Jefferson Airplane - surrealistic pillow

So Jefferson Airplane's second album from 1967 and a key release of early psychedelia and folk rock. Really it is good fun and unlike some "classics" lives up to the bill and still sounds fresh. "Somebody to love" and "White rabbit" are of course famous songs heavily played to this day, but still retain their urgency and invention.


Moving beyond these tracks "She has funny cars" is an enjoyable stomp, pretty garage-y. "Come back to me" is mellowness personified. "Today" is so beautiful and atmospheric. It was a hugely popular song during the Summer of Love and you can hear why. It sounds real. Man.

Mary Chapin Carpenter - state of the heart

What is your favourite album ever? Its a common question to ask in musical circles, and it is a very difficult one to answer correctly. Its easy to throw in answers like the White Album or a Birdy Song Megamix but to truly say what is your favourite album EVAH and not just what is the current flavour of the month takes some thought. And i have given it a lot of thought, and this is it.

So why is it so good? The songs for a start. Accomplished and polished songs like "Quitting time", "Never had it so good", "This shirt". Great song writing and great production. The more you listen to it the more you find to enjoy about the album. Especially Carpenter's voice, to this day i've yet to find a singer whose vocals i like as much. I guess it also reminds me of my late teens when i first bought the album on vinyl back in 1989. And i've loved it, and her, ever since.

Tiffany

Tiffany's debut from 1987, and a lovely pop album it was too. I never really got into Tiffany at the time, though if i had realised back then that we were almost born on the same day maybe i would (lets face it there are far dafter reasons to like a singer). Many years later Tiffany is still releasing records and i am writing this nonsense. So thats all turned out well then.

The hits are here, "I think we're alone now" and so on. They are fine if verging on cheese sometimes and over familiarity makes it hard to be objective sometimes. The best song is "Danny" which is a perfect slice of pop with some lovely melodies overlaid with Tiffany's great voice. Its unashamedly bubblegum pop but with a bit of a country underpinning and that gives the album some staying power.

Plu

With their new album now out it was about time we reviewed the previous one by this Welsh alt-folk sibling trio. Its sublime, atmospheric (well they are from Snowdonia after all) and beautifully warm. Highlight is the wonderful "Tyrd yn ol" is melancholic, sweet harmonies and then a look back over the shoulder. Your heart melts.

"Hiraeth" is sparse, the backing cut back almost to nothing as the vocals cut through so clearly. "Glaw du" builds a compelling soundscape. "Yr ysfa" simple and warm, you might turn around when you listen to it because you'll feel like the band is right behind you.

The Sugar Shoppe

The Sugar Shoppe were billed as the "Canadian Mamas and Papas", and you can certainly understand why, they were Canadian for a start. They had a brief period of success in their own country and released this album originally for Capitol "down south" in 1968. Their period of success was brief but one of the members Victor Garber later made a good name for himself as an actor in films like Titanic and Argo.

The Sugar Shoppe are 60s groovy and appear at first glance to be a bit bubblegum, but behind some whimsical song titles like "The candy children song" and "poor Papa" and cute arrangements, including a vibraphone at times, the music is solid mainstream late-60s pop. Its fun and light pop, the other side of the late 60s to all that psychedelic noise. We all need a break yeah?

"The attitude" is atmospheric and adventurous with groovy sounds and a multi-faceted song structure. The cover of Donovan's "Skip-a-long Sam" is sweet and irrelevant. "Let the truth come out" some how managed to be laid-back and urgent at the same time, with a funky bluesey undercurrent. The aforementioned "Candy children song" has a bright and sweet melody with a trippy feel. This is one of the missing links of the 60s pop scene, oh yeah.

Marvin Gaye - what's going on

Well one of the masterpieces of soul music released in 1971, one of the great albums of the 1970s blah blah. But is it any good? The album was a reflection of all that was going wrong with America after the 60s such as police brutality, poverty and despair (so much has changed right?)

The problem with "historic" albums is that they carry so much weight and baggage its hard to assess them in their own right. Are you liking this song because you generally like it or because you are afraid of being uncool if you don't? Happily this album is full of good tunes though the history and contextual impact outweigh anything else. In the early 1970s this was Earth-shattering, nowadays its simply very good. Enjoy the pop beauty of "Mercy mercy me" and "What's happening brother" and the slinky groove of "Right on" and the world might seem a better place.

The Fox - for fox sake

There were many obscure British psychedelic bands who largely disappeared without trace after the odd record or two. That was until the mastertapes got unearthed from a vault or ziggurat in the 2000s so the albums could be re-released...

Some of these bands were quite frankly rubbish which makes their obscurity no surprise and their disappearance was no great loss, in some cases they probably should have remained buried. However some of the bands were truly special, producing some amazing music, and their failure can only be described as mysterious, and even a crime. The Fox, of which this is a reissue of their one and only album from 1970, is one of the latter.

Coming at the end of the psych era The Fox have a heavier rock vibe underpinning superb songs like "Second hand love". They probably would have ended up as a prog rock band doing 59 minute long flute solos so maybe its best, as they say, to burn brightly then burn out than fade away. "Look in the sky" is another brilliant track, rolling along with plenty of tasty chords and organ. So check them out for fox sake!

Holly Knight

Multi Grammy award winning Holly Knight is best known for her songwriting, writing mega hits like "Love is a battlefield". However she was also in a couple of bands too in the 1980s: Spider and Device and also released this solo album. Its a fine collection of songs, including a rendition of "Battlefield", though "Sexy boy" is the most fun song, a very catchy and enjoyable slice of late 80s pop.

The Mirage - tomorrow never knows

To be honest i'd never heard of The Mirage before i got this record (and apparently they were never that big) but the music is not bad at all though some of it isn't of the greatest sound quality (especially the lost sessions) and sounds like it was recorded in a toilet... on a dictaphone... that was a bit broken.

It maybe isn't that original either, you can certainly hear their influences which are clearly laid out. But the influences are pretty good...  the title track for example is a cover of that Beatles song which pretty much heralded the British psychedelia scene. The Mirage do a good job of it though the best songs are arguably elsewhere on this compilation.

The highlights of this compilation are songs such as "The wedding of Ramona Blair", the song is full of quirky psychedelic sounds, some of which are pretty hard to recognise. It has a nice pop feel too, it  qualifies as a lost psychedelic classic.

"Ebenezer Beaver" is another solid track with psych guitar menace and some cool echo and keyboards.  "Mrs Busby" is another good track, though sounds like you are hearing it through some else's wall. The percussion sounds a bit like fuel air explosives and the organ screeches through you like a buzz saw. Of course these are by no means bad things.

So while this isn't a "lost classic", it is well worth checking out for some delicious psych sounds.

Gwenno - y dydd olaf

Its synthpop but maybe not quite as you know it. This is Gwenno's, ex of the Pipettes, debut solo album and is an adventurous sonic exploration of retro-futuristic sounds... and its all sung in Welsh and Cornish too! Sonically it is from the future we never knew but should be living in now, think the likes of Stereolab perhaps though with a more sparse and organic feel.

"Patriarchaeth" for example intermixes the organic and the (retro) electronic to produce a glorious sound. "Amser" is the sound of a Century 21 space age cocktail lounge. "Chwyldro" settles into a really satisfying groove with swishing echoing effects. Its very different and its also very good.

Wolf Alice - my love is cool

This is an astonishing debut album, so full of great tunes. It covers some indie ground with bit dollops of grunge and power pop but its all held together with some great energy and verve. Favourites are "You're loves whore" which explodes into a wall of noise and razor sharp guitar and "You're a germ" which builds from a dark low-key opening into an angry explosion.

"Freazy" is laid back and funky, sounding like some great 90s indie dance and some vocal interplay that really appeals. "Lisbon" is very raw and garage sounding but underpinned by some great pop melodies. The sum of the parts would make this a great album alone but this is more than that, terrific stuff.

Chvrches - every open eye

Second album from Chvrches offers more big number neo-synth pop and exciting electro thrash with killer pop undertones. Very accessible but also still down to earth. The electronics never overshadow but instead enhance the very appealing vocals. Key tracks are "Leave a trace", "Empty threat" and "Never ending circles" but can't really think of many fillers on this album. "Clearest blue" is fun when it erupts what sounds like a sonic update of the Mode's "Just can't get enough". How it should be, not afraid to take inspiration from the past but not being shackled by it. Great album.

Love - forever changes

Regarded as one of the finest albums to come out of the Summer of Love, "Forever changes" was Love's third album and includes lovely psychedelia and beautiful folk rock with baroque flourishes. Some great pop hooks too, "Alone again or" for example has a delicious urgency and a juicy brass assisted melody.

"A house is not a hotel" is another shuffle of a track with tasty razor sharp guitar licks. "The red telephone" is an irresistible slice of psychedelia with whimsy, tempo changes and lush sounds a-plenty. It is a great album that has not dated any, sounding as fresh in 2013 as it did in 1967.

Florence and the Machine - how big, how blue, how beautiful

Its drama this 3rd album from Florence and the Machine, there is no shortage of emotion on display amid the sonic attacks on songs like "Ship to wreck" and "Queen of peace". In fact it can be a bit overblown, over the top but you know... it just sounds so damn good. Florence's voice is so powerful she could easily get a job as an auxiliary fog horn if the music career dries up, on music like this this is a good thing by the way. Its not a perfect album, or even a good one. More a set of really good tunes set amid some filler but the filler is at least passable and when its good its really good.

Courtney Barnett - sometimes i sit and think and sometimes i just sit

The debut from Australian singer-songwriter Courtney Barnett and its a mixed bag but overall it succeeds and is well worth a listen. Her style is low-key indie rock with exploratory (and often rambling but in a good way) vocals. Her word play is sometimes inspired, sometimes a bit toyshop Dylan, but throughout its entertaining.

Favourite track is "Debbie Downer" which has some great pop moments. The album doesn't always work but it is always individual and honest and thats the best thing of all in a world of sameness.

Metric - pagans in Vegas

The new album from Metric is very fine indeed, and a definite album of the year contender. Its an explosion of incredible pop and synth treats, gorgeous pop hooks to die for drenched in high energy yet also often so retro synths - the only downside is that the filler tracks can sometimes sound like directionless 8-bit video game music.

Forget the filler though, the highlights of the album shine brighter than most. "The shade" is a wonderous track, a driving electric beat underpinning vocals at once needy and triumphant. "Celebrate" is another exciting and dance friendly upbeat track that shines so bright.

"Lie lie lie" recalls Depeche Mode being more downbeat and menacing though still with plenty of synthy life. "Cascades" breaks up the beats and synths and sounds like Tron gone wrong. But this album is so so right.

New Order - music complete

New Order are no strangers to drama, they've had more "last albums ever" than i've had hot dinners (well OK may be a slight exaggeration). After the acrimonious split with Peter Hook though New Order have returned, Hooky-bass-less maybe but returning to their electronic dance roots.

The rockier edge that has flavoured recent New Order has been pushed aside and we have a return to hard industrial beats, dancefloor destruction yet retaining pop melodies a-plenty. So its amazing natch and "Plastic" and "Restless" are highlights. Some tracks do seem to go on a bit and some of the lyrics are pretty banal, but thats been true of New Order for a long time to be honest. Having said all that its the best New Order album for some time, maybe since Republic.

The Airfields - laneways EP

This is the kind of thing i love, noisy dream pop preferably by a band who are "The" something and have a record sleeve with just 1 or 2 colours on it (the band name written in all lowercase natch). Many hours were spent listening to weird and wonderful bands who released singles like this in my youth. Of course this isn't quite the same thing as its a 6 track CD EP but i still got a nostalgia kick.

The music is psychedelic pop, quite 60s in some ways but with a more modern indie twist (distorted vocals et cetera). Tracks like "Lonely halls" jingle jangle their way along very jollily. "Imaginary stars" has a great driving rhythm. Its wonderful yeah.

Duran Duran - paper gods

So the new Duran Duran album (now I'm not one to name drop even if its a bit tenuous, so i won't mention that the Taylors used to live next door to my Nan) and its a very fine record. However the opener and title track is terrible, an overblown dirge which sounds like an unreleased B-side from the late 80s which should have stayed buried in the vaults. Once you get past that however you are hit by a string of excellent dance-pop treats including the blistering single "Pressure off". The trademark big pop sound of Duran Duran augmented with some (fairly) hip and modern rhythms and beats.

"What are the chances" is a change of pace and another highlight, a great ballad. Echoes of my favourite DD track "Ordinary world" in it perhaps. So overall a great album, except the opener, but maybe they just included that for the LULZ?

Grateful Dead - blues for Allah

The 8th studio album by the Grateful Dead came out in 1975 and is rightly regarded as one of the band's best studio albums. The album tapped, perhaps more than most of their studio work, into the freeform rock/jazz/blues/add-a-few-more-genres-here creativity of the band's live shows and gave us songs like the melodious "Franklin's Tower" which is one of my all-time favourites.

Much of the album is a mysterious soundscape, as you would imagine tracks with titles like "Unusual occurances in the desert" would be! Sometimes it does get a bit tedious and self-indulgent however there is also some lovely rock songs here in the form of "The music never stopped" and the aforementioned tower.