Another worldwide sampling from the Jukebox this week, culling together a couple of Brits, a couple from the States and hitting the lesser known psych hot-spot of Indonesia along the way.

[MP3] Ipsissimus - Hold On
A hard tinged British single that shows the direction moving from psychedelics into hard rock territory. Full of pounding drums and thick riffs and that high wail rising over the top that would soon set the standard for front men.

[MP3] Nimrod - The Bird
Another British single that gives a glimpse into the future of hard rock. This one starts out breezy but breaks into a huge guitar solo and later even a dash of flute. Owes a debt to the Small Faces school of songwriting for sure and in the same way it shows that bridge between worlds that the Faces often did, where there existed bravado and tenderness at the same time.

[MP3] The Great Society - Girl
Winging over to San Francisco, The Great Society muster up a bluesier version of the scene's typical sound. A bit snotty and rough for the Summer of Love set but still a very good Frisco band that got glossed over in the ensuing wave of bands to come.

[MP3] Yellow Balloon - Baby, Baby It's You
Yellow balloon split the difference between The Beach Boys and Cyrkle but tended to lean towards the former much more. The influence is entirely obvious in this, one of their better tracks that echoes the multi-part harmonies and wistful summer stylings of Brian Wilson.

[MP3] Ariesta Birawa Group - Terimalah Cintaku
This Indonesian group synthesized the Western influences into a mix of heavy psychedelia and loose groves, often coming close to sounding like a pac-asian version of Santana. This track gives them a bit of a harder edge than they usually take and its much to their credit. Had the band taken this line more often its possible they might have built a stronger reputation.