Neo-psychedelia

Psychedelic rock declined towards the beginning of the 1970s, as bands broke up or moved into new forms of music, including heavy metal music and progressive rock.[11] Like the psychedelic developments of the late 1960s, punk rock and new wave in the 1970s challenged the rock music establishment.[12] At the time, "new wave" was a term used interchangeably with the nascent punk rock explosion.[13] In 1978, journalist Greg Shaw categorized a subset of new wave music as "neo-psychedelia", citing Devo, "to an extent ... [its] first major indication ... [they are] the new darling of the new wave press and opinion-makers, yet nothing about it is remotely 'punk'".[2] Shaw wrote that in England, neo-psychedelia was known as "acid punk", noting "self-advertised 'psychedelic punk' band, the Soft Boys, [are] being hotly pursued by several major labels."[2][nb 1]

By 1978–79, new wave was considered independent from punk and post-punk (the latter was initially known as "new musick").[16][nb 2] Author Clinton Heylin marks the second half of year 1977 and the first half of year 1978 as the "true starting-point for English post-punk".[18][nb 3] Some of the scene's bands, including the Soft Boys, the Teardrop Explodes, and Echo & the Bunnymen, became major figures of neo-psychedelia.[1][nb 4] In the early 1980s, Siouxsie and the Banshees crafted a "exotic neo-psychedelic pop" with the arrival of guitarist John McGeoch.[21]

My Bloody Valentine performing in 2008

In the 1980s and 1990s there were occasional mainstream acts that dabbled in neo-psychedelia, including Prince's mid-1980s work and some of Lenny Kravitz's 1990s output, but neo-psychedelia has mainly been the domain of alternative and indie rock bands.[1] The early 1980s Paisley Underground movement followed neo-psychedelia.[1] Originating in Los Angeles, the movement saw a number of young bands who were influenced by the psychedelia of the late 1960s and all took different elements of it. The term "Paisley Underground" was later expanded to include others from outside the city.[22]

Madchester was a music and cultural scene that developed in the Manchester area of North West England in the late 1980s, in which artists merged alternative rock with acid house and dance culture as well as other sources, including psychedelia[23] and 1960s pop.[24] The label was popularised by the British music press in the early 1990s,[25] and its most famous groups include the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, the Charlatans and 808 State. The rave-influenced scene is widely seen as heavily influenced by drugs, especially ecstasy (MDMA). At that time, the Haçienda nightclub, co-owned by members of New Order, was a major catalyst for the distinctive musical ethos in the city that was called the Second Summer of Love.[26] Screamadelica is the third studio album by Scottish rock band Primal Scream released on 1991. The album marked a significant departure from the band's early indie rock sound, drawing inspiration from the blossoming house music scene and associated drugs such as LSD and MDMA. It won the first Mercury Music Prize in 1992,[27] and has sold over three million copies worldwide. Baggy was a British dance-oriented rock music genre popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The scene was heavily influenced by Madchester,[28] although it was not geographically confined to the city of Manchester. Many Madchester bands could also be described as baggy, and vice versa. Baggy was characterised by psychedelia and acid house-influenced guitar music, often with a "funky drummer" beat. The scene was named after the loose-fitting clothing worn by the bands and fans.

The late 1980s would see the birth of shoegazing, which, among other influences, took inspiration from 1960s psychedelia.[29] Reynolds referred to this movement as "a rash of blurry, neo-psychedelic bands" in a 1992 article in The Observer.[29] With loud walls of sound, where individual instruments and even vocals were often indistinguishable, they followed the neo-psychedelic lead of bands like My Bloody Valentine (often considered as the earliest shoegaze act).[30] Major shoegaze acts included Ride, Lush, Chapterhouse, Slowdive and The Boo Radleys, who enjoyed considerable attention in the UK but largely failed to break through in the US.[31]

The jam band movement, which began in the late 1980s, was influenced by the Grateful Dead's improvisational and psychedelic musical style.[32][33] The Vermont band Phish developed a sizable and devoted fan following during the 1990s, and were described as "heirs" to the Grateful Dead after the death of Jerry Garcia in 1995.[34][35]

The Stone Roses in concert in Milan in 2012.

AllMusic states: "Aside from the early-'80s Paisley Underground movement and the Elephant 6 collective of the late 1990s, most subsequent neo-psychedelia came from isolated eccentrics and revivalists, not cohesive scenes." They go on to cite what they consider some of the more prominent artists: the Church, Nick Saloman's Bevis Frond, Spacemen 3, Robyn Hitchcock, Mercury Rev, the Flaming Lips, and Super Furry Animals.[1] According to Treblezine's Jeff Telrich: "Primal Scream made [neo-psychedelia] dancefloor ready. The Flaming Lips and Spiritualized took it to orchestral realms. And Animal Collective—well, they kinda did their own thing."[5]

Emerging in the 1990s, stoner rock combined elements of psychedelic rock and doom metal. Typically using a slow-to-mid tempo and featuring low-tuned guitars in a bass-heavy sound,[36] with melodic vocals, and 'retro' production,[8]. The name references cannabis consumption. The term desert rock is often used interchangeably with the term "stoner rock" to describe this genre; however, not all stoner rock bands would fall under the descriptor of "desert rock".[37][38] Stoner rock is typically slow-to-mid tempo and features a heavily distorted, groove-laden bass-heavy sound,[39] melodic vocals, and "retro" production.[40] The genre emerged during the early 1990s and was pioneered foremost by Monster Magnet and the California bands Fu Manchu, Kyuss[41] and Sleep.[42][43] Due to the similarities between stoner and sludge metal, there is often a crossover between the two genres. This hybrid has traits of both styles,[44][45] but generally lacks stoner metal's laid back atmosphere and its usage of psychedelia. Bands such as Weedeater,[46] High on Fire[47][48] and Electric Wizard creatively fuse both styles.[49]

Modern festivals focusing on psychedelic music include Austin Psych Fest in Texas, founded in 2008[50] and Liverpool Psych Fest.[51]