The Ecstastic Delights of Neo-Psychedelia
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The Ecstastic Delights of Neo-Psychedelia

How one genre shows the inventive capabilities of music.

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The Ecstastic Delights of Neo-Psychedelia
The Flaming Lips

As a lover of music, I expose myself to various genres every day. Always ready for whatever graces my ears as I put in my headphones, I embark on auditory adventures frequently. Websites such as Rate Your Music and YouTube are vast databases that expand my love for music every day, and visiting those places leads me to new areas of exploration. Music induces pleasure into my ears, and it brings color into the occasional drudgery of life. I can envelop myself in wonderful styles of music, and one genre that emphasizes the delights of music is neo-psychedelia.

The genre has a fascinating history to it. Originating in the late 1970s and early 1980s, neo-psychedelia was initially performed by artists such as The Soft Boys and The Dream Syndicate. Post-punk artists such as Echo and The Bunnymen and Siouxsie and The Banshees dabbled with neo-psychedelia as well, and the genre continued with the droning soundscapes of Spacemen 3. The 1990s saw significant developments in the style, as it included the upbeat psychedelia of The Flaming Lips and the mystical introspection of Spiritualized. Artists such as the Olivia Tremor Control and Boredoms portrayed avant-garde variants of neo-psychedelia, and the 21st century saw the rise of Animal Collective and Tame Impala.

Innovation jumps out of neo-psychedelia in so many ways. Updating what psychedelic artists such as The Beatles and The Jimi Hendrix Experience did in the 1960s, neo-psychedelia pushes the boundaries of music in a highly inventive manner. In addition to playing bizarre versions of rock and folk, neo-psychedelia is prone to uncanny sound effects and explosive voyages of elation. The genre has a strong emphasis on enveloping the listener in a magical world, and its experimentation frequently breaks conventional rules of music. Neo-psychedelia can have sunny harmonies with bright melodies, or it can be a vast expanse into the realm of the unknown. The genre has a wide amount of paths that it can take, and the possibilities that it offers leads to an endlessly entertaining style.

Neo-psychedelia also demonstrates the visual aspects of music. Its impossibly detailed compositions combine cinematic ambitions with studio trickery, and the emphasis on texture turns it into a painting that I can visualize with my mind. I witness regular instruments become befuddling sketches, and disorienting images are conjured as I am exposed to kaleidoscopic details. I can see how musicians turn neo-psychedelia into a movement that juxtaposes sound with art, and my imagination is dazzled by the genre's exuberance. Neo-psychedelia is essential for creating images with audio, and I can connect completely different fields with the genre.

Overall, neo-psychedelia is a wonderful addition to a music lover's collection. The genre began in the 1980s with bands such as The Dream Syndicate and Spacemen 3, and its progression in other decades split off with a potpourri of bands. Neo-psychedelia expands upon 1960s psychedelic music with a variety of unique directions, and it plays with what music can sound like. The genre connects music to art as well, as its bewildering content lets me form ingenious pictures in my mind. Neo-psychedelia is an amazing genre of music, and it never fails to blow me away.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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