The Warlocks - The Mirror Explodes

Having dabbled successfully with the poppier end of psych-rock on previous albums, The Mirror Explodes finds the Warlocks sounding more sombre and more focused than ever before. Ostensibly their least accessible LP, it is also their most fully realised work: an immersive journey into the heart of noise that pulls no punches and packs a weighty emotional punch. Dynamically it's a revelation, the band having pieced together a tapestry of shimmering drone, wailing feedback and ecstatic fuzz that can stand shoulder to shoulder with anything that MBV, Cocteau Twins or the JaMC ever recorded. That's not hyperbole - it really does sound that good. It's a draining listen but I'll be damned if blasting Standing Between the Lovers of Hell - the throbbing vortex at the heart of this album - isn't the single most exhilarating listening experience I've had this year.