New releases last eight weeks: Psych/Garage Rock

Review: Mr Bongo look back to the damn fine Latin funk and rock-infused soul sounds of Coke's 197 self-titled opus for their next well-chosen reissue project here. It is their only album, sadly, but is a brilliant mix of Miami Latin-funk, psychedelic garage rock and gritty soul sung mainly in English. It blends bright funk drumming, flavourful organs and zesty horn with Paul Garcia (guitar), Ariel Hernandez (bass), Ruben Perez (drums), Jose Rubio (keys) and Peter Fernandez (vocals) all produced by Mato. The record was popular in Miami but faded due to limited promotion and a Coca-Cola trademark dispute but was later rediscovered by collectors, with standout tracks like 'Na Na,' 'Got to Touch Your Face' and 'Te Amo Mas' all became staples of Latin sets.

Review: Cllignon is back with more musical adventuring in the form of Bicicleta, a new album recorded during their last summer tour. As such it does a fine job of capturing the band's live energy but also dives deeper into their sound where you will find a melange of nice sunny grooves, deft psychedelic guitars and sharp keyboard riffs. The album spans multiple influences from the Maloya rhythms of 'Fonker la Mer' to the Brazilian groove of 'Vai Vai Vai (Into the Stars).' Recorded while Jori spent a year in the Netherlands, it celebrates cycling as a symbol of freedom and adventure and certainly travels far with each piece adding up to a fine story overall.

Review: Taking their cues and inspiration from their earlier peers in The Nomads, Stockholm, Sweden's psychedelic garage rockers Cornflake Zoo were active for a brief period in the mid to late-1980s, releasing just a small handful of singles and EPs during their short tenure. Knights Of Fuzz offers up a definitive compilation of the (unfairly) lesser-known garage gurus, including their Hey Conductor and Just A Game 7" singles, released in 1985 and 1987 respectively, while also featuring their 1986 The End Of The Beginning 12" EP in its entirety, along with a few unearthed bonus cuts for good measure. Jagged, bluesy, chaotic buzzing guitars twisted into jangle-pop refrains, Cornflake Zoo truly were the Scandinavian knights of fuzz that time forgot.

Review: If you're unfamiliar with Dr Robert, we recommend checking out The Blow Monkeys. Robert Howard, as he's credited, formed the iconic new wave and 'sophisti-pop' group in 1981 and his piano keys, bass notes, guitar melodies, vocals and words define the band's sizeable back catalogue. Matt Deighton, meanwhile, might mean Mother Earth, Bill Fay, or Paul Weller to some listeners. He's been involved with them all. Here, the esteemed UK musicians run into one another on Last Night From Glasgow, a treasure of a patron-funded, not-for-profit label out of Scotland's biggest city. It couldn't be a more credible and thoughtful combination. Musically, the result packs crazy levels of musicality, taking a lead from pop, soft, folk and psyche rock to produce a sound which moves between soaring to understated grandeur to deceptively complex and overtly intimate.

Review: Brian Auger's Streetnoise was originally recorded in 1969 with Julie Driscoll and The Trinity. It stands proud as a genre-blurring work of jazz, rock, folk and soul greatness that found the group moving beyond their r&b and jazz roots. Instead, Auger and Driscoll crafted a progressive, avant-garde yet deeply soulful record in which Driscoll's haunting vocals contrast beautifully with Auger's instrumentation. The gatefold sleeve was designed by Hunter S Thompson collaborator Ralph Steadman and was inspired by Hogarth's satirical etchings which in turn reflects the album's artistic ambition. Streetnoise features dynamic instrumentals like 'Ellis Island', great reinterpretations of 'All Blues' and 'Flesh Failures' and standout tracks such as 'Indian Rope Man' which highlight Auger's visionary fusion of styles.

Review: Viaje Sideral is a cosmic journey led by El Leon Pardo and his ancestral instrument, the kuisi, which is a pre-Colombian flute that traditionally symbolises resistance and survival. This second album from Pardo explores humanity's connection with the stars by blending Caribbean percussion, analogue synths, deep bass, electric guitars and the distinctive sounds of kuisis and trumpets. The tunes channel the tropical psychedelia of the 70s and 80s while incorporating ambient and electronic influences from artists like Terry Riley and Kraftwerk. Viaje Sideral is a great mix of dreamlike astral sounds with tropical rhythms that mean both the earthly and the cosmic are explored.

Review: There are some records you buy simply because you love the name. Or maybe that's just us? Either way, from where we're sticking stuff into the shopping cart, Index For Working Musik's second long form is one of those examples. Which Direction Goes The Beam more than lives up to the quality of the band name, and then goes and adds artwork which can only be described as 'stunning' into the mix. Angular, jerky, harsh, and artsy rock noises that run between the savage and distorted to the rousing and rollocking, the five piece should be ranking up there with the most innovative, imaginative and inimitable guitar outfits out there at the moment. Chamber-esque arrangements, strange murky mystery, and the overall feeling that we're in uncharted territories and nobody - but nobody - wants to find their way home

Review: Ekoya is the fourth album from Jupiter & Okwess and it marks a new chapter in their sound as they embrace Congolese funk, rock, Afropop and Latin influences. This record was conceived during a South American tour and recorded in Mexico so reflects a cross-cultural fusion that's deeply rooted in African history and features collaborations with artists like Flavia Coelho and Mare Advertencia. Along the way, the music tackles themes of change, resilience and the global challenges we face so tracks like 'Selele' and 'Orgillo' fuse political commentary with big rhythms. Through a great mix of languages, rich instrumentation and powerful messages, Ekoya is a wonderfully worldly celebration.

Review: L.A. Witch is back with a marked evolution in their sound that pulls in aspects of garage rock and post-punk while exploring existential themes of love, devotion and subservience. Recorded in Paris, the trio of Sade Sanchez, Irita Pai and Ellie English push their craft to new realms with icy instrumentation and introspective lyrics. Tracks like 'Icicle' channel early goth vibes while '777' delves into fatalistic passion. The album also, we're told, explores the symbolic connection between women and dogs with themes of sacrifice and loyalty. All this makes it rather menacing yet oddly romantic, so DOGGOD revitalises the band's trademark sound while taking them into darker territories with haunting overtones.

Review: Los Jaivas' Alturas de Macchu Picchu arrives newly remastered and reissued by state51 on heavyweight wax, and it remains a landmark of South American music. Its blurring of psychedelic rock, Andean folk and Pablo Neruda's poetic power makes the album, which was recorded in exile during Chile's Pinochet era, an evocation of both the spirit and struggle of Latin America. Tracks like 'La Poderosa Muerte' and 'Sube a Nacer Conmigo Hermano' swirl with emotion and complexity to deliver a cinematic spiritual experience. Inspired by Incan ruins and resistance, Alturas is more than music-it's a cultural beacon that invites you into a timeless soundscape.

Review: Neu! 75 was the third and final studio album from Klaus Dinger and Michael Rother, and many years on it stands proud as a great piece of electronic rock history. Released in, you guessed it, 1975, the album's signature insistent rhythms, phased guitars and propulsive drums continue to sound fresh and retain a vitality that feels futuristic even decades later. This official reissue is a great way to get back into the raw energy and precision that made Neu! 75 so influential with their groundbreaking fusion of motorik beats and experimental soundscapes. It was their finest work, frankly.

Review: The Pambele band's debut album blends Afro-Colombian influences taken from their shared heritage with the vivid sounds of 60s psychedelic rock. It's a work rich in "Caribbean creolisation" with traditional Colombian percussion, joyful, rhythmic vocals and intricate guitar melodies all underpinned with wild organ tones. This powerful cross-fertilisation creates a transatlantic but also distinctly Caribbean sound that draws you into a world of exuberant musical atmosphere. The tunes often get you into a trance-like state while combining raw improvisation and dancey rhythms. It's an authentic escape to a very distant part of the world but one with a universal sense of rhythm that cannot be escaped.

Review: Ahhhh. Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs don't miss a trick, do they? Kings of grinding guitar riffs, and probably the loudest thing to roar out of Newcastle since The Wildhearts were upstarts, 2025's follow up to the stunning Land of Sleeper breaks from it predecessor's focus on headphone listening and launches itself into the real world with the snarling ferocity of a wolf that was injured, got nursed back to health, and now wants some revenge. Death Hilarious certainly tastes sweet enough, although it's anything but cold. Guaranteed to make you sweat like a pig - you get the point... this is dense, thick, unrelenting psyche-metal that owes plenty to pioneers like Sabbath and Motorhead, but makes no secret of the fact these North Easterners are looking to nobody for their sound. An original powerhouse.