Back catalogue: Psych/Garage Rock

Review: Sandy Harless' Songs album represents the Chillicothe, Ohio artist's sole foray into cosmic American music. It came during the 1970s and the height of the hippy movement's mellow phase and was, rather remarkably, funded by a business breeding 27 aquariums of fish. The record blends Appalachian roots with a rich mix of mountain folk, rural rock, and pastoral country. It's brilliantly authentic throughout and is a great representation of "real people" music that captures the essence of the era's down-to-earth vibe. It's one to put on around a campfire on a balmy summer's evening.

Review: Commonly regarded as the first official release from avant-garde prog/space rock outfit Heldon; Electronique Guerilla (also known as Heldon 1), served as a pioneering piece of studio experimentation and manipulation, utilising a myriad of guitar effects, tape delay and electronics, collated together by the genius of Richard Pinhas. Building the pieces from a Schizo (the earlier incarnation of Heldon) track together with solo guitar loops and electronic works, while warping elements from another collaborative cut with guitarist Alain Renaud, the fruitful, cosmic, proto-wave machinations are often credited as some of the earliest influences from King Crimson's Robert Fripp (who Pinhas cited as a major influence and master of the guitar) and Brian Eno, yet while in no way shying away from their inspirations, Pinhas has since specified that "Heldon 1 was released in '74 at the same time Muff Winwood released the first Fripp & Eno", so while similarities and comparisons are welcome, more attentive ears should be able to extract the nuanced differences with which Heldon crafted their hallucinatory, boundary-pushing early opus. Originally released on Pinhas' own Disjuncta Records and limited to 1000 copies, this long overdue reissue won't stick around anywhere near as long as these swelling brain-pieces.

Review: Masterful curator Paul Hillery returns with another essential instalment in this wonderful BBE series. Volume 3 continues his tradition of unearthing rare, high-quality tracks so it is a perfect companion to his Children of the Sun trilogy. This one spans funky folk, jazzy AOR, lo-fi dub and DIY folktronica and includes numerous gems like Sheila Chandra's ethereal vocals and Tim Green's euphoric grooves, a playful vibe from Gil De Ray on 'Something About Nothing' and plenty more besides. With extensive sleeve notes, this is a deep sonic journey that also cements the man behind it as an expert archivist.

Review: First dropped in 2007, The Black & White Album was well-received at the time, and for good reason. Yes, in many ways it's The Hives doing what they do best - high energy, adrenaline garage rock music you can't help but feel driven by. From another perspective, though, there's much experimentation going on, which becomes more apparent the more you dive into things. 'Puppet On A String', for example, uses nothing but a handclap and piano, stark minimalism compared to the stereotype of the band in question. Another, 'A Stroll Through Hive Manor Corridors', is this weird, atmospheric 1960s organ refrain that brings more than an air of sepia and surrealism to proceedings. Meanwhile, 'Well All Right!' and 'T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.' introduce The Neptunes on production and the full cheerleading squad from the University of Mississippi.