“Acolyte” by I Think Like Midnight

Philadelphia instrumental 4 piece I Think Like Midnight have a new album out in a few weeks. “This Land is Your Mind” is jam-packed with shimmering and often deliciously psychedelic guitar-driven soundtracks to road-trips way out West of Weirdsville – real or imagined. Here’s “Acolyte”:

The album takes in many moods from surf twang to motorik psychedelia and even instrumental power pop. It often travels similar cosmic trails to the instrumentals of New Zealand’s David Kilgour & The Heavy Eights, and also Australian guitarist Cam Butler. So, if you like those artists or if you like what’s on offer here on “Acolyte”, take the plunge and get the album. You won’t be disappointed.

The recording and sound is rich and colourful, and the ensemble playing by the band balances technical skill with feeling, bringing the arrangements alive. And sometimes those arrangements provide imaginative surprises from additional instruments – keyboards and vibraphone – to add even more layers to the sonic variety and atmosphere.

Here’s another song, called “Tuned Mass Damper”, in video form:

“In a Coil” by Kikagaku Moyo

Japanese sonic adventurers Kikagaku Moyo are back with a new album called “Stone Garden” out 21 April. Here’s the pulsating kaleidoscopic swirl of “In a Coil” to set your mind on fire:

Kikagaku Moyo came to PopLib’s attention a few years ago with the beautiful album “House in the Tall Grass” which mixed heavy-psych rock, Krautrock and more pastoral acoustic psych-folk together into an accessible album.

This track is the only preview track available for the new album so we’ll have to take the word of their label – Guru Guru Brain – that this album is more experimental, built around lengthy improvised jams. “In a Coil” comes over like the most frantic passages of the previous album condensed into one mesmerising 6 minute trip through space and time, a quivering sitar coda adding an Eastern air to this Neu! influenced pulse of cosmic music. It’s an understatement to say this is a promising introduction to the new album.