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The Doors Check Into the 'Morrison Hotel'

Fifty years after its original release, the Doors' Morrison Hotel is reissued as a two-CD /one-vinyl set that includes 19 bonus cuts.

                                      
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PopMatters is moving to WordPress. We will publish a few essays daily while we develop the new site. We hope the beta will be up sometime late next week.

Fifty years after its original release, the Doors' Morrison Hotel is reissued as a two-CD /one-vinyl set that includes 19 bonus cuts.

Vancouver's Yukon Blonde embrace psychedelia and blissed-out grooves on their latest single, "You Were Mine". The band continue to innovate their sound with upcoming LP, Vindicator.

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Hawkwind's 1970 debut opened the door to rock's collective sonic possibilities, something that connected them tenuously to punk, dance, metal, and noise.

Australian rockers Datura4 take inspiration from the never-ending coastal landscape of their home country to deliver a well-grounded album between blues, hard rock, and psychedelia.

Acclaimed guitarist and composer Gregory Uhlmann charms and confounds with his gorgeous, layered sophomore solo album, Neighborhood Watch.

In honor of the band with the most U.F.O.s and robots, here are the ten best Flaming Lips songs based on all things science fiction. The psychedelic band's new LP, American Head, releases this September.

Before you slip into unconsciousness, Counterbalance has put together a few thoughts on the Doors' 1967 debut album. It's number 24 on the Big List.

Eclectic Texas band, the Texas Gentlemen return with a vibrant, imaginative LP that resists musical boundaries. Hear their latest epic single, "Last Call".

With Welcome to Bobby's Motel, Pottery have crafted songs to cleanse your musical pallet and keep you firmly on the tips of your toes.

“Have you ever been to Electric Ladyland?" Counterbalance's Eric Klinger and Jason Mendelsohn have, and they file this report.

Experimental Taiwanese group Mong Tong draw on mysticism and arcade games for their darkly psychedelic debut album Mystery.

Brown Acid: The Tenth Trip features some of the most obscure sides on the planet, including this 1969 blues-based ripper that imagines what Motörhead might have sounded like as the house band at a Toledo Holiday Inn.

Jack White/Luther Dickinson collaborator, JD Simo delivers the trippy, soulful, and emotional "One of Those Days" about the importance of perseverance.

Australia's Datura4 deliver a highway anthem for a new generation with "West Coast Highway Cosmic". Take a trip without leaving the couch.

The Universe Inside isn't a typical Dream Syndicate album. The verse/chorus structure has been neatly sidestepped in favor of a free-wheeling, improvised, truly experimental approach, and it's marvelous.

The Brazilian Gentleman's "Armageddon" is a psychedelic part of a concept album about beloved New Jersey shoegaze collective All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors.

Before Jimi Hendrix, face-melting guitar solos were all too rare. His 1967 debut album Are You Experienced? blew the lid off the unmelted face market and rock was never the same.

Vermont jamrockers Phish speed the timeline to deliver their cathartic new album, Sigma Oasis, that foreshadows the chaos of 2020.

On their inspiring second album, Ohms, Arizona avant-garde collective Trees Speak invoke the best of expansive electronica through motorik repetitions across a sprawling masterwork.

The Dream Syndicate were at the forefront of the Paisley Underground, but they continue to thrive and evolve nearly 40 years into their career. Co-founder Steve Wynn shares his thoughts (and enthusiasm) on this evolution. Meanwhile, hear the new track "The Longing".

Former Jellyfish members combine forces as the Lickerish Quartet for a collection of imaginative songs influenced by one of rock's most creatively fertile eras. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. discusses the group's origins and debut track, "Lighthouse Spaceship."

"Freaks", the latest single from psych-popsters, Once & Future Band, is a triumphant blend of mesmeric harmonies and vibrant celebration.

Number five on the list is practically synonymous with Great Artistic Statements. But was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band really the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper"? A splendid time is guaranteed for all as Counterbalance figures it out.

The Velvet Underground & Nico's self-titled debut album started as all hype thanks to Andy Warhol, but it somehow managed to become one of the most influential records of all time. Has this record outlasted its 15 minutes of fame? Peel slowly and see.

Texas artists Leon Bridges and Khruangbin create some mellow, cosmic soul on a delightful EP that shows off their respective strengths.

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The Slow Rush is another masterpiece for Tame Impala, cover-to-cover. You know it's the band the instant the music begins, and yet the album feels both new and necessary.

Black Lips concoct a lustful mix of cocaine country, psych stomp, and honky-tonk fire and brimstone on Sing in a World That's Falling Apart.

Austin psychedelic rock band, the Cuckoos release their debut LP I Hate Love on 24 January following a series of well-regarded 2019 singles. Hear it in full now.

A Marco Benevento concert feels like going through a cosmic wormhole to a groovy land of enchantment that blends a retro foundation with a futuristic funk.

The Doors' fourth album was a deeply polarizing work and perhaps their most difficult to love. But the 50th anniversary deluxe edition goes a long way in spotlighting its many highlights.

Jam rock quartet Circles Around the Sun carry on after the shocking suicide of founding guitarist Neal Casal and deliver an uplifting show of healing transcendence.

Five decades into their career, Los Wembler's de Iquitos are still in full force on new psychedelic cumbia album, Visión del Ayahuasca.

The nostalgia circuit will have to wait a while. Hawkwind have just released an album that borrows from the 1970s, but still sounds relevant in 2019.

Twenty years later, Guerrilla remains a self-contained joy and a great example of how unique, self-assured, and mature yet silly Super Furry Animals were at the turn of the century.

Spaceface, led by Jake Ingalls of the Flaming Lips, release a video for their new single "Panoramic View", and it's a trippy visual treat for a song with serious overtones.

The Doors' fourth album was a deeply polarizing work and perhaps their most difficult to love. But the 50^th anniversary deluxe edition goes a long way in spotlighting its many highlights.