Also hailing from Melbourne, The Sand Pebbles are a less abrasive proposition than The Bird Blobs. Their second album sprinkles a set of propulsive, expansive indie rock songs with a heavy drizzle of retro psychedelic sounds, from the subtle stereo panning on Speed And Intensity to the patchouli oil stench of Ripple. A cover of All My Life (I Love You) by Moby Grape’s Skip Spence establishes the band’s academic credentials, and the twelve minute Black Sun Ensemble, presumably named after the mysterious Tucson acid-rock band of the same name, is one of those unforgettable, hypnotic, slow-burning, snake-charming epics that comes along once in a generation.

- Stewart Lee