Back catalogue: Psych/Garage Rock

Review: Now as ever, it's hard to fathom that this mighty collision of psychedelic pop fantasia and fearlessly avant-garde electronic innovation was released nearly fifty years ago - perhaps owing partly to the fact that there was simply nothing remotely like this around in 1968, this record has not dated one iota, and such is the radiance of the songwriting and the intensity of the performances, this stands proud as music transmitted seemingly from another dimension. As melodically bewitching as it is fearless in its dives off the experimental deep end, this is an evergreen piece-de-resistance that set the bar for electronic rock music frighteningly high right from the off.

Review: Still making the majority of Johnny-come-lately electronic artists look like both philistines and lightweights at 78 years of age, Simeon Coxe is till touring in an evolved manifestation of the same setup that he first stunned the avant-garde underground with nearly fifty years ago, and this, his first new album in nearly two decades - shows that he's far from losing his touch in the creation of dizzy melody and cosmic sonic architecture. This outfit's trademark classic proto-motorik groove is in place, as is the bewitching astral atmosphere, yet the gentle mysticism at the heart of the songs here remain true testimony to Simeon's status as a timeless visionary.

Review: Still making the majority of Johnny-come-lately electronic artists look like both philistines and lightweights at 78 years of age, Simeon Coxe is till touring in an evolved manifestation of the same setup that he first stunned the avant-garde underground with nearly fifty years ago, and this, his first new album in nearly two decades - shows that he's far from losing his touch in the creation of dizzy melody and cosmic sonic architecture. This outfit's trademark classic proto-motorik groove is in place, as is the bewitching astral atmosphere, yet the gentle mysticism at the heart of the songs here remain true testimony to Simeon's status as a timeless visionary.

Review: Still making the majority of Johnny-come-lately electronic artists look like both philistines and lightweights at 78 years of age, Simeon Coxe is till touring in an evolved manifestation of the same setup that he first stunned the avant-garde underground with nearly fifty years ago, and this, his first new album in nearly two decades - shows that he's far from losing his touch in the creation of dizzy melody and cosmic sonic architecture. This outfit's trademark classic proto-motorik groove is in place, as is the bewitching astral atmosphere, yet the gentle mysticism at the heart of the songs here remain true testimony to Simeon's status as a timeless visionary.

Review: RECOMMENDED
If this is your first encounter with Silver Apples then get ready for an existential trip. The New York group, formed in 1967, only really worked for three short years, but in that time managed to create a legacy that would inspire countless bands searching for perfection within underground rock 'n' roll, psychedelic R&B, and electronic rock. As the title here suggests, this collection comes from their early recordings, which laid the foundations for their utterly unique, mesmerising, beguiling, hallucinatory sound.

At the core of everything are the whirs and refrains of founding father Simeon's handmade synthesiser, which adds more than a hint of surrealism to proceedings. Ultimately, Silver Apples are about hypnosis, taking the route subsequently adopted by dance music to whip crowd and listener alike into a kind of primal frenzy, losing themselves in the layer upon layer of loops and hooks.