New album from this Japanese deep-drone duo that share members with Kito Mizukumi Rouber. Lift is a very minimal performance that seems, once again, to have been recorded outdoors. The piece opens with a series of punctuating clicks before the sound of the environment – wind across the mouth of the microphone, the acoustics of the place – amplifies the feel of a specific acoustic space. Then strafing angel vox tones and what sounds like heavily treated string drones start to push against the initial parameters, creating a claustrophobic form of drone that combines the minute mechanics of its creation with transcendent instrumental settings. Blurring the lines between a site-specific investigation of area sonorities and a ritual working, Lift is another shot out of leftfield from these two.

Debut album for this great pastoral/acoustic psych unit who made their debut on the recent Tokyo Flashback. Le Son De L’Os is basically the duo of Hasegawa-Shizuo (who also play in Kito Mizukumi Rouber) alongside Masahiro Deguchi. The trio use acoustic guitar, vocals, flutes, pianos, bells and a one string bass to navigate a void of tone that crosses dosed and beautifully mistranslated UK acid folk moves with advanced improvisatory strategies. If you can imagine Mark Fry cutting some avant jams for Incus back in the ‘day’ then I salute you, visionary.

Much-anticipated debut PSF release for this amazing Tokyo psych unit. PSF has always felt like the spiritual home of Suishou No Fune, whose sound extends and expands on the experiments in explosive guitar psych of units like Fushitsusha, Shizuka, Ghost, Kousokuya et al. This album also sees them finalise a full group line-up with principle members Kageo and Pirako joined by Shizuo Uchida of Hasegawa-Shizuo and Kito Mizukumi Rouber on drums and Hideo Matsueda on electric bass. The new rhythm section really pushes the group sound and they get into some fantastic driving/pummelling psych-outs. Kageo and Pirako have perfected that beautiful deep-space guitar sound associated with masters like Loren Connors and Maki Miura and they trade bliss-perfect guitar lines that twine like smoke around your skull before stepping on the fuzz for maniacal sky-scarping leads that are as bloody-minded in their pursuit of the zone as anything from the hands of Mizutani. In addition, their very different vocal styles work to complement each other, with Pirako’s high ethereal style countered by Kageo’s dark, rasping post-Kaneko growls. Suishou No Fune have made some great records in the past but it feels like they have really upped their game and honed their sound for their PSF debut and this one sits perfectly alongside that labels many, many greats. Highly recommended.