With the sun now settled on another edition of the ever excellent Focus Wales festival, held every year in the North Wales town (oops…now a city) of Wrexham, its maybe time for a some reflection on another wonderful three days of music and networking

The album has an almost transitional feel to it, undoubtedly brought on by the nature of some the tracks which evoke journeys across the continent, but it also feels like a welcome personal return for the band members.

There’s a strong sense of the Canterbury Sound through The Wreckage, more than helped by some of the more jazzier elements.

The quiet calm that exudes from Marlene’s debut is a suitable tonic for those looking for something to drift off too, away from the worries and concerns of these times.

It may only be January, but a contender for gig of the year has been thrown down. . .

The Men certainly show no signs of growing old gracefully, and let’s thank them for that because we always need a band such as these in our lives.

This album will speak to the converted like psych from heaven but has enough easy hooks to pull in the casual listener if they can get passed some of the more quieter drone sections.

Purveyors of the kind of music which evokes widescreen landcscapes whilst vocals evoke a yearning for the intimate, it’s at once vital, but also surprisingly nostalgic.

There is so much happening on this album that you will find yourself discovering new favourites long after those first initial listens.

By tapping into the lost sound of English acid folk, the band sound unlike anyone around else active at the moment.

It’s good to know that in the face of so much change in the world these days, the band have remained a constant throughout.

Matriarch is an assured debut offering from a band who offer more than enough to stand out in the current doom scene.

Themes For Great Cities is an essential read for not just the hardcore Simple Minds fan, but also those who may just about remember dancing to ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ in the school disco.

As with all great trio’s there is a compact sound to them which emanates power and you feel that they are at times poised to unleash an absolute wall of sound.

Denim And Leather is an essential read for any self-respecting fan of heavy metal, and perhaps it also offers some long needed recognition that metal as a genre is so much more than what its critics and dismissers would have you believe.

There is a timeless quality to the music, and it feels shorn of any panderings to the mainstream. It is music made for those who want to go on a journey.

It’s raw and rough, but suitably resonant with the current psych scene, including much that is happening over in Canada right now. If you want to sample the true spirit of punk you won’t go far wrong with this release.

It’s sound harks back to a classic era and makes absolutely no attempt to update it, and why should it when it sounds just as perfect as it is

That it takes someone from the depths of Saskatoon to psychologically link with you and provide respite from whatever fears you may have, even if it is just for a few tens of minutes, is a remarkable feat

Unlikely bedfellows for what has become known as a “lockdown” album, The Janitors may be the truest reflection of the angst and concern that we have all felt over the last 18 months.

It’s not only a souvenir of where the band are at, but also a souvenir of the times.