Back catalogue: Psych/Garage Rock

Review: This a unique release that features a song that was released by two different bands during within the same year. The song 'Meshkalina' was by a psychedelic and prog band from Peru called Traffic Sound and then, soon after, by Latin duo Paco Zambrano and Reynaldo Murrieta under the name Paco Zambrano Y Su Combo. The latter version is more traditional and Latin while the Traffic Sound version is more psychedelic garage rock band-like. Two formidable and very different versions featured on limited splattered 7" vinyl.

Review: Fresh from dropping another essential seven-inch with his regular Sound Combo band, Misha Paniflov has joined forces with fellow multi-instrumentalist Shawn Lee for a string of collaborative singles. This "45" sports two genuinely impressive cuts, each full to bursting with quality live instrumentation. It opens with 'Sigmund Jahn Bossa', a superb fusion of late 1960s library jazz (think Roy Budd's score for Get Carter and you're in the right ballpark), bustling bossa-nova and spiralling psych-funk. Over on the flip the pair continue to deliver lounge, influenced, tongue-in-cheek thrills via the cheap, Sideman drum machine rhythms, tumbling guitars, elongated Hammond organ chords and hazy backing vocals of 'Aquaria'.

Review: What's important is to spread confusion, not eliminate it: Estonian production master Misha Panfilov knows this as much, running a carefully-curated imagecraft cartel, in which his many aliases confound and bemuse us into believing his many works are the doing of someone else. Case in point: At first glance, we were well-duped into believing Penza Penza were some kind of exotic psych supergroup lost to time, but a deeper investigation as to the origin of the alias indeed reveals the singular force of Panfilov to be the artist behind these tracks. It's no wonder the A-sider is called 'Deep Dive', affirming our propensity for curious, almost forensic suspicion as to its true origins. A serene groove of just-intoned riffs and sizzlingly offbeat hits, this one's certainly a solid accompaniment for your next mescaline dabbling. Meanwhile, we're happy to award the B-sider with "banger of the year so far" - 'My Friend Ash' is an ecstatic mover, as deceivingly retro as it is beguiling, with stabbing counterpoints and wild toppers, as suitable for the club as it is would've been for some kind of 70s hoedown.

Review: We really have a soft spot for the Four Flies late out of Italy. Their mix of world, Latin, library, jazz and plenty of other cultured in-between sounds always brings a smile to our face and dancers to our dance floors. This new 7" takes the form of a second single to be taken from Psyche's (aka Naples collective Marcello Giannini, Andrea De Fazio and Paolo Petrella) debut long player which is due in May. It's a compelling cut that offers a rich exploration of rhythm and the movements of an imaginary ritual dance. Synths and drums, guitar and bass and percussion all interplay delightfully.

Review: Amorphous Androgynous are back with something suitably epic in the form of this symphonic, 40-minute prog space-rock concept album, We Persuade Ourselves We Are Immortal. It is presented as five fantastic parts with the legendary Peter Hammill and Paul Weller both guesting, while the Chesterfield Philharmonic Choir and a 25-piece live orchestral string section provide the sumptuous sound that makes this most expansive and borderless record sound so meaningful. A cosmic trip of gigantic proportions with all the ups and downs you need to really feel moved, this is the definition of prog lavishness.

Review: Parson Sound emerged from the Swedish underground and for a period from 1967 were the absolute dons of minimalist rock, trance and psych. The hype quickly built and was backed up by every gig and new recording. This new, limited edition trim-fold sleeve 3 x 12" set proves that. In their time the band opened up for The Doors as well as playing an exhibition in Stockholm upon the invitation of Andy Warhol. These are drug-addled sounds, messed-up rhythms and fantastic fusions of rock, jazz and experimentalism that will blow your brain even now, so many years after being first laid down.

Review: Is the world ready for the return of Pere Ubu? Does it even matter? What's important is the legendary post-everything provocateurs are back, led by David Thomas and packing a line-up of lifers, long timers and someone Thomas met down the pub. Their last album on Cherry Red was 2019's The Long Goodbye, and yet they're back again with more of their deconstructed but eternally kicking avant-garde rock. There's a comforting familiarity to the angular squall of the guitars, but it's not an album trapped in the past as is evident on the rowdy cover of The Osmonds' 'Crazy Horses'. Genius coming at you from unexpected angles, which is exactly how it should be.

Review: So good then named them seven times? That's no doubt what fans of Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs will say, and you'd be hard-pushed to argue off the evidence of this new album. It is their fifth in just 10 years and is a powerful statement that is packed with some of their most potent work in an already storied career. The Newcastle-based quintet, fortified by their own individual passions, held up mirrors to themselves in writing this one. The result sounds are anthems for a world that is sleepwalking into oblivion but if it sounds this good, we aren't perturbed.

Review: If you're in the mood for heavy, fuzz-drenched guitar riffs, psychedelic intent, bass-heavy grooves and gnarled, echo-laden vocals, Geordie outfit Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs has you covered. They're at their weighty, intense and intoxicating best of 'Land of Sleeper', their first studio album for three years. They set the tone with the exceptionally dense, atmospheric and intense 'Ultimate Hammer', which evokes the grand heavy rock/proto-metal of Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Led Zepellin. The album continues in that vein, with a dash of punkish, late '70s/early '80s 'new wave of heavy metal' thrown in. A few critics have already suggested that it may end of being the best heavy rock album of 2023; while it's too early to tell, it's certainly a fantastic full-length excursion.

Review: Whether you opt to use the abbreviation - Pigsx7 - or say the band name in full, one thing is certainly abundantly clear about the swine-inspired sludge-rockers from Newcastle, UK. They make very loud and very powerful 'proper' rock music, make no apologies about it, and have been pretty damn consistent since they first squealed onto the scene with riffs blazing. 'Viscerals' does not break from that remit. Having managed to simultaneously win over die hard heavy metal types and BBC 6 Music listeners alike, they deliver this as their latest offering to the music hungry populace, and it's pretty much business as usual. Exceptional guitar innovation, propulsive rhythms and commanding atmospheres, with the only real change being the track lengths - with these arguably their most succinct to date, but as overwhelming as anything that has come before.

Review: If any album is more fitting of a deluxe reissue than a lavish prog record from the 70s then let us know. This brand new anniversary edition of Pink Floyd's seminal classic Dark Side of the Moon documents the band's best era in the best possible sound quality yet. The bumper package includes a vast book, booklet, stickers, many different formats including live DVDs and a hardback tome from Thames & Hudson making it a truly definitive edition of one of rock's most landmark albums. One for the hardcore collectors out there for sure, although the power of songs like 'Money' and 'Us and Them' means it's an album still being discovered

Review: Though soliciting some confusion as to whether it was written in 1977 or 2023, Pleasants' latest sonic gut-jab Rocanrol In Mono is a raw and toothy nostalgic throwback. Recorded in its entirety by frontman Al Uminium on four-track cassette, this whirlwind of an album revels in the unserious and fleeting, squashing every blues lick, top-reg solo and/or drum line under flattening walls of compression that nonetheless allow for much hilarity and dynamism and finding joy in the little things in life ('Loose Change', 'Interwebs', Rubix Cube').

Review: Pond started out 2020 by laying down a load of impromptu recordings and unplanned jam session which they have now pulled apart and rebuilt into this new album, 9. It flies by like a stream of electronic indie rock consciousness with barely a moment to pause and take stock. It is packed with references from intergalactic rock operas to bubbling synth pop, 80s hair metal and even some sultry sax and glam rock. The music is certainly something new for the band in many places, but will still appeal to old fans as well as winning new ones.

Review: This cutely entitled Demodelica double album brings together a load of different versions of classic cuts from Primal Schemas Screamadelica album, which itself has been the subject of a big anniversary reissue this year. All of the 16 tracks here are previously unreleased demo versions that offer a real insight into how the final album came together. The works in progress versions are just as interesting and the whole thing comes with some new notes from Jon Savage. Whether it's the rawness of 'I'm Comin' Down' (Isle Of Dogs Home Studio) or the intensity of 'Movin' On Up' (Hackney Studio demo), fans will be keen to hear this one.

Review: A one-of-a-kind record from a one-in-a-million "state-of-mind jam band", Upstate by Prison hears five guys, four vocals and three guitars melded together in a craft that runs on its own rock & roll synergy. A self-perpetual psychosonic release, the LP consists only of five 15 to 20-minute long jam pieces, all of which seem to endlessly revel in caterwauling, hooting, Wahhing, and droning, ultimately beating the horse of contemplative psychedelia to death until both a heightened state of consciousness and a renewed music-making praxis is achieved. Sure, it goes too far! How the hell else you gonna get Upstate?

Review: The Prisoners' 1985 third album 'The Last Fourfathers' gets a proper first-time reissue on transparent blue vinyl, carefully cementing the four horsemen of UK soul's reputation as one of the country's best and greatest. It wasn't long after the release of this album that the band, ahem, disbanded... but their reforming in 1994 proved the album to be an influential hit among heads, with 'Nobody Wants Your Love' and 'Whenever I'm Gone' standing out as fan highlights.

Review: Paul Osborne, the mastermind behind Project Gemini, delivers a majestic body of work that seamlessly blends folk rock, psych soundtracks, and hazy cinematic funk. Colours & Light exudes a growing confidence and ease, reflecting Osborne's maturation as an artist. With a more layered and diverse sound, the album shines brightly with Osborne's global influences and collaborations with other musicians. The album's theme, developed through introspective lyrics inspired by insomnia, relationships, and the human condition, is expertly woven into a mesmerizing soundscape. From acid folk to psych-funk, the album incorporates elements from various cultures and scenes, resulting in a kaleidoscopic sonic experience. Overall, Colours & Light is a testament to Project Gemini's artistic growth and ability to create a rich and immersive musical journey that resonates deeply with audiences.

Review: Australia is a hotbed of psychedelic rock 'n' roll bands. Perhaps, in the same way the country's cinematic output often does, this is all a result of the wild wild country effect - a nation with landscapes so evocatively barren, filled with endless nowheres, the imagination runs riot in terms of what might be waiting in that untapped outback. Maybe it's just because cities like Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane have incredibly fertile native music scenes that can compete with the best from the Euro-American axis.

Let's not second guess things, and instead focus on the depth and incredible wealth of ideas in this, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets' fifth long player. An energy-packed adventure into a place that's somehow stadium sounding, and yet also the polar opposite of what anyone could call main stage rock 'n' roll music, to say this is a wonderful trip would be underselling things.

Review: Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs of Saint Etienne fame are the diggers behind this new rock assemblage which pays tribute to mid-afternoon set times at lesser-known festivals from years gone (well, the 70s) such as Deeply Vale, Bickershaw, Krumlin, Weeley, and Plumpton. They were just as important to those who attended as the more celebrated likes of Glasto' and this collection shows the sounds were just as good, too. The sounds - from big names liek Deep Purple, Hawkwind and Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw to lesser known acts like Jonesy, will appeal to hippies and bikers alike with big riffs, funky drumming and some psyched-out sounds.

Review: Saint Etienne's Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs have more than proven their music knowledge across a stellar run of prior compilations, including The Daisy Age, Fell From The Sun and English Weather. This time around, they're tapping into the freeform climes of the late 70s and early 80s, as punk exploded and a myriad of bands channelled the unique, downcast mood of Britain into wildly creative, nervously urgent songs. Across four sides we take in all manner of cult selections and outer limits largely in the loose fit realm of post-punk. It's flawlessly selected and programmed - another reminder of how immersive a proper compilation can be.