Music
Not Forgotten – Faces – A Nod is as Good as a Wink… To a Blind Horse
There are some bands whose true worth only became obvious following the passage of time, whose stature continues to build year upon year, long after the band members themselves have gone their separate ways. Faces are not one of those bands. In the early 90s gold rush to re-evaluate and re-assess the music of the …
Track: Menace Beach – Tennis Court
It took what on the face of it seemed like a rash move to Leeds made by Ryan Needham and Liza Violet, that kicked things off for Menace Beach. They teamed up with MJ from Hookworms (doesn’t everyone in Leeds these days) a cast of friends including Nestor Matthews (drums) and Natt Spalding on Bass. …
Not Forgotten – My Morning Jacket – Z
The first time I heard about My Morning Jacket was when Mojo Magazine got themselves into a fizzle of excitement about them a few years back. Apparently they’d already released a couple of albums which had crept in under the radar, but Mojo had them tipped as the next big thing on no better authority …
Not Forgotten: Deep Purple – Made in Japan
It is the 70s. Weeks last three days, amplifiers are stacked, hair is long and unkempt, pants are loon and sleeves are gatefold. In the pop charts, glam-rock and hollow pop held sway, while the album charts were dominated by progressive and hard rock bands, whose live reputations were at least as important as their …
Premiere: Will Joseph Cook – Daisy Chain video (Sofar sounds)
We’re pleased to bring you the premiere of the latest from the brilliant Sofar Sounds, a session with upcoming Tunbridge Wells singer-songwriter Will Joseph Cook. Joined by his band, its a version of a new song, Daisy Chains. Here at backseat mafia, we loved his rather beautiful debut single Catalyst, and it seems that Daisy …
Album Review – Guided by Voices – Cool Planet
Guided by Voices are one of those acts where I genuinely cannot remember where or when I first heard their name, but I’ve known it for a while now. I guess he first time they registered on my radar as anything more than just a name, was about nine years ago when a Canadian friend …
Not Forgotten: Dusty Springfield – Dusty in Memphis
It’s heartbreaking that someone who had such a huge talent as Dusty Springfield suffered from almost crippling insecurity and self-doubt. Legend has it that she struggled so much with the recording of this, Dusty in Memphis, now her most celebrated album, that “Son of a Preacher Man” and “Just a Little Lovin’” aside, she was …
Album review – 3TEETH – 3TEETH
3TEETH the L.A four piece that have seemingly re-invented industrial music for the digital age have been turning heads with the slow intravenous drip of material over the last year. Through impressive use of social media and Soundcloud they’ve built up anticipation but also cleverly only revealed 3 of the tracks featured on their debut …
A Buyers Guide to Randy Newman
Quick – who is the greatest songwriter America has ever produced? Okay, how many of you said Bob Dylan? More than three quarters of you I should imagine and you may even be right, but how many of you looked beyond the obvious and said Randy Newman? Quite a few probably, because you’re reading an …
Live: Human Hair. Bell Jar, Sheffield 1-6-14 + ‘View from the Pit’ Gallery
Like many people I know, I really do prefer the smaller gig. They’re a bit more intimate and personal. More importantly, the beer is usually a lot better than the over priced watered down chemical rich rubbish you have to endure at the more corporate venues. And of course, you quite often get to meet …