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 The engaging indie psyche/pop has been replaced by synth-led electro, and I’m not sure if it’s a success.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

Mahogany Frog - In The Electric Universe (MoonJune Records)

 

The Canadian jazz/psyche/electro instrumental four-piece deliver their seventh album, and the 14-minute opener 'Theme From P.D.' sets out their stall from the start, ebbing and flowing from smooth ambience to pummelling crescendos. ‘((Sundog))' closes in a similar fashion with 17-minutes of epic electro-jazz, and in between we have pounding drums and atonal guitars on a selection of Softs-style jazz excursions.         

    
Mahogany Frog - Cube