Guruguru Brain US Vinyl & CDs

Review: If there is one thing that you should know by now, it's that volume and ferocity has little to do with numbers. Dhidalah, for example, have been a three piece since the Tokyo space rock underground first conceived them, and make the kinds of cacophonies that threaten to shake buildings down to their very foundations, leaving crowds battered, bruised, and faced with a slow clamber back to the safety of Japan's notoriously conservative and non-shouty mainstream.

Sensoria is their latest outrageously powerful adventure, and it's just as uncompromising and cosmic as ever. From the rolling, and delightfully drone-y riffs of opener 'Soma', through to the more emotionally captivating and subtly moving 'Dead', there are incredible ideas in abundance here, it's just a question of whether or not you're ready to find them.

Review: It feels like every couple of years a new reissue of Kikagaku Moyo's magical 2013 album Forest of Lost Children comes around, but we are not moaning. This group is "a musical union between five free spirits" or in less poetic terms, band founders Go Kurosawa (on drums and vocals) and Tomo Katsurada (on guitar and vocals) plus bass by and Akira also on guitar. Their sound is as unique as any, with psychedelic, folk, prog-rock, psychedelic-folk-mixed-with-prog-rock and more all collided into one another on an album that keeps you on your toes and guessing at what might come next even within each track, let alone across the whole album. If you're a new interested party this is a great primer for what the band is all about.

Review: It is always good to hear from Maya Ongaku especially when it comes to a new long player. This one excels at blending the ambient vibes of their previous album Approach to Anima with vibrant electronic dance styles. The result is a fresh fusion of hypnotic soundscapes and infectious rhythms with nice uplifting melodies, all complemented by delicate Japanese vocals. The album creates a shimmering, sincere atmosphere that draws on Eastern synth exotica that is both beguiling and irresistible. With its blend of lush textures and optimistic energy, Electronic Phantoms is a smart evolution in Maya Ongaku's ever-enchanting sound.