Rock / Indie Recommendations Best Of 2011

Review: Juan Mendez, a key part of the cultish techno crew Sandwell District under his Silent Servant alias, continues his voracious appetite for musical surprise with the second Tropic Of Cancer release in collaboration with Camella Lobo. Again released via the Downwards imprint, "Be Brave" stands alongside early Factory Floor releases in ploughing a droney, minimalist, synth wave sound. It would be easy to draw comparisons with the likes of Joy Division, but "Be Brave" retains its own contemporary identity, not least the dead eyed sonic menace that drapes over your senses as the track progresses. Strengthening the bridge between the past and present, Downwards have scored a real coup in securing a remix of the track from Cabaret Voltaire's Richard H Kirk, who lifts the track out of the mist of sonic depravity somewhat and twists it into a relentless, ever building industrial groove. Luxuriously presented on a clear ten inch and housed in a sumptuous sleeve, this is an eminently collectable record that rightfully won't last very long on the shelves.

Review: Spaceships Over Topanga Canyon is a brilliantly psychedelic journey into the outer reaches of the Seahawks sonic galaxy and supposedly the first of many self styled vinyl-only Vision Quests from the duo. Rich in ambient textures, proggy sonics and drenched in a swathe of narcotic delay, the tracks here brilliantly meld into one another with typically hypnotic results. After a year in which Seahawks unveiled their project with a series of highly sought after twelve inch releases, a seven inch picture disc and innumerable downloads on their website, 2011 seems like they will follow in similarly "blink and you'll miss their releases" fashion.