Biscuit – Voyage to the Bottom of the Road
There are times when the lowly court jester is the wisest man in the kingdom. Released just weeks before the lingering-fart that was Be Here Now confirmed that the Britpop bubble had burst, at a time when every record label, regardless of how much major label backing they received, tried to convince you that any …
News: Cherry Red release C88 deluxe 3CD box set
Cherry Red follow on from the Classic C86 and follow up C87 with this new 3 CD deluxe Set featuring music from the DIY indie Scene of 1987. When the likes of Depeche Mode, New Order and Kylie were propping up the top end of the indie charts in 1988, the smaller self funded UK …
Classic Compilation: The Divine Comedy – A Secret History: The Best of The Divine Comedy
There have been few compilations as well timed as A Secret History: The Best of The Divine Comedy. Released just as Neil Hannon was enjoying the apex of his commercial success, it saw the band briefly established as one of the most popular groups in the UK, ensuring mega-sales for a compilation that was effectively …