Best Of 2019 Psychedelic Experimental Folk
Best of 2019 Psychedelic and experimental folk music. Below are amazing albums with all manner of folk inspired music that for some reason feels very psychedelic retro or futurists. This is music that doesn’t make it on the blog because its too gentle or not really on brand but 2019 was amazing for music.
1. Shawna Cleveland – Night Of The Worm (Seattle, Washington Hardly Art Records)
Shana Cleveland Night Of The Worm Moon
Shana Cleveland of La Luz turns has released a magical solo album Night Of The Worm Moon with rich compositions and masterful acoustic guitar playing. The music is folk rock with inspiration from the American Primitive guitar school of the 1960’s and 70’s with her impressive finger picking and unusual twists and turns. The songs are quite gentle yet captivating and well written. The arrangements are tops with beautiful guitar playing and backing arrangements with keyboards, organ, drums, bass subtley layered.
2. Steve Gunn The Unseen In Between (Philadelphia Matador)
Steve Gunn is an innovative guitarist and stellar songwriter. His folk rock style has some psychedelic haze and weird folk leanings which are very on point. His guitar playing is wonderful!
3. Mariee Sioux – Grief In Exile (California, Night Bloom Records)
Mariee Sioux Grief In Exile is a beautiful folk album with lyrics that run deep. The finger picked guitar the soft pianos and her unique and wonderful voice make this an amazing album. Mariee Sioux makes music that is both lyrical, insightful, spiritual with deep waters of meaning.
4. Droneflower Marissa Nadler & Stephen Brodsky (USA Sacred Bones)
Marissa Nadler & Stephen Brodsky create a wonderful album of dark experimental folk music with plenty of electric instruments to create atmosphere and fuzz. Marissa Nadler is one of the most wonderful singer songwriters out there today with her dark Gothic ballads and impressive chops. Her voice is so beautiful that you could cry.
5. Jessica Pratt – Quite Signs (USA, Mexican Summer)
Jessica Pratt Quite Signs is classic 1960’s style psychedelic folk. Her voice whispered and confident the production and writing create a retro vibe that is so close to the underground releases of the 1960’s that you can taste it. The music is highly original and is another usually inspired folk album.
6. Cate la Bon – Reward (Australia, Flightless)
Cate Le Bon is breaking the mold as an emerging indie artist from Australia on Flightless records owned by the guys in King Gizzard. She displays excellent songwriting with diverse arrangements, a retro vibe and charm. Her distinctive voice is warm, clear and expressive, the songs have great lyrics and inspire deep feels. This one is off brand for the blog but its my party.
7. Allah-Lahs – Lahs (LA California Mexican Summer)
Allah Las LAHS is a sun bleached postcard with classic retro tones, satisfying layered arrangements, catchy vocals and dreamy ocean waves of sunshine daydreams. Filled with songwriting talent on full display with pop songs, and soundtrack pieces and influences from every era of surfy laid-back rock. The music creates a visual experience of palms blowing in the sunny beaches.
8. Swans – Leaving Meaning (New York, Young God Records)
Swans Leaving Meaning is Micheal Gira‘s most accessible album in many years. The layers of instrumentation create a glorious sound beautifully highlighting the dark folk with its Gothic poetry. The dark folk foundation is a table to lay bare the shadows and ecstatic lights of the soul. Dark deep and trippy to dig into your subconscious.
9. Mother Nature How To Live (USA, Bella Union)
Mother Nature How To Live features members of Beak, Ultimate Painting and Woods. Acoustic and electronic instruments blend with beautiful results.
10. Dire Wolves – Grow Towards The Light (San Francisco, California / Beyond Beyond Is Beyond Records)
Dire Wolves getting weird and experimental with Growing Towards The Light.
11. King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard – Fishing For Fishies (Australia, Flightless Records)
King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard Fishing For Fishes is a down to earth folksie album from this ripping band.
12. Mary Lattimore and Ornament – Live In The Rain From The Russian Woods (Three Lobe Recordings)
Mary Lattimore and Ornament is ambient with echoing harp and forest pastures. This one is experiential yet calming.
13. Abronia – The Whole Of Each Eye (Portland Oregon USA, Cardinal Fuzz (UK) / Feeding Tube Records)
Abronia The Whole Of Each Eye is a trippy gypsy-desert-rock experience with female vocals and warpped instrumentation. The spacious arrangements have an array of electrified instruments and traditional acoustic folk instruments. Many songs sound like pagan hymns of old but with a strong dose of distorted rock with progressive rock drama.
14. Lamp Of The Universe (New Zealand, Sulatron Records Germany)
Lamp of the Universe is a space rock band with acid folk roots from New Zealand. This album is excellent with an expansive vision and unique sound that’s as much acid folk as it is space rock.
15. Avey Tare Cows On Hourglass Pond ( USA, Domino)
16. Ka Baird – Respires (USA, RVNG Intl.)
Ka Baird Respires is experimental and wonderfully unique.
Thank you so much and yes we do all need psychedelic rock acid folk music in 2021 we need more hippies in our world. Peace n love brother.
Very informative!!! Thanks my friend, can’t wait wait until the next one!!! Much love from dmtworld.net!!!