Los Angeles
Track: Drake – Energy (Whiiite’s Future1Hundred Remix)
I’ve just stood in the extreme cold and watched my son, seemingly unbothered by the wind and temperature, play football. I’m between naps on the sofa, and badly in need of some energy. Cue my email bleeping with the very thing. It’s Drake’s lean, mean attitude driven machine of a single of the same name, …
Track: The Dead Ships – Big Quiet
Here at Backseat Mafia, we can never get enough of the kind if Garage Rock that made something of the Strokes, and continues today in the shape of The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes and the like. So step forward LA-based trio The Dead Ships, who’s new EP, EP1 contains, certainly on the evidence of ‘Big …
Track: Draag – Lavender Hole
Los Angeles five piece Draag have recently announced the follow up to their self titled album, which dropped earlier in the year with a new EP, Tracii Lordz. Produced by fellow LA experimental rocker Jeff Byron, formerly of The Mae Shi’s, the band Jessica Huang (guitar, keys, and vocals), Adrian De La Cruz (guitar), Carlos …
Track: Dirty Dishes – Thank You Come Again
Can we apologise? This has been out a while, and yet we’ve only just got to it, as good as it is. Its by Boston Massachusetts duo Dirty Dishes, aka Jenny Tuite (guitar/vocals) and Alex Molini (synth/bass) who went through that classic boy meets girl at party, boy vomits on girls shoes, boy rings girl …
Tom Brosseau: Profile
Outside it’s a beautifully bright Sunday lunchtime, but chill in the shade. Indoors, in the snug of Paper and Cup, it’s cosy warm. Tom Brosseau, his friend Eva, his manager Mary Jones, and I are happily ensconced in Calvert Street, E2, about to reap the rewards of the coffee machine currently threatening to drown out …
New Music: Street Joy – Laurel Hill
We’ve written about Los Angeles‘ Street Joy before, here. The duo, Jason DeMayo on lead vocal, guitar and bass, and Scott Zimmerman on drums and backing vocals, deal a winning hand in old time, feelgood Rock n Roll. It has this whiff of nostalgia about it, the sort that brings to mind those sepia tinged …
Track: Street Joy – Wandering in your mind
I like the idea of being able to wander in someone’s mind and these clever lyrics by Los Angeles duo Street Joy give me the impression of what it might be like with their track ‘Wandering in your mind’. The confident swagger of the vocal delivery are all wrapped up in a gorgeously late 60’s …
Track: Aan – Daylight, plus album and US tour news
Portland four piece Aan released their debut album, ‘Amor Ad Nauseum’ on 4th February and from that they have released the stand out single ‘Daylight’. Bud initially delivers a delicate vocal in the track until the songs builds, accompanied by soaring guitars with subtle but steady bass and drums. It’s fragile and romantic and just …
Into The Woods with Kathleen Lolley
editing by Nick Pett words and interview by Su Ciampa About a decade ago, my friend Courtney, whom I met while living in a New York City women’s hotel run by Nuns, introduced me to the work of American artist Kathleen Lolley. Courtney met the artist at a gallery event that Lolley curated at Camp …
Past Lives: April 1st 1983, and the death of Marvin Gaye
In some ways, it was almost seems inevitable. On one hand, one of the best and most successful singers, not only in his illustrious record company, Motowns history, but also in the whole of popular music history. He had been having hits since the 1960’s, his breakthrough chart hit being I heard it through the …