The Felice Brothers : The Felice Brothers (Loose)

Simone, Ian and James Felice are the three eldest boys from a family of seven, born carpenter’s sons in the wilds of the Catskill Mountains. Along with a runaway dice-thrower and chancer called Christmas they moved their Sunday BBQ singalongs onto the streets and subways of NYC. This album follows their UK debut “Tonight At The Arizona” which was released in Spring 2007. The Felice Brothers’ distinct brand of songwriting and the lawless sound they’ve forged has earned them comparisons to Woody Guthrie, The Pogues, The Band and a young Bruce Springsteen. The sound that emerges from their instruments is seeped with an instinctive authenticity that’s rooted in tradition but is also entirely their own.

Nels Andrews : Off Track Betting (Reveal)

“Off Track Betting” is set to be one of the landmark Americana releases of 2008. The new songs were recorded in Brooklyn at Trout Studios, and now spring from the textures and rhythms of New York City, as seen from the abandoned piers and rooftops as a new form of the red desert dust and sagebrush oceans.

Jack Rose : Dr Ragtime & Pals / Self Titled (Beautiful Happiness)

Brand new album from Jack Rose, and double-packed with the long sold out self titled release (originally a limited release on the Archive Recordings label). The first disc “Dr Ragtime & Pals” is Jack duetting with the likes of Glenn Jones, Micah Smaldone, Mike Gangloff, Harmonica Dan, and Sean Bowles; it’s Rose really displaying his formidable prowess as a guitar picker, and lapsteel player with a foil to play alongside. Truly inspiring, some of the traditionals reworked here elevate Jack to a new height. His playing is better than ever, Jack is a consummate performer, a perfectionist also. This is a major work from a big player in the modern American primitive world. Often compared to the likes of John Fahey etc, Jack Rose is a rare talent. The self titled second disc contains a couple of solo versions of tracks for the duets disc, but again, this supports the theory of Jack Rose constantly evolving and developing his art.

Various Artists : Alphabeat (Pop, Psyche And Prog Rock, 1967-1970) (Top Sounds)

The first release on Top Sounds. A fantastic compilation bringing together thirteen rare slices of UK beat and psychedelia. Comes with a full colour booklet with great photos and notes on the featured bands: Includes The Barrier, Graded Grains (they existed!), Black Cat Bones, The Pathfinders, Mississippi and much more.

The Zombies : Odessey & Oracle (Anniversary Edition) (Repertoire)

This great collection of beautifully crafted songs has long been hailed as one of the best albums to emerge from the Sixties. And yet “Odessey & Oracle” was overlooked by both the media and public when it was first released back in 1967. It may have been because The Zombies had passed their peak in terms of chart success and were being overshadowed by the Beach Boys and The Beatles. Nevertheless their album – with its swirly psychedelic cover and miss-spelt title (it should have been “Odyssey”!) – began to attract more attention. Eventually, one of its stand-out songs, the soulful and funky “Time Of The Season” got to Number 3 in the US Billboard singles chart. Yet that was in 1969, two years after the group had split up, frustrated at their lack of recognition. The strident piano playing of Rod Argent and of Colin Blunstone’s richly melodic vocals imbue these confident lively pop songs with a special quality that makes this special 40th anniversary CD package all the more satisfying and attractive. The 2 CD set, which includes both Mono and Stereo versions of the classic album, plus 6 bonus tracks, includes a detailed booklet, which includes an interview with leader Rod Argent, and reminiscences of ‘Swinging London’ and the live music scene in the golden era of 60s psychedelia.

White Hinterland : Phylactery Factory (Dead Oceans)

At a mere 20 years of age, this is Casey Dienel’s second album. With echoes of Laura Nyro, Joni Mitchell, John Cage, Alice Coltrane and M. Ward throughout, Dienel understands the importance of hooks as well as invention – the melodies are distinct and clear throughout.

Caetano Veloso : Caetano Veloso (Lilith)

Although Veloso had already been thrown into jail once for his criticism of Brazil’s military regime, he continued to speak out against it on this, his second album (from 1969), which featured tracks like “Irene” (about a gun-toting left-wing vigilante). It was a difficult time to be an outspoken leftist Brazilian, and the urgency of the album’s message and its sombre tone testifies to that fact.

Caetano Veloso : A Little More Blue (Lilith)

With the rise of the anti-government Tropicalia music and arts movement, by 1969 Caetano Veloso was a superstar at home in Brazil, but under increasing scrutiny by the military regime. It was in the summer of this year that the singer-songwriter decided to move to London, where he recorded his third album “A Little More Blue” (released in 1971). Caetano adopted English for the lyrics on this album to convey his first impressions of living in a foreign country. The songs serve as a two-way mirror, focusing thoughts and memories of home and absent friends and reflecting his reaction to a new but friendly environment. “A Little More Blue” and “London, London” were the very first songs to be written after leaving Brazil. “Maria Bethânia” is about one of the most popular singing stars in Brazil, who also happens to be Caetano’s sister. “If You Hold a Stone”, which is dedicated to Lygia Clark, and “Shoot Me Dead” are contemporary proverbs. “In The Hot Sun of a Christmas Day” is an epic hiding behind the cloak of a carol. “Asa Branca”, which was written by Luiz Gonzaga, is a song about migration and home sickness…

Erkin Koray : Tutkusu (GDR)

This 4th album by the man had never been reissued on vinyl before, so it’s good news we have for you. This one’s from 1977, and though Erkin went strongly ethnic with his previous album “2″, here he went back on his steps and made it with another brilliant psych-rock album obviously adorned again with some Turkish traditional music elements, though not as strongly as with “Elektronik Türküler”. Here he even sings some tracks in English, having the whole album a more occidental appeal but losing near nothing of the incredible enchantment of Erkin’s best recordings!

Erkin Koray : Elektronik Türküler (GDR)

You probably won’t find any other Turkish psych record better than this. A real killer from start to finish, this was originally released in 1974, and is a brutal masterpiece of psychedelic rock blended with Turkish traditional music. The electric guitar of Erkin is outstanding, so is the electric saz used here too, and all tracks are absolutely fantastic. We cannot recommend this one more than we do.