Loop – Sonancy (Reactor Records)

 

Loop were one of my favourite indie bands of the late 80’s, so when I saw they had a new album out, I was intrigued, but also a bit wary. It’s been three decades since their last one, so will mainman Robert Hampson be looking to re-capture the old spirit, or is he willing to try something new? Luckily it’s a bit of both, with the droning riffs still in evidence, but the more concise songs make an impressive comeback.   

Loop - Interference

Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard – Backhand Deals (Communion)

There aren’t enough good indie rock bands around at the moment, and so it’s great to find a group that are in love with classic power-pop of the 70’s, and can help The Wombats keep it alive. This Welsh combo have been releasing under-the-radar singles for a couple of years now, but their debut album shaves off the rough edges and delivers a set of assured and confident pop songs, which promises great things.         

    
Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard - New Age Millennial Mas

Bird In The Belly – After The City (GF*M Records)

The latest from BITB is a concept album based on Richard Jeffries post-apocalyptic 1885 novel ‘After London’, which foresaw a country devoid of human life, and nature reclaiming the land. Adapting lyrics from traditional songs and Jeffries’ own prose, the band expertly weave an atmosphere of both despair and hope at the mysterious destruction of the land, and it acts as a stark warning of what we could face.

    
Bird In The Belly - Tragic Hearts Of Town

Wovenhand – Silver Sash (Glitterhouse Records)

As Wovenhand is pretty much the solo project of 16 Horsepower leader David Eugene Edwards, then he's allowed to collaborate with his friend Chuck French from Planes Mistaken For Stars, and still class it as a Wovenhand album. It’s mostly Edwards lyrics sung over fragments of French's leftover music, but you’d never know as every song is a fully-formed piece of compelling, emotive alternative Americana.    

             

Wovenhand - Tempel Timber

Thyla – Thyla (Easy Life Records)

Thyla have been on my radar since 2018, collecting their Soundcloud recordings and singles, and they’ve now finally released their debut album, with none of those earlier songs included. The Brighton-based trio are built around the ethereal vocals of Millie Duthie, set against a nostalgia-drenched synth-pop backing, alternating between anthemic shoegaze one minute, and soothing dream-pop the next. Well worth a try.           

Thyla - Amber Waits

The Minders - Psychedelic Blacktop (Space Cassette Records)

The Minders have been around since the late 90’s, producing some great indie-pop music for spinART Records, but as I hadn’t heard from them for a while it was nice to see their name on a new album. It’s taken the three years over the pandemic to finally get to this point, including resurrecting their original 8-track decks, but the result is an album of the brilliant psychedelic garage rock that I remember them for.              

The Minders - Home

Palace - Shoals (Fiction Records)

Although Palace have been around since 2014, this is my first experience of the band, having missed them completely so far, and it's very much my loss. The London four-piece infuse their indie/rock matrix with a touch of stripped-back blues, giving the songs a languid feel, while still keeping them engaging. It’s one of those albums that needs to be listened to in one sitting, and it repays the effort when you do.              

    
Palace - Never Said It Was Easy

Eleventh Dream Day – Since Grazed (Comedy Minus One)

I’ve been a fan of EDD since 1987, and over a dozen albums later they’ve never let me down. They just turn up the guitars and crank out those Neil Young riffs, but as it’s six years since their last release, they’ve mellowed a bit, and there are some lovely acoustic numbers on this one as well. When they do rock out they’re as mesmerising as ever, but it’s also nice to hear a different side of the band for a change.     

    
Eleventh Dream Day - Since Grazed

Speed Of Sound – Museum Of Tomorrow (Big Stir Records)

This Manchester outfit have been around for over 30 years and yet this is only their fifth album, and also the first that I’ve tried. It’s hard to believe they’ve been under my radar for so long, and now that I’ve found them I can hear what I’ve been missing. Their sound is a mix of jangly indie and post-punk, with a touch of psyche, and the songs are segued into two ‘galleries', in keeping with the museum theme.         

    
Speed Of Sound - Tomorrow's World

The Anchoress – The Art Of Losing (Kscope)

The Anchoress is Catherine Ann Davis, and this is her second album of classy songs and instrumentals. After touring her first release, she experienced a spell of depression, and she’s drawn on that for these songs, with the emotional and personal lyrics acting as a healing process. It’s not all melancholy, though, with guest James Dean Bradfield giving the rattling ‘The Exchange’ a particularly welcome urgency.           

    
The Anchoress - Let It Hurt

The Wombats – Fix Yourself, Not The World (The Wombats Records)

I’ve loved the irreverent power-pop of The Wombats since they emerged in the mid-2000’s, and although it’s been four years since their last album, they still have that effortless melodic backbone to their songs. Add to that a smattering of R&B and electronica, and their sound is updated to the very best in modern alternative pop. All good bands mature with age, and The Wombats are now grand old men of the scene.   

    
The Wombats - Flip Me Upside Down

Trees Speak – Vertigo Of Flaws (Soul Jazz Records)

Trees Speak are nothing if not prolific, with this 29 track album being their fourth in two years. It melds krautrock rhythms with angular post-punk guitar and 70’s synths to produce music that’s both evocative and challenging. Lush orchestral soundscapes full of sirens and radio static can be found next to cosmic Tangerine Dream-like pieces, followed by a melodic 60’s spy theme, but it’s all strangely compelling.          

    
Trees Speak - Seventh Mirror

The Stick Figures – Archeology (Floating Mill Records)

The Stick Figures had their brief moment of fame in 1981 when they released their post-punk 4-track EP to little acclaim. 40 years later Floating Mill have added some unissued studio recordings and a couple of live tracks and released an album that will have people asking how they missed them. Their scratchy art-punk still stands up today, and if you have fond memories of Pylon and Delta 5 then this is for you.    

    
The Stick Figures - N-Light

Partner – Green And Gold (X! Records)

Chicago-based prog-rock outfit Partner started out in 2013, and in two years had recorded the material for their debut album, but for some reason it’s only just made an appearance. It’s a complex, aggressive, and uncompromising sound, with hints of the Canterbury scene among the hard-rock riffs. I can’t say that I’m particularly fond of the vocals, but as the tracks are mostly instrumental then I’ll put up with them.      

        

Partner - Drang

Dummy - Mandatory Enjoyment (Trouble In Mind)

 

Dummy formed in Los Angeles in 2018, and after releasing a couple of EPs, we have their debut album of Krautrock-inspired songs, brimming with droning organ and motorik rhythms. Taking classic Cluster/ Neu! as a starting point, and adding in lush melodies a-la Broadcast or Stereolab results in a superb blend of the old and the new, and the odd bit of shoegaze guitar doesn’t go amiss either. The title says it all.          

    
Dummy - Fissured Ceramics

Amarok - Hero (Oskar Records)

 

Amarok is the brainchild of Polish musician Michal Wojtas, who released three albums under the name in the early 2000’s, before taking an extended break and returning in 2017 with ‘Hunt’. ‘Storm' followed in 2019, and now we have the latest album from this excellent prog-rock band, adding violin to the mix to give some tracks a bit more depth, while the overall sound remains progressive rock of the highest order.         

    
Amarok - I'm A Rock

35 Tapes - Home (Apollon Records)

 

I stumbled on Norwegian prog-rockers 35 Tapes on Youtube, and as soon as I found out they’d named themselves after the number of tapes in a mellotron I knew they were my kind of band. ‘Home’ is their second album of symphonic space-rock, lovingly re-creating the sound of classic 70’s prog with Camel-like swathes of synth overlaid with searing Floydian guitar-lines. A well-kept secret that needs exposing.   

    
35 Tapes - Undertows

W. H. Lung - Vanities (Melodic Records)

 

When W. H .Lung burst onto the scene in 2016 they were a breath of fresh air in a stagnant indie scene, and their 2019 debut album did not disappoint, but losing a member to a film career, and relocating the band have caused vocalist Joe Evans to rethink the group, and this album is a different beast altogether. The engaging indie psyche/pop has been replaced by synth-led electro, and I’m not sure if it’s a success.         

W. H. Lung - Calm Down

The Bevis Frond - Little Eden (Fire Records)

 

A new album from The Bevis Frond is always cause for celebration, especially when it’s as good as this one. It’s been three years since ‘We’re Your Friends, Man’, and Nick Saloman has amassed enough songs for an 80-minute double album, most of which are short, snappy rockers. For me, though, the band are at their best when they stretch out, so ‘Dreams Of Flying’ and ‘As I Lay Down To Die’ are my picks.  

    
The Bevis Frond - Everyone Rise

The Cosmic Mellow - The Cosmic Mellow (Bandcamp)

 

The Cosmic Mellow hail from California, and if ever a band’s name told you exactly what they sounded like then it's this one. Taking in surf-rock, 70's folk and electronics, they’ve produced an album of soft psychedelic sounds that hark back to the Summer Of Love, where songs like 'Endless Wave’ and ‘Clear My Mind’ sound right at home. Relax, chill out, and listen to some cosmic, mellow, and groovy tunes.       

    
The Cosmic Mellow - Endless Wave