Many people think of psychedelic music as being a genre. They think of it as a certain type of music from a certain era. I do not agree with this assessment. I take a much broader view of psychedelic music. I believe it to be any music that can, to put it simply, trip me out. Many people mistakenly think this type of music is no longer being made. They think that psychedelic music is something from the 1960s and I can understand why people have this misperception because of the lack of variety in music being played on mainstream radio and television.
Ten Great Psychedelic Bands of the 21st Century.
There is a lot of great psychedelic music being made today. I’ve come up with a list of 10 of the best psychedelic bands that are currently making music. This list is in alphabetical order.
Air
Air is a French electronic pop duo that makes deliciously weird and usually quite catchy music. In addition to their excellent albums (2001’s 10,000 Hz Legend is my personal favorite) their live show is truly excellent. I saw them perform at Hammerstein Ballroom in
New York City
and they brought a lot more electricity and charisma to the show than you would think for a band that relies so much on electronics. Particularly mind blowing was their performance of “La Femme D’Argent” the first track from their most popular album to date Moon Safari. They stretched the song from its 7:08 running time on the album to close to 15 minutes and it seemed to build up and build up; somehow going well past what I thought was the peak of the song. Air manages to make pop music interesting by using a wide variety of instrumentation often combining acoustic guitars with other-worldly electronic synthesizers and noises. They create sing-along songs like the female sung “You Make It Easy” (they often use guest vocalists) and the catchy single “Sexy Boy” along with more spooky numbers like “Radian” that create strange moods mostly through atmospherics and smooth instrumentals like “Mike Mills” with classical inspiration. Air makes sophisticated, intelligent music that also manages to be fun. I classify them as psychedelic using my simple rule. They trip me out. Listen to their music (especially 10,000 Hz) on your headphones with your eyes closed and I think you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
Akron/Family
Akron/Family is a
Brooklyn
, NY based band that released their debut self-titled album in 2005. That debut album is the reason for my infatuation with this band but I’ve read that they also put on an amazing live show that is quite different from that album. The self titled album is mostly quiet acoustic music but with plenty of unusual noises and strange song structures to keep it very interesting. “I’ll be on the Water” was my introduction to the band and I still think it is the best introduction to Akron/Family. This is a gorgeous seemingly very simple song that swirls around the mind when listened to on headphones. There are subtle but very effective atmospheric sounds that take the song from simply being a very pretty song to being an experience. And that’s one of the main points I’m trying to get across. Psychedelic music isn’t music to simply listen to; it is music to be experienced. It is music to lead the listener on a journey. Akron/Family’s music does just that. Perhaps the most powerful song on the debut album is “” which starts off very quietly and simply but grows to a swirling wall of sound that leaves the listener in a hypnotic daze by the end.
Circulatory System is an offshoot of the incredible 1990’s psychedelic rock band The Olivia Tremor Control, whom if you have not heard yet you should get their two albums immediately. They are that good. The Olivia Tremor Control is not making music any longer but many of their members are a part of Circulatory System now. As of this writing the Circulatory System has released only their self titled 2001 album yet I believe they have another album in the works to come out sometime this year. The album Circulatory System is filled with 22 songs which have many unexpected twists and turns on their way to often quite catchy choruses. While not being as great as the Olivia Tremor Control’s albums, not much is, it’s still a definite must have for lovers of truly psychedelic rock music.
The Flaming Lips
The Flaming Lips have gained a lot of publicity and sales over the past few years for a band as weird as they are. Their live shows are legendary. If you haven’t been to one I suggest you make sure you get to one as soon possible. The Lips have been releasing classic album after classic album since 1990’s In a Priest Driven Ambulance. From the experimental Zaireeka (which includes four CD’s all played concurrently on four different CD players.) to the classic The Soft Bulletin and the very popular Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots the Flaming Lips have been experimenting with their sound with each album being a completely different and new experience. The Flaming Lips make catchy, very catchy, songs that are filled with gloriously unexpected layers of sound. The Lips may be the very definition of the modern psychedelic rock band. They are uncompromising in their exploration of different sounds and song styles. Many of their older “purist” fans hated the Yoshimi album due to it’s inclusion of so many electronic sounds and drums but the Flaming Lips never seem scared of disappointing their fans only of disappointing themselves. Their influences include such legends as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Yes, Pink Floyd, and The Who but they infuse their music with so much originality that it rarely sounds like something I’ve heard before.
Primal Scream
Primal Scream is another uncompromising band that has made three of the great psychedelic albums of all time in my opinion with 1991’s Screamadelica, 1997’s Vanishing Point, and 2000’s Xtrmtr. Each of these albums is completely different from the others. Screamadelica being a very laid back spaced out album, probably the most pleasant trip of the three. Vanishing Point is filled with dub influence and is an extremely spooky album. Xtrmtr is a very intense, fast, face melting album. Each of these albums takes the listener on a psychedelic trip of a completely different mood and I highly recommend all three.
Radiohead
Radiohead is rarely categorized as a psychedelic band but I think that’s unfortunate because their music is in some ways the most psychedelic of any band on this list. Like the Beatles, Radiohead seems to have some sort of magic where every little detail in their songs has tremendous meaning. Thus they can be more subtly psychedelic than many of the other bands on this list and still take the listener on some amazing trips. For the psychedelic music fan I most highly recommend 2000’s Kid A but really all of their work post Pablo Honey has a tripped out tint to it. 1997’s legendary OK Computer and 2001’s Amnesiac are also recommended.
Scumbo
Scumbo is a
Brooklyn
, NY based band that has begun to get a lot of attention for their unique live shows. In the sea of boring indie sound alike bands that has flooded
New York
, Scumbo is something different. Being a New Yorker, I have seen a couple of their shows and plan on seeing more, including their Halloween show in
Brooklyn
they are billing as “Scumbo’s Dead Mex Halloween Fiesta.” I most highly recommend their poppy and subtly psychedelic “Mercury Son” and their mini epic “Riddle.”
Sigur Ros
Sigur Ros’ albums are like entering an entirely different world. The Icelandic band sings their lyrics in a made up language they call Hopelandic. Their songs are slow burning epics, always reaching for a higher peak or a lower low. I find their music to be extremely emotionally draining so I don’t listen to them that often but I feel they are definitely worth a listen. They also put on a great live show.
Spiritualized
Spiritualized’s 1997 album Ladies and Gentlemen we are Floating in Space is stunningly great. Everyone who loves psychedelic music should own it. It’s an epic experience of an album and should be enjoyed in one sitting. As great as OK Computer is sometimes I think this is actually the best album of 1997. Spiritualized was formed by Jason Spaceman who was previously in the band Spacemen 3 who are also worth a look. Spiritualized earlier albums 1992’s Pure Phase and 1995’s Lazer Guided Melodies are great albums and if you are the type who enjoys a more hypnotic trip these may be the choice for you.
Ween
Ween is one of the most misunderstood bands in the world. They are not a joke band. They are extremely talented musicians and even better songwriters. Their albums such as The Mollusk and White Pepper take the listener on a journey through a magical world of funhouse mirrors and strange characters. Everything is strange and different in the Ween world. I rarely find their songs funny, and the ones I do find funny are my least favorite as I don’t care much for “joke songs.” I find their music not funny but disturbing and demented, just how I like it. If you’ve mistakenly placed Ween in the joke band catagory I really must say they have more in common with The Beatles than with Al Yankovic. Their songs are very well written and extremely catchy and their use of the studio to create sonic landscapes is rivaled only by some of the great bands on this list.
Reference:
- iPod Downloads
