Can't Stop, Won't Stop... Australia's Psych-Rock Revival is Here to Stay
Our Aussie friends are quickly laying claim to being the undisputed nerve center of psychedelic music these days. With countless new artists pushing boundaries and melting faces, there is no choice left but to jump on the bandwagon. It's almost unfair to call the onslaught of mind-expanding rock exploding from Down Under a revival, as it never truly died - it's more like the doors to the rest of the world have been kicked wide open. And oh how lucky we are. Not since the 70s can I think of a more fruitful decade for the genre.
King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
Much of this can be credited to Kevin Parker, the Perth brainchild behind Tame Impala. Since 2010, he has been putting out one critically acclaimed album after the other, paving the way for emerging bands from all corners of the country to have their shot. And with groups like King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard, Pond and Methyl Ethel releasing LPs at a legendary clip, fans are eating up every bit of it. The Giz, for instance, already have nine studio albums in five years under their belt, and with four more slated for 2017, they are showing no signs of slowing down or losing creativity - their most recent release had the group only using microtonal instruments.
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets
In addition to the fortunate few that have become household names, relatively speaking, there are plenty of worthy Aussies ready to export their fuzzy guitar riffs to the masses. Of the many bands that fit the criteria, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets — best (or worst) band name ever — could be the next in line. Their debut, High Visceral {Part 1}, has all the elements of a great psych album - haphazard flow, irregular rhythm section, spacious tangents and unexpected turns. You can check it out on their Bandcamp page, along with a couple vinyl options if you like what you hear. But don't hesitate too long, because the first pressing already sold out and the second only has a handful remaining. I can't wait for "Part Two."
A somewhat surprising and admirable quality of all these bands is how tight-knit they seem to be. Most of them have either toured together or had interchangeable members. What once started as a bunch of mates jamming in Perth and Melbourne, quickly turned into a melting pot of ideas and sounds that produced psych-rock magic. But don't call what's going on out there a psych scene, as Kevin Parker told The Guardian:
"I don't think there is. We've got our friends in Perth, like all the guys from Pond. We’ve all lived together at some point, a circle of friends of maybe 10 or 15 people. And you know what, Jay [Watson, of Tame Impala, Pond and Gum] lived with the guys from King Gizzard when he was in Melbourne and they’ve got their own thing as well. I think our kind of clans merged for a little there.”
Now we can only hope that more of the lesser-known acts make a splash on the international stage so we don't have to travel across the Pacific to catch them live. And given the rise of Tame Impala and King Gizzard, bands like Lowtide, The Babe Rainbow, Orb and Parading shouldn't be too far behind.
