Attack of the Giant Squid

I have to say right away that this album is pure gold. It blasts off from the very beginning gripping you with those rockin' riffs before it explodes into the experimental and proggy behemoth that is this album.  Truly an adventurous listen that journeys through so many exciting sounds making this hour long album so dense that you will get lost in the genius of it all.  A perfect album for those gathering tokes indeed!

Artist: Attack of the Giant Squid

Album: (ver.)

Genre: progressive rock/experimental/psychedelic/dub

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Al Berkowitz

I am proud to introduce you to a very special band indeed; a band so special I'm feeling a lot of pressure making sure I convey their true awesomeness through this tiny paragraph.  They're fun and beautiful, trippy, yet clear minded.  These guys have a sound that ventures in such vast territories (jazz fusion, classical guitar, blues, avant-garde) that it will most definitely keep you fully occupied bathing in their aural adventures they've created.  Proving how immensely cool this band is, here is a picture of a personal note on a cd I got from the band!

Artist: Al Berkowitz
Genre: art rock/psychedelic

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Beansprouts

Supremely happy, infectious African Juju music!  It doesn't matter if you're not well versed in the Juju (nor am I); this is music that could be appreciated by anybody.  It's tropical groove and tribal psychedelia is a perfect sound to bring the sunny vibes on or to have that bad mood fuck off! So much fun, download this now.

Artist: Beansprouts
Album: Foundations
Genre: Tropicalia/Juju/Psychedelia


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Qa'a

Sometimes call for you to step out from reality; let Qa'a be your tour guide.  This is lush krautrock painted jams that pulsate energies of the pineal gland only to weave back in to reality. At times this album can rock, and then it can go into entrancing, meditative tones. To be blunt, this is one of those albums that will make your friends feel like they're tripping. A trip that they will find clarity and plenty of beauty along the way.  Dose your friends with Qa'a.  

Artist: Qa'a

Album: Chi'en

Genre: psychedelic/krautrock

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Circulatory System

The mystery, intrigue, and magical euphoria experienced while in the midst of a psilocybin fueled trip to the woods has been perfectly captured on this timeless and mind-bending classic, Circulatory System.  They take the warm, communal pop sounds of the 60's and absolutely drench it in psychedelia leaving us with a timeless record.

Artist: Circulatory System
Album: Circulatory System
Song: Lovely Universe
Genre: Psychedelic/Pop/Indie

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cLOUDDEAD

I promise you have never heard hip-hop done in this fashion, but yet again that can be said about a lot of the artists of the Anticon collective/label.  Its hard to even say if this is hip-hop.  It's spacy as fuck; certainly not music to get pumped up to, but rather get lost in to a surreal mental state. The rapping(?) often verges into singing, but really its neither.  It was hard describing this 2001 jem. 

Artist - cLOUDDEAD
Album - cLOUDEAD
Genre - experimental/psychedelic/hip-hop/ambient

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Uncle Milk

This man must be shared with the world!!  He creates otherworldly music that will most definitely elevate you to another level.  Jazzy, psychedelic, bouncy madness that is both bad ass and conscious expanding.  Do yourself a fucking favor and listen!

Artist: Uncle Milk
Albums: The Porridge Mistake; Route 9
Genre: experimental/hip-hop/psychedelic

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Kutmah

This is overt psychedelia right here.  In that same mind bending aethetic Flying Lotus and The Gaslamp Killer, Kutmah has his own brand on the sound bursting with all kinds of psychedelic revolved influences like tribal percussion, Indian spiritual music, acid soaked hip-hop, jazz etc... This guy is unlike any other and needs to be listened to.  I'm sure I don't need to say this, but its grand stoned.

Artist: Kutmah
Album: Warm Like the Sunshine
Title: Warm Like the Sunshine
Genre: psychedelic/hip-hop/experimental

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The Gaslamp Killer

Every time I sit down to listen to this guy, I'm always blown the fuck away and it draws me in with the infectious and psychedelic drenched beats that this man so perfectly crafts.  His music has an undeniable nostalgic presence to it that will leave anyone who wants some modern experimental hip-hop like Flying Lotus but wants to delve in the warmth of yesteryear's sound, The Gaslamp Killer would be absolutely perfect.

PS:  Some of his material is in the form of one long song, like I Spit on Your Grave, but those are the best ones because you simply get lost in his manic creativity finding yourself in soundscapes you'd never expect to hear.  Download this fucker now.

 Artist: The Gaslamp Killer

Album: I Spit on Your Grave EP

Song: Shattering Inner Journeys

Genre: psychedelic/hip-hop/dub/experimental

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Suuns

Suuns are a great band, and I'm having a difficult time being able to describe them, which in its self has me knowing this band is special.  They sort of sound like Liars, but more upbeat and accessible.  The song '2020' was used to advertise Only God Forgives, the next film from the director of Drive, who has a cool atmospheric and experimental tone to his films which is why it fits perfectly.

Artist: Suuns
Album: Images Du Futur
Song: Edie's Dream
Genre: Experimental indie/psychedelic/art rock

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Bardo Pond

Psychedelia has always been a huge interest of mine; its flows freely without feeling the need to conform to societies standards, echoing the revolution our elders started with the hippie movement.  Bardo Pond is a Philadelphia psychedelic space rock band that has a sound similar to Pink Floyd but soaked in acid with a post rock/"acid rock"/noise sound that is endlessly entertaining, much like their discography.  This band is perfect to throw on when your mind is a million miles away.

Artist: Bardo Pond

Album: Amanita

Song: Limerick

Genre: Psychedelic rock/jam/noise

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Minsk

I recently realized that pretty much all the metal I’ve been listening to is either rooted in death metal, grindcore, and/or hardcore, which I absolutely love, but I’ve been yearning for metal that you can get lost in like post-rock and psychedelic influenced music.  That’s why I’ve delved into the post-metal, progressive and sludge scenes (which often overlap) finding some absolutely beautiful bands new and older bands I’ve forgotten about.  Minsk is pretty much exactly what I’ve been looking for.  A lot of great elements can be found in their songs; the use of tribal percussion which is always a draw for me,  hazy, psychedelic riffs that have you drift through the songs, and sludgetastic heaviness breaking in leaving you pretty damn fulfilled music wise. In other terms, its like Tool and Neurosis banged under the mescaline sun.   

Artist: Minsk

Album: The Ritual Fires of Abandonment

Song: Embers

Genre: post-metal/progressive/psychedelic

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Shabazz Palaces

Truely a unique and mindbending rap experience.  They have more of a modern sound, but the lyricist/vocalist Ishmael Butler is actually from an early 90's rap group, Digable Planets, and the percussionist uses instrumentation from Zimbabwe.  The outcome is an intelligent, trippy album that you can't help but get lost in.

Artist:   Shabazz Palaces

Album: Black Up

Song:   An echo from the hosts that profess infinitum 

Genre: Rap; Hip-Hop; Psychedelic

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Holiday Shores

One of those bands that has a name totally appropriate for their delivered sound.  Holiday Shores is a hazy walk on the beach with nostalgia in mind teetering on dream territories.

Artist: Holiday Shores
Song: Airglow
Album: New Masses for Squaw Peak
Genre: dream pop/psychedelic/indie

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Body Cheetah

Hip-hop, indie, r&b, and psychedelia you say?  Body Cheetah is far to unique and badass to ignore; this guy is going places.

Artist: Body Cheetah
Song: Psychoswagger
Album: Blonde Bitches Ain't Free
Genre: experimental/hip-hop/indie

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Hello Ocho

I don't quite know how to describe Hello Ocho.  Its psychedelic, popy, experimental, folky, post-rock like but yet not.

Artist: Hello Ocho

Album: Hello Ocho

Song: Party on a Raincloud

Genre: psychedelic/experimental/folk

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The December Sound

Another band who has a perfectly fitting name; even the album cover captures their sound.  They certainly don't have a July type of sound.  Its spacey, droning, bleak but yet beautiful.  Truly an enchanting experience.

Artist: The December Sound

Album: The December Sound

Song: Never

Genre: shoegaze/psychedelic

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Matthewdavid

Matthewdavid produces a special kind of hip-hop that seems to flow from and within the third eye.  His songs vary from bass heavy, bounceable tracks to completely mind-fucked ambient pieces, all seem heavily influenced from the psychonaut world.

Artist: Matthewdavid

Song: Know You're Not Alone

Genre: psychedelic hip-hop/ambient

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LSD and the Search for God

Seriously, how sweet is that name?  Their name lives up to the sound they deliver;  an acid soaked shoegaze album that is insanely dreamy and makes your mind float away in complete bliss. A lot of it has to do with the reverb/distortion they use with the guitar.  Perfect little EP to dream away to.

Artist: LSD and the Search for God

Album: LSD and the Search for God

Song: Backwards

Genre: Psychedelic Shoegaze/Dream Pop

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Candy Claws

This band has a sound to them that is absolutely beautiful.  They kind of remind me of The Ruby Suns since they have this nostalgic sound reminiscent of The Beach Boys, but they take this and turn it into a dreamy, uplifting sound which is always leaving me in a joyous state.

Artist: Candy Claws

Album: Hidden Lands

Song: Sunbeam Show

Genre: dream pop/psychedelic indie

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