Psychedelic Rock Makes a Comeback...
Where is psychedelic rock today?
In the 1960s and 70s, the idea of counter culture as a mainstream youth movement was relatively short lived. As it made major head way along side various subcultures such as drug culture and the hippie movement, or the black panther movement, at the close of the 60s, the general public’s ideologies shifted to align more with self absorbed lifestyles as we arrived in the 70s. The counterculture movement was essentially the rejection of conservative ideals, which consisted of materialistic tendencies influenced by consumerism and mass production of goods, Christianity and war. Members of this movement were predominantly young and fought for an over arching goal of peace and love, through methods such as protests against war, grass roots activism and clean living.
However, are countercultural elements still relevant in present day?
We think of counterculture as holding an image in conjunction with 1960s hippies although generally, counterculture is a broad term. Merriam-Webster defines counterculture as, “a culture with values and mores that run counter to those of established society,” thus giving an even broader sense to the word. Throughout history, counterculture has shifted by the decade. For example, the punk movement arising in the 70s could have been seen as counterculture, as they rejected most of what society offered as “normal”. Today, in 2019, counterculture differs greatly from its conceptual 1960s image. A more realistic interpretation of counterculture may lie in radical conservatism, where fewer and fewer people align with such beliefs, and instead strive for a more inclusive attitude.
So, does psychedelic rock exist in the realm of counterculture as it did in the past?
Modern re-emergences of psychedelic rock, in artists such as King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and Tame Impala, can be viewed as mutually exclusive from counterculture. Where they share a similar goal to create illustrations parallel to altered states of the mind through drugs, these psych rock bands touch on a myriad of topics. The vivid imagery painted instrumentally and metaphorically throughout albums such as The Flaming Lips, Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, addresses underlying themes of love, and loss through death and love. Various themes aside from drug use, are apparent in modern psych rock; feelings of isolation, reflection of self and one’s environment, fulfillment of life and lust for energy and identity are encompassed in this new wave of psychedelia.
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"But it's not a surface culture of trippy hippies with flowers in their hair spreading the message of peace and love like we saw in 1967; it's about pockets of activity in every country, micro-scenes with a shared consciousness making contact via the web."
The Guardian (2013)
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"Influenced by classic recordings from Pink Floyd, the Grateful Dead, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix and the Jefferson Airplane, it draws from the stylings of blues, folk, soul, and punk to generate a new sonic revolution. In the 21st century, the magical mystery tour rolls on"
- The Bottom Line (2013)
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"In the 21st century, ‘Neo-hippies’-the descendants of 1960s hippies, introduced new forms of arts and music still following the phenomenon of counterculture."
- The Medium (2018)
As psych rock becomes more visible, psychedelic influences appear in various surrounding sub genres, including electronica, surf and garage rock and dream pop. Whether for the hopes of reliving nostalgic moments, or fulfilling an urge to transport oneself into a different realm, the new wave of psychedelic rocks seems to attract a wider audience than ever before. Maybe, its here to stay.