Modern psychedelic musicians

[RedPatokaSea]

Huge category, I know...even MMJ is circumscribed within its borders. I'm starting this thread because I think the "Other Music" forum needs a thread about a particular subset of musical pioneers that are pushing the envelope and making some really incredible music. The musicians I'd like to discuss are stamped with various labels from neo-psychedelia to experimental rock to psychedelic pop. And yes, there are an overwhelming number of musicians that fall under these labels, but separate the wheat from the chaff and there are some truly excellent bands that seem to have received little attention on this board.

I'm curious what kind of interest there is amongst MMJ fans, and I'd also like to get the names out there for those of you who may not have heard of some of these. It seems to me that MMJ fans seem to fall along a spectrum. There are those who are more into mainstream music, and consider MMJ to be more "out there" or "weird" than most of what they listen to. Then there are people like me, for whom MMJ is kind of situated right in the middle, and despite their experimental tendencies, they're not as "out there" as a a lot of the music I love. The former is probably becoming the more common case as MMJ attracts more fans, particularly with the influx of fans that are into what's popular. They've reached #5 on the Billboards for god's sake!

Animal Collective
The energy at a live AC show rivals that of MMJ, though no act has taken me to the heights that MMJ did at Bonnaroo '06. AC is the first band ever to be allowed to officially sample the Grateful Dead ("Unbroken Chain" on "What Would I Want Sky"). Like them or not, they're the inheritors of the legacy. BrothersportWhat Would I Want? Sky (fan made, but one of the few that has studio audio)

Caribou
Their most recent album is more electronic than past albums, but it's richly textured and even more beautiful. I agree with the critic from Paste, who said that "the album plays like a 43-minute musical kaleidoscope." These guys also put on an absolutely incredible live show.
Caribou - Jamelia

Deerhunter
Deerhunter - Helicopter (Official Video)

Yeasayer
Yeasayer - 2080

Grizzly Bear
More folky than the others mentioned, but no doubt psychedelically influenced. Grizzly Bear - Ready, Able [Official Music Video]

What do y'all think? Other artists that come to mind? There are a few more I can think of, but I'll leave the list as is for now.

[kotchishm]

Tame Impala....awesome awesome awesome

[Hawkeye]

Sleepy Sun rawks.

The Flaming Lips, obviously.

I haven't listened in a few weeks, but was there some psychedeliciousness happening on that new White Denim album?  Sweetpickles nonetheless.

Super Furry Animals.

I'll have to revisit this later!

[Hawkeye]

For some heavier psychedelia, I like Kyuss and the God Bullies!  And I suppose GWAR could be considered psychedelic...they sure freak me the F out!   :D

[mjk73]

Black Angels

[el_chode]

I don't consider half the bands in the original post to be psychedelic. merely pretentious art noise for the sake of being overly artsy fartsy.

That or I'm getting old

Strawberryfire by The Apples in Stereo
The Coral - She Sings The Mourning (Live)
The Bees - Sunshine
These Are The Ghosts - The Bees
The Hypnomen - Starchild

[capt. scotty]

I don't consider half the bands in the original post to be psychedelic. merely pretentious art noise for the sake of being overly artsy fartsy.

^^^

agreed

[RedPatokaSea]

Some of Animal Collective's stuff gets into the weird for weird's sake territory – don't see ODDSAC – but they've evolved hugely over the past decade, maturing into a less noisy, more melodic group. They're fucking prolific too...8 albums, 4 EPs in 10 years! I love everything from Sung Tongs onward, but I can understand that they're not for everyone. My wife doesn't like a lot of their earlier stuff, but even she enjoys Merriweather Post Pavillion with its bright melodies and intricate harmonies.

Caribou is just incredible. I don't know what else to say. The essence of their live act is aptly captured in the title of this review, "Caribou live: like a rainbow moose hitting your Volvo". Again, not for everyone...if the idea of getting hit by rainbow moose doesn't appeal to you, then don't waste your time. No, but really, I implore everyone to listen to Jamelia just once...then tell me they're artsy fartsy! (...you don't really have to tell me if you still think so, we'll just have to agree to disagree)

;)

p.s. thanks for reminding me of The Bees. I liked their first album...haven't listened to the others.

[el_chode]

Some of Animal Collective's stuff gets into the weird for weird's sake territory – don't see ODDSAC – but they've evolved hugely over the past decade, maturing into a less noisy, more melodic group. They're fucking prolific too...8 albums, 4 EPs in 10 years! I love everything from Sung Tongs onward, but I can understand that they're not for everyone. My wife doesn't like a lot of their earlier stuff, but even she enjoys Merriweather Post Pavillion with its bright melodies and intricate harmonies.

Caribou is just incredible. I don't know what else to say. The essence of their live act is aptly captured in the title of this review, "Caribou live: like a rainbow moose hitting your Volvo". Again, not for everyone...if the idea of getting hit by rainbow moose doesn't appeal to you, then don't waste your time. No, but really, I implore everyone to listen to Jamelia just once...then tell me they're artsy fartsy! (...you don't really have to tell me if you still think so, we'll just have to agree to disagree)

;)

p.s. thanks for reminding me of The Bees. I liked their first album...haven't listened to the others.

When you say first album are oyu talking about "sunshine hit me" or "free the bees?" Each album after has been OK but nothing compares to those two.

[RedPatokaSea]

^Sunshine Hit Me...now that you mention it though, I think I have heard Free the Bees too...both seem to have mysteriously vanished from my iTunes

p.s. also thanks to kotchishm for Tame Impala rec...I like what I'm hearing so far. It reminds me a bit (just a bit) of the Swedish psychedelic rock band, Dungen...solid psychedelic rock.

:)

[el_chode]

Their third is called "octopus" and is a funkier release than the others, but good on its own right (it just lost some of its psychedelic throwback feel), the most recent one is good but extremely mellow/folksy and not as trippy.

[wolof7]

my favorites (more or less rock bands who play psychedelic music):
Akron/Family "Ed is a Portal" at SXSW Music 2009
Apollo Sunshine - Flip
The Slip 12/30/10 Get Me With Fuji
The Slip 12/30/10 Mudslide jam
early Slip was really some of the best music I've ever seen live ever. Glad they are playing some shows this summer it's been forever.

...other notables I listen to Mars Volta, Flaming Lips, Devendra....all more popular with psychedelic tendencies.

[Ruckus]

Now your talkin' my language!  Yup, the scope of modern psychedelia is quite large.  Though I'm still not a fan of the 1st two B'more bands you listed as I always saw them to be a little pretentious, atonal, noise machines adored by pitchfork, it also reminded me of about a two year period where I was in love with avant garde/free jazz such as Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch or Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz.  As such, I've come to at least appreciate and respect Animal Collective's creativity.

My tastes definitely fall on the other side of the spectrum, incorporating more bluesy, heavier sounds reminiscent of many 70's bands.  Many of the bands that have already been listed have had dedicated threads at one time or another though sadly, both the Sleepy Sun and original Tame Impala threads were surgically removed by CC during the forum switch.  Malpractice suit to follow. ;)

Here a some of my favorites:

Dark:

Sleepy Sun's 1st two albums are both gems IMO
Sleepy Sun - White Dove

Black Angels - I only began listening to them when Phosphene Dream came out but my friend encouraged me to listen to their back catalog and boy was I impressed.  From their 1st album I believe.
The Black Angels - Sniper at the Gates of Heaven

Aussie Dance:

Tame Impala - I love them.  Must see them live!
Tame Impala - Desire Be Desire Go

Hard Blues:

Rival Sons - I frickin' love this band!  I keep listening to Before the Fire.  Simply a brilliant album top to bottom.
Rival Sons - Memphis Sun

Rival Sons - Pocket Full of Stones

Brit Revival:

Wolf People - I thank this forum for finding them.  DB and Paulie.  I love them and this track in particular.
Wolf People - One By One from Dorney Reach (Live @ ESNS '11)

Under the Radar:

Woodsman - Thanks ALady for this brilliant tip.   
Woodsman - Sunglass

Arboretum - Another great psychedelic band that went under my nose in Baltimore but was brought to my attention by DB and I am thankful
Arbouretum- Destroying to Save

[RedPatokaSea]

My aim in creating this thread wasn't to get recommendations, but this is great.

Thanks y'all!

:)

p.s. those bands are not only adored by Pitchfork...just look at metacritic average career scores. I suppose one might say they're loved by all the artsy fartsy music critics.

p.p.s. Who were you referring to as the 1st two B'more bands? I know two members of Animal Collective are originally from B'more, but that's it as far as I know. Brooklyn, OTOH, home to Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, MGMT, Bear in Heaven, and recording grounds (I believe) of AC and Deerhunter, seems to be a nexus for the emerging experimental psychedelic scene.

[ChronicHunger]

radio moscow.


BOOM
Radio Moscow - "Frustrating Sound"

[ChronicHunger]

Red Sparowes, instumental but pretty awsome
Red Sparowes - As the Black Wind Withers, part 1

[ChronicHunger]

WARPAINT
Video: Warpaint, "Elephants"

[ChronicHunger]

New song from the Black Lips recorded in a skull
Black Lips - You Keep on Running

[Ruckus]

My aim in creating this thread wasn't to get recommendations, but this is great.

Thanks y'all!

:)

BTW, Ruckus, not only adored by Pitchfork...just look at metacritic average career scores. I suppose one might say they're loved by all the artsy fartsy music critics.

p.p.s. Who were you referring to as the 1st two B'more bands? I know two members of Animal Collective are originally from B'more, but that's it as far as I know. Brooklyn, OTOH, home to Yeasayer, Grizzly Bear, MGMT, Bear in Heaven, and recording grounds (I believe) of AC and Deerhunter, seems to be a nexus for the emerging experimental psychedelic scene.

Sorry for being rather vague.  I meant Yeasayer.  Here's a brief cut from the first bio I could pull up.



Yeasayer's roots stretch back to the Park School of Baltimore, the liberal high-school from which Animal Collective grew. Vocalist/keyboardist Chris Keating and guitarist/vocalist Anand Wilder were both in school a few years below Animal Collective's oddballs, and though they looked up to them, the pair's musical experiments were more straight-laced.

"Our high-school band was called Transit," Wilder recounts. "We were very into The Cars, The Clash, Pavement, Weezer, The Rentals, Built to Spill."

After heading their separate ways for college (Keating in Rhode Island, Wilder in Pennsylvania), the pair reunited in New York, oncemore inspired by their fellow Park School alumni. "When I saw [Animal Collective] become successful touring musicians," said Wilder, "I kind of realized: 'hey, this isn't so hard!' If you have ambition and good ideas, you can take this as far as you want."

Wilder had spent his years at Penn working on his own ambitious project: an Americana musical named Break Line, a tale of striking coal-miners in 19th century Pennsylvania openly inspired by the Will Oldham-starring John Sayles movie Matewan.

Keating had been living in New York, performing solo as Diamond Eagle, but had grown tired of the lone-wolf act. So, he invited Wilder and Wilder's cousin, Tuton, up from Baltimore and on stage. Soon thereafter, Keating decided he wanted it to be a band.

[RedPatokaSea]

^Gotcha. Yeah, Yeasayer is a bit on the noisy side, particularly their newer album, Odd Blood...even pitchfork agrees with that. I like two or three of the songs, but otherwise, I vastly prefer All Hour Cymbals.