No Sex Please, We’re British: Coil’s Subversively Overt Homosexuality
Homosexuality drove experimental band Coil’s creativity, yet they rejected the demand that they either embrace performative homosexuality or remain discreet and closeted.
psychedelia
The Beatles’ ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ Outraged the Adults But Turned on the Kids
Magical Mystery Tour was an innovative hybrid if never quite adequately realized. As a chapter in the life of the Beatles, it continues to exert fascination.
When a Concept Became a Problem: Reconsidering the Beatles’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’
Humdrum, high and low, the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sounds like a swirling, strident loss of pre-modern innocence.
The First Step in a Long Strange Trip: ‘The Grateful Dead’ at 55
More than 50 years since the Grateful Dead’s debut, how is it imaginable that they are still touring and the “jam band” scene has mushroomed? This is where it started.
Luísa e os Alquimistas’ ‘Gang da Leoa (Vol. 1)’ Is a Brega Psychedelia Party
Inspired by hippie culture, psychedelic art, brega music, and Latin cultures, Luísa e os Alquimistas’ act is a complicated and brilliant promise of Brazilian pop.
Los Bitchos Are Ready to ‘Let the Festivities Begin’!
Los Bitchos brings together four women from different countries who create instrumental rock with a global vibe on Let the Festivities Begin!
Todd Rundgren’s 50-Year-Old ‘Something/Anything?’ Is a Paean to the Possibilities of the Studio
Todd Rundgren’s Something/Anything? showcases all of his myriad strengths. It houses his best pop songs, best rock track, and stylings peppered with peculiarities.
How the Beach Boys Went Political in the Early ’70s
For a brief period in the early ’70s, the Beach Boys went political and gained relevance in the tumult of the “Me Decade”. If only it had lasted.
Khruangbin Go All-Out Summer with New Dub Mix, ‘Hasta El Cielo’
If Khruangbin's Con Todo El Mundo was a sweltering Texas night drive, then Hasta El Cielo is a beachfront sunset. No longer on the attack, Khruangbin relax at last.
Poppies: Assorted Finery from the First Psychedelic Age
Poppies is a journey through the outer reaches of obscure but brilliant psychedelic songs on this wonderfully crafted compilation from Craft Recordings.
Brits in Hot Weather #15
This time we have shadowy, soulful house with a UK garage twist in the form of Quiet Man X Joy Anonymous, stuttering funk from Skinny Pelembe, downtempo synthpop from CC Honeymoon, fiery punk 'n' roll from Eyesore & the Jinx, and glam-infused psychedelia from Benedict Benjamin.
Strange Vistas from the Occultism of Coil and Psychic TV
Psychic TV and Coil were vanguard bands that blended ritual magick and creative method. But even their esoteric beliefs bore scant resemblance. This is a split that runs deep.
