Yuri Gagarin: "At the Center of All Infinity"

Yuri Gagarin seems like a glaringly obvious name for a space rock band, particularly one that is doing so little to reinvent the wheel as this Swedish export, but what these guys lack in originality they make up for in execution, compounding the droning synths of Hawkwind with the riff-focused intensity of Ufomammut amidst a sludge-like wall of sound that certainly transgresses the average Kluster knock off. At the Center of All Infinity arrived a bit too late in 2015 to make it on any year end best of lists, perhaps, but it isn't for lack of effort.

Quilt: "Open Eyes"

Quilt sticks with that brand of acid rock that is not so much a mishmash of psych tropes over the years as it is firmly entrenched in 1967, that Haight-Ashbury sound where everyone wanted to be the next Jefferson Airplane. The sound is not so much timeless as uprooted, reenactment sans pastiche. It's deeply affecting even as it's purely inauthentic. Shit, what are you gonna do?

"Open Eyes" can be found on the New Hampshire Freaks split 10" with MMOSS, out now on Beyond Beyond Is Beyond.

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO: "Space Speed Suicide"

When you think of preternaturally prolific, acid-drenched bands from Japan one of two names is likely to come to mind: Boris, of course, and Acid Mothers Temple. The latter records so much, so often, that they've released material under at least eight different variations of the Acid Mother template, each slightly different band name meant to tip the listener off to the general contents... which could be anything from psychedelia to space rock to free jazz, so long as it's 70's-damaged.

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO is the "Mother brand", so to speak, with the overall majority of the collective's recordings existing under that label. In Search of the Lost Divine Arc, their latest, is out May 28 on Important Records.

KILLER COVERS || The Flaming Lips: "God Only Knows"

Anyone familiar with the Flaming Lips - particularly their mid-90's (semi-)crossover period - knows that there's always been a certain pop sensibility behind their skewed, acid-drenched aesthetic. That said, this brand new cover of the Beach Boys classic "God Only Knows" proves that they're not particularly interested in separating the psychedelia from their pop. While arguably one of the more "accessible" things they've done in recent memory, they turn this old chestnut out (Paul McCartney's favorite song of all time, incidentally... let him do his own faithful cover if the original is so damned bulletproof).

This was recorded for one of those MOJO magazine cover CDs that seem to be nothing but anniversary celebrations of classic albums via current artists putting their own spin on the tunes.

The Flaming Lips: "Supermoon Made Me Want to Pee" [feat. Prefuse 73]

No one goes all out for Record Store Day like the Flaming Lips. This year they have a full album of collaborations out somewhat childishly called The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends. In addition to brand new guest turns by Nick Cave, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Bon Iver and Chris Martin of Coldplay (whut?) - most if not all of whom have contributed their own blood to be pressed into the vinyl - it also rounds up a few previously released co-op's such as "Is David Bowie Dying?" (Neon Indian) and "I'm Working at NASA on Acid" (Lightning Bolt). "Supermoon Made Me Want to Pee" is the second of what will presumably be a long string of NSFW animated videos.

The Men: "A Minor"

Record Store Day: a communal, pot luck gesture to collectively rally the consumer to his local mom & pop CD/vinyl outlet via exclusive, limited releases. You aren't shit these days as a band unless you contribute, and that tireless dedication is intended to rub off on you, the record buying public, as well.

Sacred Bones is chipping in with a compilation of unreleased tracks from their artists, including this mind blowing, acid washed epic from The Men. This is one seriously tight fucking band if you're not aware of that already.

Throwback 1967 || Vanilla Fudge: "You Keep Me Hangin' On"

"You Keep Me Hangin' On" was originally recorded by the Supremes and released in October 1966, becoming the group's eighth number one hit the next month.  Almost immediately, the song became a staple cover in rock/R&B circles, and amongst those taking a crack at it were American psych rock band Vanilla Fudge. 

This version, shown below in a "live" clip from the Ed Sullivan Show, would be the band's first single (in a three minute truncated form) in 1967, reaching #6 on the charts.  Vanilla Fudge are best known today for giving the hard rock world Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert, both of whom recorded an album with Jeff Beck in the mid-70's.  Appice in particular has kept monstrously busy over the years, contributing to the bands Cactus, King Kobra, Blue Murder and his own Guitar Zeus project amongst many others.

1990: "Lord Plentiful Reflects", The Bevis Frond

After banging out a succession of fan-club quality releases in his own bedroom, Nick Salomon finally got serious about his starter kit band, The Bevis Frond, rounded up a proper drummer, and got both their asses into a legitimate studio for the first "professional" Bevis Frond record, 1990's Any Gas Faster. Whereas most of the earlier 4 track Frond releases consist of long winded jamming, Any Gas Faster was notable for its more disciplined, accessible material.

1990: "Exploding in Your Mind", Sun Dial

Psychedelia was hardly unfashionable at the turn of the 90s, particularly in Great Britain. In terms of anachronistic, spaced out jam sessions with few modern influences, there was most notably Nick Salomon and his one man band, The Bevis Frond, but following closely in those same footsteps was Gary Ramon's Sun Dial project. Like Salomon, Ramon also released a relentless procession of small run, microlabel albums, of which 1990's Other Way Out was the first. Chock full of long form guitar freakouts, "Explosions in Your Mind" is one of the more straightforward cuts.