Tag: Neo-psychedelia
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Echo & the Bunnymen ‘Ocean Rain’ (1984)
Like any good cultural steward of teens who came of age in the mid-aughts I watched Donnie Darko on Halloween evening this past Friday after taking the kids trick or treating. It’s a fantastic film with a world-class soundtrack that adds so much depth to the film. At any rate, the movie opens up with…
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Echo & the Bunnymen ‘Heaven Up Here’ (1981)
I’ve been on a bit of a sad boi kick lately which means Echo & the Bunnymen’s Heaven up Here is an obvious choice to take for a spin. This album is the sound of a band abandoning jangly romanticism for something murky and introspective.
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The War On Drugs ‘LIVE DRUGS’ (2020)
The War On Drugs “LIVE DRUGS” is a celebration of the live performances from a band who has brought the nostalgic beauty of heartland rock to the masses. Today we dive deep into what makes this band so incredible.
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MGMT ‘Oracular Spectacular’ (2007)
There was a time—somewhere between the collapse of the MySpace Top 8 and the rise of ironic mustaches (guilty)—when my generation went off to college and experienced our first real taste of freedom. You know the moments. BitTorrent running 24/7 on your laptop, skinny jeans that had lived three lifetimes, bedsheets that hadn’t been washed…
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Beck ‘Odelay’ (1996)
Beck has had such a wide-ranging and successful career that it’s almost impossible to really define who he is as an artist– as my brother (who is probably one of Beck’s biggest fans) can attest to, his varied musical influences are as wide-ranging as any artist. Odelay is a kaleidoscopic masterpiece that redefined alternative music…
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The Voidz ‘Virtue’ (2018)
When Julian Casablancas returned with The Voidz’s 2014 debut album Tyranny, it was a a surprising shift considering his earlier solo work and his garage rock career with The Strokes. The band focused surprised many critics with its focus on dystopian themes and sonic complexity that could be described as a polished sci-fi pop sound.…
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Grizzly Bear ‘Shields’ (2012)
I remember being in an absolute haze watching Grizzly Bear at Outside Lands in 2013, the year after they went on tour supporting Shields, and being absolutely blown away by their live performance. This was a band who had found a way to tap into the more obscure side of Indie Rock, infused with peculiar…
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The War On Drugs ‘A Deeper Understanding’ (2017)
A Deeper Understanding felt like a spiritual experience the first time I heard it. Principal songwriter and lead vocalist Adam Granduciel had created a world so lush and abundant it was almost disorienting at first– melodies that bloomed and transformed before your eyes, soft and sentimental, seemingly lacking a true center. It all sounded so…
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Ratatat ‘Ratatat’ (2004)
In the genre of guitar electronica (which is pretty damn niche), Ratatat ruled supreme during my high school and early college days. These guys were the epitome of Brooklyn hipsters before it was fashionable to be a Brooklyn hipster, recording their neo-psychedelic electronic rock album in their bassist’s Crown Heights apartment during the resurgence of…
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The Flaming Lips ‘Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots’ (2002)
The Flaming Lips 2002 album Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots was somewhat of a watershed moment in Indie pop history. Featuring a bevy of electronic instruments, dreamy delays, and wispy vocals from frontman Wayne Coyne, the album played a sizable role in taking traditional pop music song structures and blending them with the avant-garde to…
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The Stone Roses ‘The Stone Roses’ (1989)
Despite their short lifespan that featured only two full album releases. The Stone Roses influenced an entire generation of Britpop artists. Their self-titled debut was not only their most commercially successful, but is also regarded as one of the greatest albums of all-time for people who get paid to write about this sort of thing.…
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