Two recommendations

I may be weird to be enjoying both of these two new(ish) releases simultaneously, but there you go...

First up, Hiss Golden Messenger's Poor Moon, bought on the back of their track on the Oh Michael... compilation which featured in my last post and well worth the price of admission. There's a sense in which it might be a newly excavated 70s singer-songwriter obscurity, but the admixture of folkier elements like fiddles and a pleasantly leftfield lyrical approach brings it back up to date. If you're beginning to feel a pull, try 'Jesus Shot Me In The Head' for size...

On to what must already be a strong contender for archival release of the year, The Lost Tapes 1968-1975 from inveterate German experimentalists Can. This is a beautifully packaged 3-CD set of studio and live material from the band's classic period, with both Malcolm Mooney and Damo Suzuki's stints at the vocal mic well represented. It comes in a 10" replica tape box with a nicely annotated booklet from keyboards-man Irmin Schmidt. Of course there are the usual 'what on earth do they think they're doing?' moments that Can fans have to accept as part of the deal, but the better stuff shows that the great albums were just the tip of an iceberg. If you don't know Can, don't start here: try Ege Bamyasi and Monster Movie then Tago Mago. If you stick that course - or if you already know your way around it - then get stuck in to The Lost Tapes... Hours of entertainment and aural stretching await.