Orange Cloud Nine collects the lo-fi bedroom psychedelic pop works of outsider Dutch musician Spike Wolters, who was apparently stoned every day for a solid 8 years while […]
Rock
A throwback to the golden era analog production of ’70s progressive pop/rock (think Todd Rundgren, Brian Wilson / Beach Boys, Paul McCartney), The Lost Album began as a […]
An Italian progressive rock masterpiece, Cold Nose is the debut solo outing from Franco Falsini, an Italian guitarist and producer most known as the leader of influential space […]
The Moon and the Melodies was a collaborative 4AD effort with the late minimalist Harold Budd. Featuring the three central figures behind the Cocteau Twins and Richard Thomas […]
A selection from Chee Shimizu’s Organic Music record shop, Schlager is the debut experimental electronic “Neue Deutsche Welle” album from Cologne-based artist Arno Steffen (formerly of Zeltinger). Co-produced […]
Krautrock legend Michael Rother (Kraftwerk, Harmonia, Neu!) presents a collection of minimalistic guitar and synth-based compositions on his fourth solo album Fernwärme, which is the German word for […]
The Cocteau Twins’ sophomore album, Head Over Heels was conceived while the band was essentially homeless and staying at a friend’s house for about a year. “Foolishly, John […]
An absolutely essential EP, the post-disco rhythm group Liquid Liquid’s “Optimo” EP from 1983 is a four-track banger that captures the intersection of disco, hip hop and post-punk […]
Legendary French musical couple Brigitte Fontaine and Areski Belkacem’s first album together Comme À La Radio is a masterpiece of avant-garde jazz uniquely bringing together French chanson with […]
Spectral vocals and spring reverb’d guitars meet old drum machines and cheap Casio keyboards on Taiwanese artist Yu Ching’s debut on Glasgow-based independent label Night School. Inspired by […]
Th Blisks are an Australian underground supergroup featuring Newcastle duo Troth (Amelia Besseny + Altered States head Cooper Bowman) and Sydney-based Japanese punk rocker Yuta Matsumura (Low Life […]
Yet another favorite new release from Dublin’s wherethetimegoes, Princ€ss is the self-titled debut album from the “Irish supergroup” likely consisting of various artists from the label’s extended family […]
Nucleus was an influential psychedelic jazz-rock band led by Scottish trumpet player, composer, writer Ian Carr. Active from 1969 to 1989, the band has been described as the […]
Featured on Third Man Records’ excellent Detroit space-rock compilation South of Saturn, Majesty Crush was a short-lived shoegaze / indie rock band that included members who grew up […]
Released on Chee Shimizu’s 17853 Records, Tam ~ Message to the Sun ~ is a collection of organic music from Kyoto space jam band SOFT and JUZU aka […]
“Criminally overlooked” seems to be the overarching narrative with East London post-rock band Bark Pyschosis, and that seems to not only apply to the band itself, but also […]
To brand Keeping a Record of It, as early reviewers did, as the work of an “outsider artist” is to diminish the power, magical intent and singular vision […]
Sounding something like Neil Young in Japan, Niningashi’s 1974 private press debut Heavy Way is a long-lost Japanese acid folk holy grail that has now been lovingly reissued […]
Melbourne’s Efficient Space does it again with their latest compilation Someone Like Me, a collection of tender folk songs compiled by musician, engineer, “armchair digger” Mikey Young. Tracing […]
A private press holy grail of Swedish synthesizer music, Tussilago Fánfara is the lone release from space-rock band Anna Själv Tredje, whose core members Ingemar Ljungström and Mikael […]
Predating most of the psychedelic rock bands to emerge from San Francisco in the mid ’60s, The 13th Floor Elevators were an acid-tinged garage rock from Austin, Texas […]
An exquisitely crafted, and thematically grim, set of jangly guitar pop songs powered by tiny, magnetic electronic and acoustic rhythms, the Cannanes’ 1989 album A Love Affair with […]
“A counterculture movement united by an expansive, experimental and deeply soulful sensibility, Japan’s rebel protest music challenged the status quo and changed the country’s music industry in the […]
One of the most severely underrated bands of the ’90s, Bark Psychosis was formed in East London by friends Graham Sutton and John Ling when they were just […]
One of our favorite releases on the great Belgian archival label Stroom (run by Ziggy Devriendt aka Nosedrip), Spring Break is a collection of studio compositions by Pablo’s […]
The followup to her 1983 pastoral folk classic From Gardens Where We Feel Secure, Hope in a Darkened Heart is the nostalgic winter counterpart to Virginia Astley’s summertime countryside […]
After Happy End’s amicable break up in 1973, Hosono released Hosono House, an intimate slice of Japanese Americana recorded at home with a back-to-basics approach akin to Music […]
Emerging from the New Romantic scene, an underground subculture in the United Kingdom characterized by flamboyant fashion inspired by glam rock and the Romantic period, Culture Club and […]
Featured in Julian Cope’s Japrocksampler, Speed, Glue & Shinki was a Japanese psychedelic rock power trio formed in 1970 by guitarist Shinki Chen and producer Ikuzo Orita. At […]
A “supergroup” formed from the ashes of the kraut explosion, Dunkelziffer was created with an ideal that all members had equal rights to composition and decision making. The […]
Zambia based Witch is the best known Zamrock ensemble – and although they succeeded in releasing five albums during Zamrock’s golden years – they never made a global […]
Blue Nile producer and bassist Andy Bell once told frontman Paul Buchanan, “People would have to have a good excuse not to call all of our songs ‘I […]
John Martyn’s attempt at going mainstream, Glorious Fool was released by Warner Elektra Atlantic, produced by his close friend / Genesis drummer Phil Collins, and featured Eric Clapton […]
The second album from British experimental pop/rock group Broadcast, Haha Sound feels like a newly rediscovered artifact. The imagined, discarded “dreams of tomorrow” often illustrated in the saturated […]
One of our autumnal favorites from folk supergroup The Pentangle, Basket of Light is a hybrid of blues, folk, jazz, classical and something unnameable that could only be […]
That Chan Marshall’s career managed to survive the 1990s intact is something of a miracle. Becoming increasingly visible after her Matador Records debut What Would the Community Think? […]
Crosby, Stills & Nash’s debut album is a Laurel Canyon classic that “ushered in the early ’70s singer-songwriter boom. Yes, this was a group, but it was one […]
A return to his folk-rock roots after the more experimental and jazzy Solid Air, Sunday’s Child is a collection of song-oriented tracks that concentrate on the joys of […]
One of the more underrated soft rock groups, Starbuck was formed in Atlanta, Georgia by keyboardist/vocalist/record producer Bruce Blackman and marimba player Bo Wagner. The group’s debut album […]
A classic audiophile record, Steely Dan’s Aja (along with many of their other albums) is often used as the gold standard to test the quality of hi-fi audio […]
Delia Derbyshire and Brian Hodgson, sound engineers at the legendary BBC Radiophonic Workshop, joined bassist David Vorhaus to form the psych-pop outfit White Noise. In 1969, the group […]
Spring is the lone album by the 1970s pop music duo American Spring made up of sisters Diane Rovell and Marilyn Rovell Wilson, who was married to Brian […]
For the last 15 years, Baba Stlitz has primarily been known as an electronic artist, but with his 2022 tape release Baba Stiltz in LA, he turned to the […]
Highly recommended collection of Brenda Ray’s sweet post-punk meets reggae songs! Sounds nothing like lovers rock, but is somehow filled with just as much or even more love […]
One of the great early electronic albums, Roboterwerke is a concept album and the debut release by electronic music pioneers Supersempfft – three school friends Franz Aumüller, Franz […]
The Cyrkle was a short-lived American rock-n-roll band in the ’60s best known for their #2 Billboard chart hit “Red Rubber Ball” and touring with the Beatles on […]
A late night favorite for David Mancuso’s legendary Loft parties, Listen To The Buddha is an underrated psychedelic soul, reggae, and disco album from ’70s cult rock band […]
A bargain bin classic and favorite from Love Injection’s Paul & Barbie, The Alan Parsons Project I Robot was inspired by Isaac Asimov’s sci-fi Robot trilogy which explored philosophical […]
Isis was a pioneering all-female rock band from New York formed in 1972 by Carol MacDonald (vocals/guitar) and Ginger Bianco (drums), former members of 1960s rock band Goldie […]
Maybe the group’s best album, Spokój Serca is a psychedelic offering from Polish three-piece Czerwone Gitary, which translates to Red Guitars. Often referred to as the Polish Beatles […]
Folie 2 is an exciting new project from Düsseldorf-based musicians Marlene Kollender, Gregor Darman and Sebastian Welicki. Their debut self-titled album is a delightfully strange cosmos of sounds […]
Santa Cruz’s Smiling C and celebrated selector Charles Balsey (curator of the excellent Club Meduse comps) team up for America Dream Reserve, an hour-long Casio-powered journey through lo-fi Americana, […]
One of the first rock bands to tour using synthesizers, Lothar And The Hand People created trippy psychedelic music using the Moog synthesizer and theremin. Featured in the […]
New Values is iconic Stooges’ frontman Iggy Pop’s third album as a solo act and his first without any involvement from David Bowie. The supporting cast includes Tangerine […]
Legendary jazz pianist, lyricist, producer, and author Ben Sidran is a name more should know. The co-writer of Steve Miller’s “Space Cowboy” and host of National Public Radio’s […]
On his debut solo album Diamond Head, Phil Manzanera teams up with an all-star crew of Cambridge/British art rock heroes including his Roxy Music mates Brian Eno, Andy […]
Selected by Discotchari: “A staple among both Armenian and jazz collectors, this album reflects the musical magic brewing at the turn of the decade. It is the product […]
Part of the band’s “late-period” after Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers had left, Bundles is the first of three albums released on Harvest from the legendary Canterbury psych/progressive […]
Reportedly shelved for a year by Island Records’ Chris Blackwell because he found the songs too personal and unsettling, Grace & Danger is a heartbreaking portrait of John […]
Weekend was a British indie pop / post-punk band formed by Alison Statton following the split of Young Marble Giants in 1981. The group’s debut album La Varieté […]
Released on the aptly titled Coney Dog Records, Michigan Meltdown is a compilation of rare Michigan garage, psychedelic, and space rock from little-known bands released mostly on private […]
Liliental was a krautrock supergroup that included Dieter Moebius from Cluster, top engineer Conny Plank, Kraan musicians: Johannes Pappert and Helmut Hattler, and a couple of free radicals: […]
Munju was an instrumental jazz-kraut-fusion outfit formed by alto sax & flute player Jurgen Benz after quitting Missus Beastly. The group’s sound is very much in the same […]
Delayed guitar magic from the great Manuel Göttsching! Ashra’s Blackouts is an essential Berlin-school electronic album with Göttsching’s layered guitars and synthesizers building wonderfully hypnotic soundscapes that feel […]
Featured on Test Pressing’s excellent Dubwise Vinyl column, Colourbox’s “Baby I Love You So” is a mesmerizingly original take on an Augustus Pablo production first sung by Jacob […]
Classify under bargain bin progressive rock albums that are actually good – Go features the bizarre international “supergroup” of experimental Japanese percussionist Stomu Yamashta, UK blues rock singer […]
Guitarist, singer and songwriter Randy California was a founding member of Topanga Canyon psychedelic rock band Spirit. Following the group’s breakup in 1971, California spent most of his […]
Not Drowning, Waving (styled as not drowning, waving) was an indie rock band from Melbourne, Australia led by classically trained musicians David Bridie and John Phillips. The group’s […]
Featured in the “Psychedelic section” of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Dr. Aftershave And The Mixed Pickles is technically the third studio album by Missus Beastly, a […]
Scandinavian organist Bo Hansson first made a name for himself as part of the rock duo Hansson & Karlsson. The two toured regularly from ’67 to ’69 and […]
It’ll End In Tears is the classic debut album by 4AD family band This Mortal Coil featuring members of Cocteau Twins, Magazine, and Dead Can Dance. 4AD described […]
Nino And Radiah is the 1974 cult classic album from Italian-born French singer-songwriter Nino Ferrer and American model, singer, actress Radiah Frye. The duo are a perfect musical […]
Bluejeans & Moonbeams is the ninth studio album by the enigmatic singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, and his Magic Band, recorded […]
Previously unreleased post-Brenda And The Beach Balls pre-Walatta hip-hop inspired boogie, street soul, and pop house from Brenda Ray? YES, please! Only the second album from the enigmatic melodyist-rhythmist, Perfume […]
Building on the trippy, psychedelics inspired prog rock of his previous album, the wizard Todd Rundgren delivers another impossibly creative and structurally daring double LP filled with pop […]
Soft Machine and Matching Mole drummer turned multi-instrumentalist / songwriter Robert Wyatt presents a collection of political protest songs and cover versions of Chic, Billie Holiday, and Ivor […]
One of our favorite deadstock finds of the year, Myles Davis and Ray Herrmann’s Hybrid Vigor is private press gold from two virtually unknown musicians from Stamford who met […]
A private press “jangle-pop” gem picked up in the UK by Bruno of Perfect Lives, The Compromise is perfect low budget crying music featuring drum box grooves, washed […]
Arranged and produced by the great Charles Stepney (The Dells, Ramsey Lewis, Earth Wind & Fire), The Rotary Connection was a Chicago-based acid rock meets soul jazz group […]
Drummer/Keyboardist Jack DeJohnette delivers his trippiest solo outing to date on cult classic Sorcery with an all-star cast including Headhunters / Mwandishi legend Bennie Maupin, Bitches Brew bass […]
Our friends from Forager Records continue their streak of impeccably curated compilations with Sky Dust Drifter “a cosmic medley of sun-soaked AOR, psychedelic folk, and soft rock.” Collected […]
“One of the great lost albums of the last decade,” On The Way To The Laughing Light Of Plenty by The Naturals aka Rub’n’Tug’s Thomas Bullock and artist/producer […]
The landmark debut album by Durutti Column, a Factory Records project consisting of genius guitarist Vini Reilly and legendary Manchester producer Martin Hannett, The Return Of The Durutti […]
It’s happening after Midnight in a small, lonely L.A. studio. Nashville nixed with a vengeance as two old friends pick and sing of Country/Western things – Universal in […]
Dots and Loops is Stereloab’s fifth studio album co-produced in Chicago by Tortoise’s John McEntire and in Düsseldorf with Andi Toma, one half of electronic duo Mouse on […]
A dollar bin classic featuring the incredible 18.5-minute long “Macho City,” a near masterpiece which was played by David Mancuso at his legendary Loft parties. While Steve Miller […]
A bargain bin classic and underrated favorite, I Scare Myself is essentially a Compass Point All Stars record led by songwriter Barry Reynolds. The album features all members […]
After a seven-year hiatus, Jack J, the Mood Hut records mainstay and Pender Street Stepper, has released his debut album after a series of hit singles. It’s worth […]
An Estonian indie classic originally released on cassette only, Cafe De Flor by Bizarre is a gorgeous collection of dreampop and trip-hop featuring intimate, often whispered or spoken […]
A glam rock classic, Sparks’ third album Kimono My House broke the band through to the mainstream, peaking at No. 4 in the UK. The two Japanese women […]
An outlet for emerging local acts in Hawaii, KKUA’s four volume Home Grown series launched and propelled the careers of acts like Nohelani Cypriano, Cecilio & Kapono, Olomana, […]
American avant-garde artist, filmmaker, composer Tony Conrad’s first and only musical release for many years, Outside the Dream Syndicate is one of the great recordings of American minimalism […]
One of the most popular Vietnam protest songs from the 1960s… “I wrote “Fixin’ to Die Rag” in summer of 1965 after I had been discharged from the […]
If you’ve ever talked to a Deadhead for even 5 minutes you’ll know that it’s all about the live shows and recordings. On Anthem Of The Sun, band […]
Experimental works of avant-pop and downtempo from Swiss art school students Elephant Château. On the A side “Dreamings,” warm analog synthesizers meet saxophones, and a vocal chorus while […]
Plastic Ono Band, Harry Nilsson, Elton John, and a “lost weekend” in Los Angeles away from Yoko and family life make for a winning combination on John Lennon’s […]
Dutch guitar master Jan Akkerman meets blues singer Kaz Lux on their 1976 collaborative album entitled Eli. An unusual mixture of styles come together on this concept album […]
The debut album by sisters Maggie, Terre and Suzzy Roche from Park Ridge, New Jersey is a cult classic folk rock album produced by King Crimson’s Robert Fripp. […]
The second act of David Axelrod’s musical interpretations of William Blake’s epic Songs of Innocence and of Experience pulls the distorted rock guitar back a tad in favor […]
Can’s first album following the departure of vocalist Damo Suzuki is an experimental trip featuring looping hypnotic grooves that, at times, sound like proto-electronic-dance music. Guitarist Michael Karoli […]
Short-lived but influential to the 1970’s punk/new wave movement, The Modern Lovers were signed to Warner Bros. but broke up before any album was recorded. Their “debut” was […]
One of the best kept secrets of the ’60s folk scene, singer-songwriter Fred Neil Never was never quite comfortable with the music industry and would eventually walk away […]
The AB’s debut album is a collection of soulful fusion jazz that’s often looped in with other “city pop” releases on Moon Records, but transcends many of the […]
Featured in the “Cosmic” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Between the Universes by Tritonus is a progressive, psychedelic krautrock gem featuring warm, analog synthesizers and […]
Part of the ’80s New York avant-garde scene, multi-instrumentalist Rhys Chatham studied under electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick and minimalist composer La Monte Young. Chatham’s second album Die […]
Featured in the “Mellow” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Harbor is a surprisingly dark album from the George Martin-produced British soft rock band. While the […]
John & Yoko’s first album after a long hiatus from music following the birth of their first son Sean, Double Fantasy received largely negative reviews from critics but […]
Featured in the “Psychedelic” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Melody & Menace is the self-released debut from Toronto-based progressive rock group Terraced Garden. Led by […]
Possibly David Sylvian’s greatest solo work (it’s hard to pick), Secrets of the Beehive is a deeply introspective work of slow, electronic art rock featuring an all-star supporting […]
Barton Smith’s gorgeous “one-person orchestra” tape compositions using a mixture of acoustic, electronic, and found instruments. While clearly experimental in approach, the music was actually composed with the […]
You can’t go wrong with an album cover featuring a fluffy cute dog pasted onto Superman’s body… A legend in the Japanese rock scene, Katoh launched his career […]
Much like their debut Electronique Guerilla, Heldon’s sophomore album is still very much inspired by Robert Fripp’s “Frippertronics.” However, along with the usual No Pussyfooting tape guitar loops […]
The short-lived late ’60s psychedelic Brit-pop boy band Grapefruit sounds very much of their time, but that doesn’t mean the songs aren’t still great. Closely tied to The […]
“There was a strange existentialness to her; she was at once both cool and warm and her style of singing stretched words to the point where they were […]
One of the co-founders of internationally known Dutch band Focus, guitarist Jan Akkerman would head into a more jazz-rock / fusion direction after leaving the baroque inspired prog […]
If you’re a follower of Dean Blunt, you may have heard Joanne Robertson’s quietly affecting vocals on The Redeemer, Zushi, or 2017’s collaborative effort Wahalla. The Glasgow-based singer […]
One of the great masterpieces of the late 60’s psychedelic rock scene in Los Angeles, Arthur Lee and Love’s Forever Changes is a harrowing look into the end […]
Gene Clark was a founding member of the legendary country-folk-rock band The Byrds. His story is a bit of a sad one as his songwriting talent and heavy […]
The sole album by Joseph Byrd’s The United States Of America is a New York avant-garde classic that pulls influences from both the Fluxus and hippie movements of […]
Quite underrated, laid-back kosmische with acoustic guitars, synths, organs, piano, flutes, drum machines, extended solos and broken english from brothers Klaus and Rolf Fichter (formerly of Yatha Sidra). […]
Marnie Weber’s Songs Hurt Me is a seminal performance art meets post-punk album from 80’s Los Angeles. A multifaceted artist, Marnie cut her teeth in Los Angeles’s punk […]
Featured in the “Psychedelic” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, For You is the private pressed solo debut of Angelo Noce Santoro. A founding member of […]
Implosion is a two-piece ensemble formed by self-taught musicians Gianni Rosati (guitars) and Stefano Focacci (keyboards, bass, drum machines). Driven by a very much independent approach, the duo […]
A holy grail from the 70’s Zamrock scene reissued by Egon and Now-Again, Introduction sets the stage for the pioneering garage-psych rock band that dubbed itself W.I.T.C.H. (We Intend […]
Thirsty Moon… we first heard “Südwind” on Chee Shimizu’s excellent “Follow My Dream” mix on the Lovefingers blog. Released on seminal kraut label Brain, Blitz features some seriously infectious […]
Brazilian songwriter Walter Franco moves away from his early freak folk to present a more psychedelic and rock-oriented MPB album. On Revolver, Franco explores a sort of avant-garde […]
Composed entirely with his own voice, Todd Rundgren’s A Cappella features overdubbing techniques with the legendary E-mu Emulator. The power of sampling is in full effect with Rundgren’s […]
Peter Green was the founder of Fleetwood Mac and worked with the band from 1967–70 before leaving the group and releasing The End of the Game in 1970. […]
Featured in the “Floating” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Bad Anima is guitarist/vocalist Katsutoshi Morizono’s first solo album to feature vocals after a series of […]
A wild fusion of genres (classical, blues, rock, jazz, comedy) in classic Zappa style, One Size Fits All opens with the wonderfully complex “Inca Roads” which features George […]
When Jeff Parker, guitarist of influential Chicago band Tortoise, joined us this past summer for a dedicated listening session, it was clear that his musical influences ran deep […]
Psychedelic rock pioneer Kevin Ayers was the first member of legendary Canterbury group Soft Machine to launch a solo career. His four albums on Harvest remain unheralded prog-rock […]
An interesting one to be listening to now that it’s firmly Fall, but there’s no wrong time for balearic music right? On the Beach is a yacht rock […]
One of the unsung heroes of the Laurel Canyon scene, Laura Allan has appeared on albums by Bette Midler, Bonnie Raitt, Eric Carmen, Crosby-Nash, as well as Crosby’s […]
Released nearly two years after their first no. 1 hit The Game, Queen’s Hot Space was a departure from the group’s typical layered arrangements and orchestral sound into […]
J.J. Cale might best be known for his tune “Cocaine,” which Eric Clapton famously covered on his Slowhand album, but there’s much more to the singer-songwriter than a […]
A textural masterpiece, Cocteau Twins third album Treasure is possibly the group’s finest work and a definite 4AD record during the label’s creative peak. Robin Guthrie, Simon Raymonde, […]
Featured in the “Mellow” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Only Love Can Sustain is Argentinian rock legend Luis Alberto Spinetta’s first album released outside his […]
HQ (aka When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease) is legendary English singer songwriter Roy Harper’s progressive folk rock album featuring Trigger – a one time super group […]
Like many of our favorite records, Paul McCartney’s quirky, experimental pop album was poorly received by critics upon release but has since gained a cult following and recognized […]
Internal conflicts, contract obligations, touring commitments… The Stones were dealing with the whole nine when tasked to turn in a new album to follow up their underwhelming 1980 […]
Bruce Springsteen’s sixth studio album Nebraska is a DIY loner classic released long before the term “bedroom producer” was a thing. The album was recorded with the assistance […]
Featured in John Peel’s Top Ten Albums of 1973, Scottish pop rock band Blue’s debut is a confident showing of twelve original songs each with a distinctive sound. […]
The debut solo album by Mexican ambient pioneer Jorge Reyes, Ek-Tunkul is a powerful statement of purpose from an artist whose sound was wholly his own. After leaving […]
Named after a collection of William Blake poems, Song of Innocence is the debut solo album by Capitol Records’ multi-talented musician, producer, composer, arranger David Axelrod. The album […]
A classic obscurity from the legendary Lovefingers blog, What a Night is carefree, disco-rock from Austrian keyboardist Richard Schoenherz’s of the iconic Supermax. The Moog synthesizers, Rhodes, and […]
David Crosby’s solo debut If Only I Could Remember My Name is psychedelic folk-rock perfection from The Byrds / CSNY legend backed by other Laurel Canyon heroes including […]
The debut solo LP by The Velvet Underground’s electric viola player John Cale, Vintage Violence is a deeply personal singer-songwriter album by an artist reflecting on his life, […]
One of the first albums by a female artist to have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, Tracy Chapman’s self-titled debut is an essential listen with humble […]
Fans of Vangelis’ epic soundtrack compositions may be surprised to learn that the Greek synth god’s first true solo effort actually sits in a more folk, psych, progressive […]
Featured in the “Psychedelic” section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Phase II – Go Go Pongs is the second and last album by amateur guitarist Klaus […]
Undoubtedly the best of the three H.P. Lovecraft albums released in the late 60s / early 70s, H.P. Lovecraft II is a cosmic, West Coast mushroom trip that […]
Low Profile is the first album by the laid-back Dutch guitar hero Spike Wolters, a little-known Oegstgeest bedroom artist who home-recorded and privately released a series of progressive, […]
Numero Group has spent the last seventeen years reanimating rare music from all around the globe. One of our all-time favorites is their 2012 ode to the FM […]
A name like Philamore Lincoln would seem enough to intrigue a potential record buyer into a blind buy. Yet Philamore’s lone album, The North Wind Blew South, released […]
Dubbed “one of pop music’s sneakiest masterpieces” due to its low-key but lasting popularity, Donald Fagen’s post-Steely Dan solo debut The Nightlfy is a semi-autobiographical concept album looking […]
This is the type of record you put on and before you know it you’ve played it 2 or 3 times in a row… The post punk outfit […]
A true “balearic” full length album from cover to cover, Reaching For The Sky is the second and arguably greatest album from the short lived Dutch pop rock […]
An undisputed masterpiece from Lovely Music’s “Blue” Gene Tyranny, here are some words by NY label Unseen Worlds, which recently reissued it for the first time ever last […]
One of the more underrated singer-songwriters from the 70’s, Colin Blunstone began his career as the lead singer of the English rock band The Zombies. After releasing a […]
Japanese traditional music meets jazz, prog, and psych rock on this masterpiece by Osamu Kitajima on Island Records sub-label Antilles. Released during a time when a majority of […]
Lucio Battisti released a slew of successful rock and pop albums in the late 60’s and early 70’s, but it would take him a few years before the […]
French Composer and piano virtuoso Benoit Widemann began his obsession with harmony as a child and quickly found his place in the 70s prog rock scene in Paris. […]
Not to be confused with the French electronic duo, Long Island’s Air is a jazz-rock band from the 70’s consisting of four core members – Tom Coppola, John […]
Featured in the psychedelic section of Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound disc guide, Photo Musik is an underrated gem from French guitarist Christian Boulé. Boulé was a peripheral member […]
Happy Ambrosia is a little known kraut release by Alto, a side project by Kraan “alto” saxophonist Johannes Pappert. The band was apparently not a proper band and […]
David Sylvain’s first taste of international acclaim came by way of his band Japan. Struggling to win over fans in the mid 70’s UK punk era, Japan ironically […]
Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother’s Neu! were one of the central groups of the 70’s krautrock movement. Their first record, simply entitled NEU!, created its own paradigm, and […]
The album that started it all for the great Haruomi Hosono, Apryl Fool’s self-titled debut is an extraordinary and influential album from the late 60’s “Group Sounds” era […]
Between was an instrumental krautrock group in the 70’s formed by composers Peter Michael Hamel and Ulrich Stranz with the purpose of creating “music between the worlds.” While […]
Richard Schneider Jr.’s Dreamlike Land is a German rarity that has a distinct sound within the web of krautrock and Can offshoots during the 70’s. It may be […]
After finding success in composing hits for other artists in the early 60’s (such as the Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday”, Aretha Franklin’s “(You Make Me Feel Like a) […]
Anatolian rock was deeply influenced by the psychedelic cultural movements of the 1970s, and Barış Manço played an important role in developing the style that defined the genre. […]
Kathy Smith began as a fixture around the Los Angeles hippie and folk scene of the 60’s and 70’s, playing regularly at venues such as Paradox, the Troubador, […]
Eno’s 1975 precursor-to-ambient albums Another Green World and Discreet Music entered Bowie’s ears and infiltrated his psyche at a very interesting point in the rock star’s career: when the damaging repercussions of […]
To say that Le Noise is one of Neil Young’s of most experimental and underrated records would be an understatement. The record, along with its accompanying live DVD, […]
Heard about this one on Japanese record collector Yozo Kumitake’s excellent Originals Volume 9 compilation CD. Savanna Silver Band were a mostly unknown latin jazz rock group that […]
Famously deleted from the catalogue of Asylum Records, with David Geffen pointedly trying to erase it from history, No Other is the lost and recently found masterpiece by […]
The one and only recorded release from the ambitious German jazz-rock group that would eventually share their name with a majorly successful US boogie outfit, Shake It showcases […]
Known for their hypnotic kraut sound, Ashra’s third record Correlations pushes them further into rock territory. Having made the first two records as solo efforts, band leader and […]
Batteaux is a long treasured and notoriously under appreciated 70’s underground folk-funk classic. The only release by the Batteau brother duo is a perfect mix of balearic blue […]
An obscure jazz-rock holy grail from Sweden that touches on elements of pastoral folk as well as progressive rock, but ultimately sounds quite unlike any of the aforementioned […]
In 1968, the Everly Brothers had nothing to lose, at least as pop artists. They hadn’t charted in three years, hadn’t been in the Top 10 for a […]
The Go-Betweens were formed in Brisbane, Australia in 1977 by friends Grant McLennan and Robert Forster. The two would share songwriting duties throughout the band’s existence, developing an […]
If spacey electronics are your thing, this is your record! Released in 1976, Patrick Vian’s Bruit et Temps Analogues, was way ahead of its time in terms of […]
Harumi’s self-titled debut and sole release is one of those quintessentials as far as rare records go. It checks literally all the boxes necessary for what you’d expect […]
Guru Guru’s Hey Du is a classic kraut record on Brain that we first heard on the legendary Lovefingers daily mp3 blog. A1 Starway was featured as a […]
Like a lot of great music we enjoy, Roger Melt’s Pleine Lune is completely unique and difficult to place, and also the only solo release from the Geneva-based […]
Stuck in traffic? Put on The Monks. Having a weird night? Put on The Monks. Having a magnificent day? Put on the Monks. Let the mood-shifting power of […]
Sensations’ Fix is the brainchild of Italian musician Franco Falsini. In the sixties, Falsini developed his musical chops playing in a beat style band in Florence before moving […]
A record that we’d instantly pick out of the stacks based on cover alone, Paul Parrish’s The Forest of My Mind is a wonderful trip through mellow, psychedelic […]
What started as a “just for fun” side project from a little known guitarist has since become a rare and quite sought after 70’s private press, breezy psychedelic […]
Part of a myriad of excellent side projects from the various members of Wire after their temporary dissolution in 1981, AC Marias was created by bassist Graham Lewis, […]
Pram were an experimental pop group from Birmingham, England formed in 1988. Influenced by the likes of The Raincoats, Faust and Alice Coltrane, the band’s unique sound garnered […]
It’s no accident that Paranoid is considered one of the greatest and most influential heavy metal albums of all time. “Paranoid is important because it is the blueprint […]
He may be a household name in Brazil, but Erasmo Carlos never quite made it to the level of international stardom like contemporaries Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, Gal […]
Joni Mitchell’s 8th studio album Hejira has the imagery of highways, small towns and snow, in large part because it was written on a cross country road trip […]
A collaboration between English jazz vocalist Dianne Ford and German fretless bassist Manfred Lins, Lonely Shadow is the one and only record made by the low-profile duo. Mostly […]
The groundbreaking album that started the shoegaze movement. Undoubtedly one of the most revered records in alt rock history, Loveless by Kevin Shields’ My Bloody Valentine captures a […]
Much more than just a rare groove classic, Eugene McDaniels’ Headless Heroes Of The Apocalypse is a psychedelic-soul jazz album with a powerful message. McDaniels, who is also […]
Harmonia were a Krautrock supergroup formed in 1973 by Michael Rother of NEU! and Dieter Moebius and Joachim Roedelius of Cluster. In 1971 an antiquarian, hoping to start […]
A great way to travel when you’re stuck at home is to listen to Houston-based trio Khruangbin, whose band name is the Thai word for “flying engine” or […]
Old Rottenhat is the fourth solo album from ex Soft Machine drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt. This album was released ten years apart from his last solo release and features a […]
A stark, off-kilter, angst-driven, supercharged debut album by British/German political-journalist-turned-singer Annika Henderson, performing as Anika, backed by the experimental electronic rock band BEAK>. The album consists primarily of […]
Nudge your Serge Gainsbourg record over a smidge to make room for another fabulous, eccentric Frenchman in your collection: Michel Polnareff. Polnareff’s is well worth a full listen, […]
Shoes were formed in the early 70s by longtime friends John Murphy and Gary Klebe in Zion, Illinois before the two even owned their first instruments. The duo […]
If you have a road trip playlist, this album is a perfect addition. There are some songs that just make you want to hit the road and embrace […]
A one-time musical anomaly created from the ashes of influential UK post-punk trio This Heat, Lifetone’s For A Reason brings together the political angst and energy of This […]
Featured in Chee Shimizu’s Obscure Sound guidebook for record collectors, Bazar De Los Milagros is a masterpiece album from one of the true legends of Argentinian rock. Nebbia […]
In 1969, four young, ambitious musicians—Haruomi Hosono (bass, vocals), Eiichi Ohtaki (guitars, vocals), Shigeru Suzuki (guitars) and Takashi Matsumoto (drums, lyrics)—found each other in Tokyo. They bonded over […]
Maria Monti, a talented Italian folk singer and actor who appeared in films by Bernardo Bertolucci and Sergio Leone, was backed by some incredible talent on her fifth […]
Hard Candy, Ned Doheny’s blue eyed soul opus, offers a lesson in everything going right for a record, yet still failing commercially. After his debut album failed to […]
Another Green World is Brian Eno’s transitional record from glam rock to the ambient minimalism that he would later be more recognized for, and essential listening for any […]
Talk Talk’s commercially disastrous, cult classic Spirit of Eden is an absolute must listen for any music fan. Recorded over three years in “an endlessly blacked-out studio, an […]
Italian multi-instrumentalist and composer Pepe Maina describes his music as “ambient & prog rock music for dreams and illusion.” His debut album Il Canto Dell’Arpa e Del Flauto […]
Bobby Brown’s debut is a difficult to classify outsider opus that has become a sort of grail for rare psych collectors (it’s featured in the highly renowned Acid […]
Tim Buckley’s third album represented many important changes for the young songwriter. He stopped working with the lyricist of his first two albums and began to write his […]
This record finds Neil at a crossroads musically somewhere between country, rock and blues. While the title suggests summer breezy, On The Beach finds Neil in a more […]
