Anyone who knows me or has read this blog previously will know of my abiding love for the Italian music scene, especially that 'genre' that has come to be called Italian Occult Psychedelia....I hesitate calling it a genre as that word would imply some semblance of similarity in the musical output of the IOP artists where in reality there is an incredible breadth of sounds and approaches. The term 'Italian Occult Psychedelia' was coined by journalist Antonio Ciarletta in an article published by Italian music magazine Blow Up back in January 2012. In effect it is a manifestation of the shared ..read more

I have spent the last few days fully immersing myself in the slightly disturbing but always mind-blowing world of the Ceramic Hobs and the late and much missed Simon Morris. One of the rabbit holes down which this foray took me is Pumf Records, run by Stan Batcow who, aside from a stint in the aforementioned Hobs (and a major contributor to some of the band's best albums) records under the name Howl In The Typewriter. As HITT he has released a slew of tapes and CDrs that veer from lo-fi punk to unsettling noise...seriously, they are all worth checking out...but 'Manifesto' must surely stand ..read more

I've said it before and I'll say it again; there is definitely something in the water in Canada, something that fundamentally changes the DNA of folk so when they pick up a musical instrument they can't help but to produce something top quality. We already have TBWNIAS, Shooting Guns, Moths & Locusts (with various 'offshoots'), Hawkeyes, The Intelligence Service, Holy Mount, Heavy Moon, Low Orbit, Khan Tengri .. and they are just the ones mentioned in this lil' ol' blog!! I hesitate to call Bigfoot Coroners the 'new kids on the block' as a peek at their Bandcamp page indicates that they ..read more

Looking on the bright(er) side of this weird situation in which we find ourselves, I suppose it gives creative types more time in which to be...well, creative. Case in point; I had a message from Andy, guitar wrangler supreme from Psychic Lemon, who has been experimenting in more electronic stuff, specifically the darker side of ambient. (He also mentioned that Psychic Lemon are on hiatus due to the bass player Andy having dislocated his shoulder...speedy recovery mate, that must have smarted!) The aforesaid experimentation has led to a rather fine album of deep, dark drones and claustropho ..read more

Way back in the mists of time (well, 2016) I wrote a review of the debut 'Maladies' EP from Canada's The Intelligence Service with its "insanity of garage legends Thee Oh Sees and the fuzziness of The Black Angels combined with the post punk weirdness of Devo". This was followed a year later by the 'Trangressors' album...an equally as good album and produced by Chris Woodhouse (Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, Fuzz, Sic Alps). Last November saw the release of their sophomore album 'Beatrice's Guitar' and it is without doubt the best of the bunch. Once again produced by Woodhouse it is a veritable ..read more

Small, independent labels are the very lifeblood of music..those labels that are invariably run by people who do it for the sheer pleasure derived from music and not the search for the mighty dollar. The music put out by these labels is sometimes challenging, sometimes thought provoking, always interesting and even sometimes beautiful but, and this is a big but, it is always created for music's sake not for money, kudos or "reputation" (that being said, I'm sure most label owners and artists alike would appreciate healthy sales figures). All hail these labels I say. So in that spirit here is a ..read more

I must admit, this album past me by when it was released a month or so ago and boy, do I regret that now! Brought to us by the twin Kevin attack of Sunrise Ocean Bender and Deep Water Acres 'Useful Histories' will undoubtedly prove to be one of the stand-out releases of 2020. Steve Palmer is a guitarist hailing from Minneapolis and this is his second release following on from the 2014 'Unblinking Sun' CD. What is immediately apparent is that Palmer is a quite exceptional guitar player and, as if that wasn't impressive enough, 'Useful Histories' was made whilst Palmer adjusted his playing st ..read more

For those that like modern electronica in all its diverse forms, no doubt you would have listened to the 'Anticipating Nowhere' broadcast and/or seen the accompanying blog. The man behind both is Simon Klee and he is one of the unsung heroes of electronic music and a fervent advocate of 'the scene' (and is a huge supporter of my tape label Misophonia Records!). Well, it would seem that he can add musician to his CV as he has just released his first vinyl EP and it would only seem right to turn the tables as such and spread the good word about HIS music. 'When The Tide Went Out' is a reco ..read more

I can think of no better way of resuscitating the blog than with a new release from one of my favourite labels...the mighty Boring Machines. The label has been a mainstay in the Italian experimental scene for well over a decade now and nary a duff release (and will forever be in my heart for releasing Heroin In Tahiti's 'Sun and Violence' album). This particular release is, obviously, the second release from DIVUS following their eponymous debut in 2017. DIVUS is a meeting of minds: electronic musician Lucianno Lamanna (Lunar Lodge, Balance, LSWHR) and saxophone player Luca T. Mai from exp ..read more