THE INDIKATION
In Terms Of… (Teen Sound; CD)
    Of all the current beat groups out there (and make no mistake, there are a lot of them), The Indikation, a five-piece from Norway, get the closest to capturing that authentic '60s sound that has made many a collector shell out big bucks for original 45s. It would be easy to cite reference points like The Zombies, early Hollies, Golden Earrings, and The Haigs, just to name a few, but what makes In Terms Of…     particularly special is that The Indikation really "get" the feel of the obscure '60s bands often written about in Misty Lane Magazine…you know, the kind who only had one or two 45s and played a lot of high school and store opening gigs. In Terms Of… is a nice mixture of band originals and covers, most of the latter being of the obscure "only a true '60s geek would know who did the original recording" variety (this is meant 100% as a compliment). Among the best originals are the psychedelic beat pounder 'Search Your Heart,' 'Got To Tell Them,' and 'By My Side," while very solid takes on the oft-covered (during the '60s) 'Should I?,' as well as The Zombies 'What More Can I Do?' and a really cool rave up on 'Baby, What You Want Me To Do' sit side by side. Possibly the best track is a version of The Times 'She Can't Replace The Love We Knew,' which has all the earmarks of a beat classic: pounding bass line, ascending, Beatlesque guitar figures, and tight, octave-bending harmonies. The album was recorded at Liam Watson's Toe Rag Studios, known of course for The White Stripes Elephant album, but more importantly, for housing some of the best vintage equipment around.
    If you want that Euro-Pebbles experience without having to pull out those albums, In Terms Of…will do just fine. Nice work, gentlemen!
MistyLane@iol.it
David Bash

THE MISTERIOSOS
The Misteriosos (Tripitone; CD)
    A three piece from Philly centred on the luscious Tula Storm. The Misteriosos escape their garage moniker via a blend of guitar freakouts, ethereal female vocals, stompin' garage and dreamy shoe gazing. It's quite an odd mix, but the band's confidence and precision make it work. Garage purists will be up in arms, as this Vox armed contemporary psychedelic trio do take things a step further, but if you find The White Stripes new take on the blues appealing you may well like The Misteriosos' version of psychedelia/garage.
www.themisteriosos.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

JIM NOIR
Tower Of Love (My Dad Recordings; CD/LP)
    Young Jim has been highly touted as the new "psych auteur", and having witnessed the advertising campaigns for Tower Of Love (a collection of his previous EPs plus two new songs) it's apparent that his label are hoping for great success. Whether the 23 year-old poster boy will grace the charts and become the new thinking person's indie sensation is neither here nor there, but the lad certainly has talent. In combining the ease of new technology with traditional gear the spirit of the most harmonious pop of the late '60s is beautifully rendered. The Super Furry Animals, Beta Band and Bitmap may have covered similar territory, but Jim has a youthful vibrancy they all miss. Perhaps it's innate, but one can't help feel how much attention has been paid to masters Wilson and Macca and their ability to craft magic. Clearly a bit of their fairy dust fell somewhere in Manchester.
    Not everything on this collection is truly inspired, but when he gets on the right frequency Jim is unstoppable. 'I Me You I'm Your' is the kind of clever '60s sunshine pop that Teenage Fanclub attempted, and mainly failed with, on Howdy. 'Computer Song' is… well… somewhere between Love and Focal Point by way of The Super Furry Animals (but more poignant and natural than our Welsh flag wavers could ever hope to be). Put it this way, if someone dropped it on a psych anorak's '60s bootleg compilation they wouldn't notice. Elsewhere Wilsonian lounge is most successfully reinterpreted via the gorgeous instrumental 'Tower Of Love'. (Could this boy have a future in scoring movies?) Most importantly of all Jim Noir is a tunesmith: a quality that is becoming more and more rare.
    It's very reassuring to know that a few kids, like our Jim -- not those horrible angular post-punk wannabes or crackhead guru figures -- still make the effort to create mesmerising pop music. Whimsical fun dappled with the sun, lit by Xmas tree lights and coated in mushrooms etc etc…
    Timeless psych-pop at its best. Hosanna!
www.jimnoir.com
www.mydadrecordings.com
Jon 'Mojo' Mills

ORANGE SUNSHINE
Homo Erectus (Headspin; CD)
    I feel duty-bound to inform ya that this aspiring Blue Cheer tribute band's glaringly tiresome brand o' sludge-blues ain't frickin' happenin', man. A virulent, textbook case o' the-dudes-got-no-tunes really. Moreover, the poor vocals and their rank style (see sleeve) make for a bad meal all across the board.
www.orangesunshine.tk
Rex Thompson

SILVER SUNSHINE
A Small Pocket Of Pure Spirit (Empyrean; CD)
    This San Diego quartet's debut album set tongues wagging and feet tapping last year with its modern (post-modern?) take on the classic Brit-psych sounds of The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Move and their kynd. The Silvers wear these influences very much on their floral print sleeves - almost to the point where some songs stray from affectionate homage into tribute band territory - but keep things balanced with a muscular, radio-friendly production and plenty of sun-bleached SoCal cool.
    So it's good to discover that this 5-track EP almost entirely shuns the "let's try and sound like this THIS band" tendencies of its predecessor and finds the Sunshine boys doing their own thing and finding their feet.
    '144,000', 'Waiting For The Sun' and 'She's The Reason' are all bouncy minor-key pieces utilising gentle wah-wah guitar, doomy mellotron and lively electric piano respectively, the latter quietly copping the riff from The Beatles' "Not Guilty" along the way. 'Another Day' discards the bluster of the band in favour of acoustic guitar and a pretty string arrangement that aligns it with McCartney's White Album-era solo vignettes. Only the funky drummer clumsiness of closing instrumental 'Hiroshima Never Again' is surplus to requirements but at least they care enough to try and fill up the disc with sound.
    Let's hope this fine band can pull an equally accomplished long-player out of the hat next time.
www.silversunshine.com
Andy Morten