Best of the New Psychedelia
By Michael WojtasJust as Paisley Underground and shoegaze greats breathed new life into psychedelia in decades past, a fresh crop of indie musicians is currently redefining the parameters of the genre. Recent years have found onetime woodsy strummers Animal Collective, in an influential turn, picking up samplers and making trippy pop out of mind-melting synth loops; meanwhile, the freak folk of the early 2000s devolved into something appealingly rickety and humble, more the stuff of campfire stargazing than spastic, communal sing-alongs. The dreamy, glacial set continues to inject syrupy charm into narcotic pop's bloodstream, while more aggressive artists are finding common ground between garage and psych revivalism. And, elsewhere, a reverent few are retreating to their bedrooms to craft their own lo-fi opuses in the traditional ‘60s style, as if the original psychedelic decade never ended.
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 At Echo LakeWoodsA giant leap forward. >> |
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 Merriweather Post PavilionAnimal CollectiveFocuses freewheeling experimentalism into relatively concise song structures >> |
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 Bonfires on the HeathThe ClienteleWispy, dreamy psych-pop. >> |
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 Family Perfume Vol. 1White FenceLo-fi gets wise and stays weird. >> |
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 In Love With OblivionCrystal StiltsSometimes-jarring but likeable history lesson of gloom. >> |
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 PleasurePure XAustin trio's appealing albeit gloomy debut. >> |
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 Play It StrangeThe Fresh & Onlys2010's most aptly-titled album. >> |
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 MazesMoon DuoNo longer just a side project. >> |
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 Teen DreamBeach HouseBaltimore duo comes into its own. >> |
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 Set 'Em Wild Set 'Em FreeAkron/FamilyMoving forward after founder's departure. >> |
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