In addition to his role in elusive cult outfit The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band, musician and young prodigy Michael Lloyd ricocheted from studio to studio in late sixties Los Angeles. Amidst production efforts with legendary LA scenester Kim Fowley, Lloyd’s 1968’s one-off studio project The Smoke is the most rewarding relic. With all of the glowing touchstones of the era’s hazy California psych-pop, the record combines fragmented orchestral pieces with highlights like “Cowboys and Indians”, an original response to “Heroes and Villains” by the Beach Boys. While other classics of the genre were unearthed or reappraised for overdue canonization, The Smoke is a snapshot reminder that the era’s vast landscape will likely never be fully excavated.