2018: The Best Thus Far

Well, halfway through the year and what a year it's been on the music front. So many fine albums released, so for what it's worth here are my fave ten thus far. (These are all new albums so no Heroin In Tahiti, no Dead Sea Apes and no TBWNIAS boxset....but fear not, they will have their plaudits come the end of the year). These are in no particular order....well, vaguely chronological.

Psychic Lemon - Frequency Rhythm Distortion Delay (Tonzonen)

Review here.

You really could not ask for a better start to any year than this....the Cambridge psychonauts followed their outstanding debut album with this wonderful slice of fuzzed out kraut jams with dollops of heavy spacerock. It is no secret that Psychic Lemon are one of may fave bands but regardless this album is smoking! (Shameless plug - the guys are playing the inaugural 'Up In Her Room' festival in Chelmsford, Essex this coming August 4th, joining the likes of Helicon and Is Bliss ....see here!)



The Band Whose Name Is A Symbol - Droneverdose (Cardinal Fuzz)

Review here

The band that just keep on giving..and giving. TBWNIAS continue their string of amazing albums with 'Dronverdose' and their own trademark fuzzed out take on all things psych and kraut. This is psych played by people who really know what psych is.



Anthroprophh - OMEGAVILLE (Rocket)

Review here

The Heads who out Heads The Heads....this is fucking huge! An album that bends genres and expectations. An album that starts as one thing and ends another. Genius, no other word will suffice



Jochen Arbeit​/​Paolo Spaccamonti - CLN (Boring Machines)

Review here

This is one of those albums that I keep coming back to time and time again. Jochen Arbeit is a member of Einsturzende Neubauten and Spaccamonti is a guitarist and 'Research Composer' and between them they made 'CLN' an album in which to revel. Cinematic, dystopian pieces that flit between the ambient and the harshly industrial. Absolutely fantastic stuff.



Girl Sweat Pleasure Temple Ritual Band - Hyper Rituals (Evil Hoodoo)

Review here

sheer visceral power and dissonant noise...'Hyper Rituals' hits you between the eyes...and hard! disembodied shrieks, feedback, squealing electronics, skronky sax, shamanic chants, psychedelic guitars and some liberal sprinklings of heavy ritual....this really does have the lot



Flowers Must Die - Där Blommor Dör

Review here

Swedish brilliance here from FMD - an album that channels Träd, Gräs & Stenar (both in spirit and in the form of a song title). "it smashes any psychedelic paradigm...it not so much moves the goalposts as decides to do away with them altogether" ...'nuff said



Father Sky Mother Earth - Father Sky Mother Earth (Dirty Filthy Records)

Review here

As it says on the sticker: "A soul-rending sonic exploration full of arcane mysticism, cavernous drone and heavy-as-fuck riffage. Intensely moody, cinematic and most definitely magnificent.” Don't really need to know anything else!



Monumentals - Irregular Heads (Eggs In Aspic)

Review here

Simply stunning album that takes in kosmische, experimental electronica, drone and soundtracks (and much, much more).....atmospheric, haunting and life-changing



Lay Llamas - Thuban (Rocket)

Review here

Brilliant...no other words necessary



Prana Crafter - Enter The Stream (Cardinal Fuzz/Sunrise Ocean Bender/Eggs In Aspic)

Review here

Organic, free flowing beauty with some fine song writing and lashings of blissful tranquility...easily the most beautiful album of the year so far.