Gentle Friendly - Ride Slow

Of all the press-invented scenes tipped for great things at the beginning of 2009, sprawling lo-fi psych pop was not among them; though it has been spurred on in America by the release of No Age's Nouns last year. London pulse keepers Upset the Rhythm (also responsible for bringing High Places and Lucky Dragons to UK shores) keep this notion alive by issuing consistently great slabs of warped pop wax, the latest case in point being Gentle Friendly. Their debut LP features gluey tape manipulations that cloud over Hüsker Dü power pop proclivities, recalling elements of the 80s avant-garde and, more recently, their spiritual American bros found in Sub Pop and Elephant 6 stables. The strobing rate at which they fire off 15 tracks in half an hour is a joy to keep up with, and as such it'll be a crime if this pleasant racket goes unnoticed within the gamut of great underground records this year.