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TRACK: Ana Roxanne’s ‘Suite Pour L’invisible’: haunting and lush
KRANKY. It’s a label that this unerring step with beautiful and complex ambient music, one which it’s been plying now for a quarter-century and more. The Texan imprint has just unveiled its latest signing: and once more they’ve struck the proverbial gold. Los Angeles-based Ana Roxanne comes into the fold on the back of one …
EP REVIEW: The Illness – ‘Descending’/’Phrases Redacted’: alt rock gets the tronica feels on cassette
HERE at Backseat Mafia, we’re really quite fond of The Illness. No, god, not that one – not the year-destroying one; we’re talking the Transpennine band who’ve been something of an in-house Wrecking Crew for York’s Sea Records, and who finally got their name up on their own 12”, “Descending”/”Phrases Redacted” back in July. We …
SEE: the cute-as guitar pop of Fever’s ‘Honesty’; rescheduled dates confirmed
HULL’S Fever usher in the end of the summer with a guitar pop choon soaring for the sky in a simple plea for “Honesty”. It’s proper sweet. Have a listen below. The song’s out today via Very Clever Records, and it’s all direct to your heartstrings, doe-eyed pop. Sometimes the simple tunes really are the …
TRACK: Landshapes – ‘The Ring’: first single teases November album
LANDSHAPES, the London four-piece with a nifty line in synth-driven indie psychedelia, have readied the third long-playing instalment of their recording career for your delectation after five years away. Following two fine and well-received albums for Bella Union in the shape of Rambutan and Heyoon, they’re set to explore loneliness, isolation, alienation, the need for …
NEWS: Hot Chip announce ‘LateNightTales’ mix, release Velvets cover
HOT CHIP. I can’t think of any other British band since New Order who have so straddled the indie-dance divide so successfully; and with such love from us listeners. They have a way with a sweet melody that gets ya, even if synthiness isn’t really your thing. And they’ve announced they are curating the latest instalment …
TRACK: Garcia Peoples – ‘Crown of Thought’: an Airplane-style psych jam
NEW JERSEY’S Garcia Peoples, who’s latest long-playing foray Nightcap At Wit’s End is out on October 9th, have just released the second single to be lifted from that LP in the shape of “Crown Of Thought”. It follows the cool East Coast rock of “One At A Time”, which we had a squizz at here; …
TRACK: Andy Cooper – ‘The Man’: dizzying delivery from Ugly Duckling wordsmith; LP to follow
ANDY COOPER, the Californian wordsmith who was one-third of old-skool rhymers Ugly Duckling, is back. He’s got third solo LP ‘L.I.S.T.E.N.’ (Lyrical Innovation Supplying The Ear’s Need),Supplying The Ear’s Need), locked and loaded; it’ll be with you digitally on September 25th, with the wax bringing up the rear on December 11th (trust us; it’s murder out …
TRACK: A Lily – ‘Endless Jasmine’: bewitching minimalism laments troubled times
A LILY, the harmonious experimental project of artist James Vella (save, of course, his 2011, Japan-only dive towards a wonky pure pop form, Thunder Ate The Iron Tree) is set to release its fifth album, Sleep Through The Storm, on October 16th. It’ll be his first to be curated by London-Dorset imprint Bytes, who recently …
TRACK: Emmy the Great – ‘A Window/O’Keefe’: a Laurel Canyon lovers’ classic
BELLA UNION’S crafter of intelligent guitar pop with a real classic vibe, Emmy the Great, is gearing up to release her new album April /月音 on October 9th; and in preparing to open the door and let us in to that world, she’s released what sounds like a gorgeous highlight from an intense diary of an album …
TRACK: Adulkt Life – ‘County Pride’: Huggy Bear and Male Bonding types combine for a righteous thrash
ADULKT LIFE is the new project of Chris Rowley, formerly of the brilliant riot grrrl torchbearers Huggy Bear, who’s got together with John Arthur Webb and Kevin Hendrick of Sub Pop noiseniks Male Bonding. And they’re setting out their manifesto for a nicely noisy indiepop future with their first single, “County Pride”, which is out …