One of the most unique sub-genres to ever come out of rock ‘n’ roll is psychedelic rock. It ruled a whole generation and was arguably the genre of the ’60s. Following its peak, psychedelic rock appeared every so often in the ’70s, ’80s, and even in some parts of the ’90s. However, since the 20th century, the genre has become more and more obscure, but a few musicians are doing the heavy lifting and bringing it back.
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Psychedelic rock is now, more or less, used as a broad term and school of thought. In other words, it’s been completely reinvented. Rather than purely belonging to rock ‘n roll, psychedelic music now resides in country, bluegrass, rap, and electronic music. So, it exists, just not in the way it originally did, and that is thanks to these three musicians and bands.
Billy Strings
Billy Strings is arguably the main man behind the revival of psychedelic music in the current day scene. Thanks to his Grammy-winning album, Home, Strings proved to the world that he could not only play traditional bluegrass but also infuse the historic tradition of psychedelic music within it.
Other than his playing, other facets that Strings utilizes in order to preserve this genre are his overall character, jam-band nature, and viscerally hypnotic live performances. When it comes to psychedelic music, this guy is covering every single base and doing an exceptional job at it.
Tame Impala
If you’ve listened to Tame Impala, you know you have to be somewhat careful with his music. Careful in the sense that his music will lift you up, turn you upside down, and leave you in an innocent state of psychosis. Frankly, this guy takes psychedelic music to a whole new level, as you can reach that point without, well, without doing what most people do to reach that point, if you know what we mean.
Active since 2007, Tame Impala has been a staple in the 21st-century psychedelic scene ever since his origin. Needless to say, this music is for a very particular type of person. Though if you are that type of person, then it would behoove you to listen to Tame Impala.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
The name might give it away, but King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard are one of the other bands single-handedly reimaging and reviving psychedelic music. Their song “Robot Stop,” “Crumbling Castle,” and “Rattlesnake” make some ’60s psychedelic rock bands’ music look like child’s play. It’s that intense…
Though that intensity is what makes their music so hypnotically endearing. Active since 2010, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard is not for the average listener. Rather, it is for the listener who wants to be fully engulfed by music.
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