The Free Design - Kites are Fun. 1967 USA-New York

I absolutely adore soft pop like this (with psych harmonies and overtones). This contains an unbelievable innocence that is hard to recreate when you're damaged goods. This is the real thing! They're singing about kites for crying out loud! And wait until you hear the tune they crafted about their 8 year old brother Woody, playing football, climbing trees, and his sundry goofs. If the sun isn't shining in your room after listening to this album, it's time to exorcise your Univers Zero collection.

Ownership: LP: 1967 Project 3. Wonderful thick colorful gatefold, typical of the label. Online acquisition (2009)

CD: 2003 Light in the Attic. Chockful of liner notes, vintage photos, and two bonus tracks. This was my introduction to the album (2005).

12//05; 2009; 9/25/21 (new entry)

Spectral Incursion - Anthology. 1986-2010. USA-Massachusetts

And the hits keep on coming. Add Boston's Spectral Incursion to the ever growing list of unknown late 80s American metal bands that were pushing the creative envelope beyond its wildest dreams. Originally known as Graven Image, Anthology captures every song the band ever released + unreleased demos and newly recorded material. Like Slauter Xstroyes, the music is not particularly heavy, but it certainly belongs to metal. And the songwriting is as random and nutty as the aforementioned SX. In fact, I think their earlier material when they were still Graven Image may have been their peak, at least in terms of creativity. But by 1991, the band were clearly a honed in professional unit. It's a tragedy they never could get past the private cassette stage. If tech thrash, or what we used to call technical metal, is your bag then Spectral Incursion is an easy recommendation. File along with first album Sieges Even, Watchtower, and the rest of them.

Ownership: CD: 2011 Stormspell. Recent online acquisition. Great 2 CD set chock full of liner notes and music you aren't going to find anywhere else. Originally released as a numbered edition of 500 copies, the label apparently went for a repress, as my copy is not numbered, nor is there space to place a number. As such, the CD is still readily available. I can't imagine that always being the case, so grab it while you can.

Kumm - Moonsweat March. 2000 Romania

Certainly one of the more interesting albums I've heard in some time, Kumm combines neo psych, indie, and progressive rock seamlessly. Their sound is distinctly of an earlier era, and that's where the allure lies here. It's an impeccably recorded album, and there's plenty of vintage gear to savor. I'm not an indie rock fan, and I have to admit that's where they get a couple of demerits here. The style mostly shows up in the vocal sections (all sung in English BTW) which aren't overly prominent. When learning of their heritage, the story become clear - one of their earlier incarnations was Talitha Qumi, which was one of my favorite new discoveries of the last decade. Had Kumm stayed out of the era from which they came, this too would have been a near masterpiece. As it stands, still very much worthy of ownership, given its unique style.

Ownership: CD: 2010 Soft Records. The CD is housed in a fine mini-LP package. This is the second press and includes one short bonus track.