Back catalogue: Psych/Garage Rock

Review: Four years, a lot of gigs, and a change of lineup are all that have stood between Vyvyd and The Uncanny Extravaganza. New Candys triumphant return after the best part of a half decade is exactly that, unleashing some of the most powerful tracks in their oeuvre after no less than two years spent writing, recording and producing them. Which is ironic, given the raw, unfettered distortion that makes much of what's here so compelling and utterly devastating. It would sound off-the-cuff, it it weren't so complex. The Uncanny Extravaganza is one of those records that makes you genuinely excited about the prospect of seeing a band live again. It's loud - even if you've got the volume down - and its disharmonious, it's soaring and distant yet immediate and up front. It's psyche-infused garage rock with a dusting of raucous shoegaze (if that's possibly a thing), at times nodding to the likes of Ringo Deathstar or Death In Vegas, in other moments Spiritualised. Or maybe that's just us.

Review: Throughout his lengthy career, Richard Norris has always leaned into his psychedelic influences, seemingly finding a multitude of ways to meld minds via unusual fusions, trippy sounds and - as a DJ - an encyclopaedic knowledge of "psych music" in its many forms. On this superb three-disc compilation, he leans into the latter aspect, gathering 42 cuts, most pleasingly obscure, made at different points between the 1960s and today. There's naturally tons to set the pulse racing throughout, from the heavyweight psych-blues of Wool's 'Love, Love, Love', the elongated guitar solos of 'Trip' by Emma De Angelis and the Middle Eastern exotica of Koy Kardesler's 'Shuruk', to the quirky French electronica of Juantrip's 'Shadows', spacey synth-scapes of Ugo Bosoni's 'Rullio' and the pots-and-pans-percussion of 'Time Signals' by Klaus Weiss.

Review: Based in the Bay Area, Now are a DIY pop group channelling the offbeat glamour of 80s UK cassette culture and jangly mod experimentalism. This release shows them at their most refined and surreal-channelling The Soft Boys one minute and whispering beat poetry in a velvet dive bar the next. 'The Ballad of Joy Bang' shuffles along like a soundtrack to a B-movie daydream, while 'Pointe Shoes' and 'Join Our Treasure Hunt' pair melodic guitar hooks with cryptic, diaristic lyrics. The duo's knack for brevity sharpens their charm-few tracks break the three-minute mark-but every detail feels fussed over, from the fluttering Mellotron feel of 'Careening' to the lo-fi shuffle of 'Morning Trains Like Mirrors'. With members drawn from Cindy and Thunder Boys, the sound is steeped in Bay Area DIY but looks across the Atlantic for its ghosts. Equal parts sweet and sardonic, this is outsider pop that rewards close listening and soft focus.