Asimov – Truth. Second album from Portuguese heavy psych/space rock duo. Nicely rough around the edges, tis good: https://asimovstenarmusik.bandcamp.com/album/truth
Tunga Moln – III. Initially appealing Scando updating of the early Iron Maiden sound, but a bit samey overall.
Bark Psychosis – Hex. Getting the big reissue treatment soon, no doubt with much trumpet blowing from the press. But personally, while this might be the album for which the term ‘post-rock’ was originally coined, I’ve never quite got over my disappointment with it after the astonishing 20 minute plus single ‘Scum’ which came before it. Yes, it’s all very lush and nocturnal, but often as not, it doesn’t really go anywhere – driving endlessly over the Westway at 3am as a metaphor might sound like heaven to some, but in terms of atmosphere and dynamics, there’s nothing here that’s a patch on ‘Scum’. The whispered/murmured vocals also do my head in after a while. And the comparison with late period Talk Talk, which was entirely valid re ‘Scum’, really isn’t that strong – Hex is more like a proggy take on the classic 4AD sound. It’s not a bad album, just not as great as many claim.
Galactic Explorers – Epitaph For Venus. Another one of those obscure ‘Unknown Deutschland’ bands, this duo are very much in the Tangerine Dream/Klaus Schulze category, if not in the same league. Some nice, unhurried spacey ambient stuff though, worth a listen: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ok-iAJFGyag
VA – Even A Tree Can Shed Tears: Japanese Folk And Rock 1969-1973. More reverent packaging of the obscure-ish past. On first listen, I was a bit disappointed the artists here weren’t more ‘Japanese-sounding’ (if that isn’t a crass thing to say), with many of the tracks being very serviceable pastiches of the US/UK folk rock of the time, but that’s about it. However, further listens may reveal hidden depths…
Blue Oyster Cult – Secret Treaties. My older brother had Some Enchanted Evening, which I loved from an early age, but I’ve been pretty slow catching up on BOC’s back catalogue in the intervening 40 (yikes!) years. Having not grown up in America in the 70s, I have a feeling I’m never going to completely get this band, though their combination of piss-taking and seriousness, raw power and rock parody, the mysterious and the daft, obviously appeals to British ears. And you can’t argue with an album that contains ‘Flaming Telepaths’ (if you’ve never heard it, the Espers’ version is particularly awesome: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Jxj2D2jEqok )
Sun Dial – Other Way Out. Was too busy shoegazing or something when this originally came out at the start of the 90s. Interesting bridge between old and nu psych, particularly like this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_YxPV9GuWHQ
N is for…
Neon Pearl – s/t. Not an album as such, but a collection of demoes from 1967 retrospectively reissued around the turn of the century, point of interest being that Neon Pearl was Pete Dunton and Bernard Jink’s first band, they of the mighty T2. (Oh, coincidental connection with Sun Dial too, whose Acme label first put this album out) This is a collection of mostly moody psych pop songs, in fact downright gloomy in places, particularly given the year. No lost classics, though I think one track is a very early version of T2’s ‘Fantasy’, but Dunton’s strange, shivery vocal delivery is already fully-formed: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rIXHOP5nnC4
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