Edition of only 200 copies LP from Phil Todd’s Ashtray Navigations, using a combination of field recordings, guitar, F/X, synth and saz to transport the whole deal into an electrified fourth world zone where ethnic string miniatures go up against glazed drones and the kinda heavy psych rock – complete with phased drums – that could easily have been cut at the sessions for Walter Wegmuller’s Tarot. Every Ashtray releases is compulsory but this is a particularly great LP, with a killer hi-fi studio sound that repays deep listening and some of Todd’s most psychoactive creations. Highly recommended.

Cacophonous electro-acoustic psychedelic noise from this mysterious French combo who worship at the altar of CCCC/Hijokaidan et al: "No one knows or will ever know who Astreinte are and what their story is. If ever told, they'll be immediately elevated to cult status considering their personal backgrounds and live shows (besides the fact that anything remotely French, sounds wonderful in North America nowadays). Astreinte is a five to nine members collective delivering a totally deafening sonic wall assault directly inspired by Japanese legends such as Hijokaidan or CCCC. The group mainly consists of hippies, crust punks, industrialists, garage rockers and a jazz fanatic. Dwelling in and around Pau, in the south west of France, near the Pyrenees and the Spanish border, their very scarce and violent live appearances have been greeted with comparatively aggressive and emotionally charged reactions. C'est pourquoi il importe... is their debut LP as a nine piece (vocals, guitar, bass, trumpet, drums, 2 x synths, electronics). Edition of 190 copies."

Been a while since we heard from the duo of Luke Younger and Steve Warwick aka Birds Of Delay but this is a fine return, with subtle rainbow electronics, speaker phasing and minimal tonal fireworks generating a kind of nowhere zone between H-Pop, Kraut-inspired keyboard bliss and the ‘fluffier’ side of Matthew Bower’s Sunroof. A bunch of studio tracks bundled with a live trio assault recorded at the CCA in Glasgow where they’re joined by Taylor Richardson of Infinity Window. Edition of 240 copies.

New album from this fascinating, schizophrenic French outfit (the solo project of Laurent Gerard, a frequent collaborator with Ghedalia Tazartes) who seem to have inherited the surrealist tradition of Jacques Berrocal/Red Noise/Futura Records, the same current that so entranced Nurse With Wound’s Steve Stapleton. Capitaine Present 5 is a collage of spoken word, sound poetry, weird synth pop and Industrial cut-ups, all rendered with the sophisticated élan of an experimental Gallic chanteur. Singular. Edition of 160 copies.

First full-length LP from the duo of Heath Moerland (Sick Llama/Fag Tapes) and Chris Pottinger (Odd Clouds/Cotton Museum). Slither play primitive drug and F/X damaged free jazz, with reeds played through cotton wool while tape sounds, homemade electronics and surreal electro-acoustic sound environments give it an extra layer of DIY dub. Edition of 240 copies.

Edition of 190 copies LP from the duo of Jon Lorenz and John Rich on saxophone and clarinet. Rich and Lorenz play their reeds through a warp of overloaded F/X, generating a more spectral, tone-fogged take on the Industrial strength free jazz of Borbetomagus while detouring into almost Hawkwind-styled black nightmare settings.