Tracks
Cold War, Jump, The Impulse Man, I, Right Girl Wrong Time, Falling in Love with Myself, The Man Who Stole My Life, Wish It Away, Oh No Don't Cry, One Good Reason, Once in a While
Notes
Pausing briefly to wipe his face with the applause still ringing in his ears, Matt Backer contemplated the exclusive gig he'd just done with ABC. Filmed by VH-1, the special, due to air in the autumn, had been a remarkable success. Unable to remove his custom made William Hunt suit due to the plethora of cameras and crew in his dressing room, he perused a copy of Mojo. Could it be? It was - a fine review of his second album 'The Impulse Man'. He could hardly believe his eyes - especially as the final copies had not been pressed up yet! '...his feverish love of all things twangy and whammy persists' it read, 'among the chunkiest riffs and licks you wish you'd learned to play, wrapped around songs replete with fat choruses and wry humour'. There was no choice. He had to forego the traditional post gig debauchery, divest himself of his glad rags despite the shocked onlookers, and make straight for the Warmfuzz Mines, where he would join with the horny handed sons of toil to bring you this particular nugget. And now, at last, it has arrived, and you can share in it's glories! For only $15.00, you too can swoon to the title track, marvel at the post modern globalism and guitar freakery of 'Cold War', and join in the tongue-in-cheek onanistic frenzy of 'Falling In Love with Myself Again'. Gasp at the drama of 'The Man Who Stole My Life', and wonder how many times it's been the Right Girl (or guy) at the Wrong Time for you. But don't despair, because, as the song goes, 'Once in a while, something goes right'. Can you resist? As another fine review in 'Musician' magazine puts it, it's cheaper than therapy! Mr. Backer was last seen helping the BBC put together a band including Lamar, Bruce Dickinson, and Petula Clark on violin, Kiri Te Kanawa on timpani, Will Young on vibraphone, and Bez on sitar. No, honest!! MOJO MAGAZINE REVIEW: As an in-demand session guitarist of 20 odd years (for everyone from Steve Earle to Shirley Bassey), Backer could have expected to have long lost touch with whatever made him want to pick up a guitar in the first place. Yet on his second solo offering his feverish love of all things whammy and twangy persists among the chunkiest riffs and licks you wish you'd learned to play, wrapped around songs replete with fat choruses and wry humour. More, he's lost much of the mid-life angst that characterised 2002's 'Is That All' and instead sings joyously about falling in love with himself again. A step closer to his goal - to make the best album of 1975 - it's proof that the precious intricacies of retro guitar - driven pop should not be left in the hands of amateurs and children. Chris Ingham.
