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Great Psychedelic Albums

By no means an "of all time" type list. Simply some great headphones rlistens that are sure to bewilder your eardrums in some fashion.
10Mew
And The Glass Handed Kites

This album caught me off guard at first listen. The progressive elements here
intertwine with the psychedelic, often math rockishness to create something
cautiously happy. Whereas of Montreal is well known for singing songs about
depression and drug-abuse and wrapping them up in a happy envelope, Mew seem
to croon about compromise and the overarching loom of death and pain-all the
while skipping along in some ancient fantasy. "Why Are You Looking Grave?" struck
me first when I heard J Mascis singing lead on part of the track out of nowhere. Yet
he fits perfectly in contrast with the soothing vocals constant on most of the Lp.
There's a great deal to listen to as this is nearly an hour long ride into the mystical
world of Mew. And as my introduction to the band, I was thoroughly entranced.
Psychedelic in its delivery, and thought-provoking lyrically-I can't think of a better
way to kick off this Psychedelic rant.
10 
9Spiritualized
Lazer Guided Melodies

I found a deep emotional connection to this LP while living on my own for the first
time. I was in a new city, new state, and had a chance for some deep introspection.
Luckily, I stumbled across Spiritualized when they reissued "Ladies and Gentlemen
We Are Floating in Space" and immediately got hooked. I got ahold of their
discography and shortly thereafter wound up with "Lazer Guided Melodies" in my
car CD player for at least two months. There's something refreshing about J
Spaceman's direct lyrics here. "You know its true...I love you" somehow hit me as
something lacking in contemporary space rock; just bearing one's soul so simply
seemed brilliant. You will be driven to tears at moments in this record. And in
between these soulful words there
is certainly a floating, searching feeling that, rather than alienating you, gives you
solace and deep contemplation.
9 
8Air
Le Voyage Dans La Lune

Seemingly overlooked, Air's latest release is a soundtrack to a French film of the
same title. Yet it plays like a well thought out concept album; even better, in fact,
than "The Virgin Suicides" OST. It begins with a deep, resonant bass hit that
triumphantly introduces the band, then you get blasted with a huge horn section
which gives way to some classic Air synth tweaking. This is hardly a conventional
opening to a record, but it serves well to engage the listener and prep you for what
is to come. "Parade" is an upbeat, guitar space rock number that really pumps you
up. After this catchy tune we get to catch a spell of "Moon Fever" which serves as
one of the best tracks with some interwoven synth noodling that will get your brain
waves dancing. At a nicely timed thirty one minutes, "Le Voyage" is in my top three
Air releases. A journey into the ethers of space and beyond. This should not be
missed.
8 
7Caribou
Andorra

As far as pop-psychedelia goes there are few albums that make for a more blissful
listen than "Andorra". Far from sounding anything like Daphni, this is an exploration
into sixties pop, albeit with modern sensibilities. One of the standouts here is
"Sandy". It begins with an almost Indian sounding drone that builds into some of
Snaith's signature drumming paired with some airy vocals. At some point in the
song the words "I can't believe what we've found" ring true; you simply can't
believe that you haven't heard this before. Its as if we've all heard this in a past
life, in Plato's "World of Forms" if you will. And Caribou descends on the listener as
a spiritual guide into the past, whilst sounding nothing like well worn territory.
"She's The One" acted as my ringtone for a good while, yet lost none of its appeal.
The simple looping syllables provide a perfect web to catch the down tempo beat
and lead the way through one of my favorite love songs of all time. Andorra
deserves close inspection, yet demands little of the listener. It easily rushes by in a
blink; but a blink soaked in catharsis.
7 
6Portugal. The Man
Church Mouth

This is in a lot of ways Portugal's heaviest sounding LP. A splash of progressive
rock with the darkest, most brooding songs Portugal has ever put together. It kicks
off with the title track "Church Mouth"; a perfect opener that sets the tone of
religious abandonment and scepticism. The driving bass-line and drums propel the
listener into a world much different from "Waiter" and John Gourley's song writing
takes a huge leap from the first record to showcase more depth in song structure
and biting lyrics. "My Mind" takes a softer approach yet keeps a nice eerie feel with
words like "My mind is a ghost" wavering over some of their best bass work. Again
this isn't an attempt at track by track so i'm jumping around a bit. "Bellies Are Full"
is an absolute blast and holds the albums credo together well in its call for breaking
out of religious systems (in particular Christianity) and freeing oneself. Gourley's
lyrics have always criticized religion in a tasteful way rather than the often juvenile
attempts by other songwriters (Tim Casher comes to mind). But the true brilliance
of this albums isn't in its message, but in the delivery. Each song is nearly
claustrophobic with spot on guitar riffing, succinct soloing, and and punch-in-the-
face rock.
6 
5 Cyro Baptista
Beat the Donkey

While perhaps closer to Latin music, this album surely has its doses of psychedelia
sprinkled throughout. What I think jumps out at me the most is the incredible
percussion section on each song. It sounds like twenty or so people going nuts on
all kinds of drums in perfect sync. I'm pretty sure the lyrics are primarily in
Portuguese, giving it a great world music feel. But not in any sense conventional.
These guys are all over the place. Whether its the occasional Hendrix-style guitar
noodling, or the opening track's "Heartbreaker" sounding riff, this will hit your ears
from every angle you don't expect. Check it.
5 
4Velvet Teen
Cum Laude

I'm not sure what happened to these guys, but i fondly recall being floored when i
saw them opening for Minus The Bear a good while ago (I think on their Menos El
Oso Tour). All i can remember is the crowd didn't really seem to know what to
make of them. Some of the best drumming I've ever witnessed coupled with high-
treble guitar, a laptop with some crazy sounding bleeps and loops, and a singer
crooning through a megaphone. I thought what the hell that was awesome and
picked up this LP after the show. To my surprise the album was rock solid. The
opener "333" is in some sort of ludicrous time signature with an atonal keyboard
whirling through the intro and in between fills. I love the vocals on this and the
record as a whole even though they are almost entirely sung through a
megaphone. It can almost be heard as a post-punk or jazz-infused garage rock
effort. But honestly these guys don't seem to fit into any specific genre-mold.
"Tokyoto" is usually the first thing i show friends as it has a catchy chorus and a
nice complex intro. And "Building a Whale" is likely the most epic number here; a
song that sounds exactly like its title. It sounds as difficult to have crafted a song
this complicated as it indeed would be to actually build a whale. So if you're like me
and starve for new music check this out.
4 
3 The Sound Of Animals Fighting
Lover, The Lord Has Left Us

I'm still holding on to a thread of hope that TSOAF will reunite one day (as well as
Bandits). But in the meantime we still have a solid three album discography to pore
over. The densest of these is certainly "Lover". Blending classical, avant-garrde,
and progressive rock, this record teems with life. "Skullflower" showcases an (as
always) on point Anthony Green nailing a duet with Keith Goodwin. The airy, tribal
drumming provides a nice undercurrent for their exasperated lyrics "Is this a sign
of the End?". This is followed by yet another superb track "My Horse Must Lose"
easily among their best work. The glitchy intro gives way to an insanely groovy
beat and leads into pure bliss via the heavenly themed lyrics and subtle strumming.
I could go on about this in a track by track fashion, but i'll jump to my favorite song
"This Heat", which holds a gold standard in mixing beauty and psychedelic. The
brunt of the song is soaked in spot-on harmonies and smooth drumming, and ends
with some cool vocal loops from Matt Embree. All in all I would highly recommend
this to anyone interested in hearing something entirely different from anything out
there; TSOAF are an intriguing bunch and this is them at the height of their
powers.
3 
2The Flaming Lips
The Terror

The world desperately needs albums like "The Terror" to remind us even rockstars
grapple with desperation, fear, and angst. And while these themes permeate the
droning, erratic tracks off the Lips' new LP, the music is simultaneously soothing.
"Be Free, A Way" is one of the most absorbing songs here. Wayne's soothing
vocals vibrate over Drozd's epic synth notes; and this gives way (seamlessly) into
"Try To Explain". This is perhaps my favorite aspect of "The Terror". Each song
sinks and shimmers into the next without any skip. Very early Pink Floyd-esque in
a way; an album that needs to be heard in full. "You Lust" (clocking in at 13:03
min) is a superb commentary on man's weaknesses and sexual desires. Wayne
isn't pulling any punches, he's simply just stating the obvious. We all lust. That is a
fact. And even without sounding ceremonial, his lyrics have a sincerity that wasn't
there on "Embryonic". Whereas that previous record focused more on dark, heavy
arrangements in the music itself, "The Terror" fluctuates in and out of dark waters.
2 
1of Montreal
Paralytic Stalks

Upon first listening to this album, I was overwhelmed. Kevin Barns's spastic
wordplay has never been so ten-thoughts-per-minute. And, to be sure, this is a
tapestry that warrants close inspection. So after a few run-throughs it hit me that
there really is nothing else like it out there. The arrangements are meticulous and
bombastic. Almost like Queen mixed with a splash of spoken word and heavy doses
of hallucination. The symphonic elements really tie the songs together and render
the entire work something to marvel at. "We Will Commit Wolf Murder" stands out
to me as some sort of incantation by a neo-gregorian choir. "Exorcismic Breeding
Knife" (sticking to the psychedelia theme) harkens back to "Revolution 9" off the
White Album; a stirring nightmarish track that builds a nice bridge to the closer
"Authentic Pyrrhic Remission". A remarkable last song with a nice hidden track at
the end.
1 
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