Top Psychedelic Rock Bands of 2014

Here are my top picks for the best psychedelic rock bands of 2014. These groups have all released great music this year and continue to push the boundaries of the genre.

The Psychedelic Furs

The Psychedelic Furs are an English rock band founded in 1977 by brothers Richard and Tim Butler. The band’s music reflects British post-punk and new wave influences such as David Bowie, as well as the Velvet Underground.

The Psychedelic Furs’ 1980 debut album, The Psychedelic Furs, was released to critical acclaim and was a commercial success, thanks in part to the popularity of its lead single, “Pretty in Pink.” The follow-up album, 1981’s Talk Talk Talk, continued the band’s success in both the UK and US; its lead single, “Love My Way,” became another Top 40 hit.

The band’s next two albums--1982’s Forever Now and 1984’s Mirror Moves--were also successful, with the latter yielding the single “Here Come Cowboys,” which became a minor hit in the US. ThePsychedelic Furs went on hiatus in 1991 but re-formed in 2000; since then, they have released three more studio albums--2001’s Beautiful Chaos: Greatest Hits Live, 2002’s Moscow and recently released 2013 studio album Message of Love.

The Psychedelic Furs are currently scheduled to embark on a North American tour this summer in support of Message of Love.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre

The Brian Jonestown Massacre is an American musical project and band led by Anton Newcombe. It was formed in San Francisco in 1990. The group was the subject of the 2004 documentary film Dig!, directed by Ondi Timoner, which chronicles their long and tumultuous history. The collective has released seventeen albums, five compilation albums, five live albums, thirteen singles, ten various-artist compilation albums and two various-artist video albums.

The Brian Jonestown Massacre is Newcombe’s main recording vehicle and for several years featured his wife Miranda Lee Richards as a contributing vocalist and songwriter. Since 2006, Newcombe has recorded with a rotating lineup of musicians under the name Anton Newcombe & The Brian Jonestown Massacre; this discography includes only those releases credited to The Brian Jonestown Massacre.

The Dandy Warhols

The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994. The band was founded by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmstrom, with drummer Eric Hedford joining them soon afterwards. The Dandy Warhols became one of the first groups signed to Capitol Records’ newly formed label imprint Planet Records in 1995. They later released their major label album debut, …The Dandy Warhols Come Down, in 1997.

The band’s fourth album, Thirteen Tales from Urban Bohemia (2000), released to wide critical acclaim, featured the singles “Get Off” and “Bohemian Like You”, which achieved considerable popularity thanks to a Vodafone advertisement campaign in the UK. In 2003, the band qualified for the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s most bootlegged band of all time.

After a brief hiatus following the conclusion of touring for their 2006 album Odditorium or Warlords of Mars—during which time Taylor-Taylor focused on his side project Dumb Numbers with Holmstrom and various artists—the Dandy Warhols announced their ninth studio album This Machine in early 2012. It was released on April 24 in Europe and May 8 in North America via ArtStar records—the first release on Taylor-Taylor’s new record label. On August 7, 2012, The Dandy Warhols performed “Do You Love Me Like I Love You (Pt. 1 & 2)” on Late Show with David Letterman to promote This Machine.

The Flaming Lips

The Flaming Lips are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The group recorded several albums and EPs on an indie label, Restless, in the 1980s and early 1990s. After signing to Warner Brothers, they released their first record with Warner, Hit to Death in the Future Head. They became one of the most acclaimed and experimental acts of the 1990s, crafting distinctive sounds built on layered arrangements of guitars, keyboards and drums supporting vocal harmonies by lead singer Wayne Coyne and bassist Michael Ivins. With a more polished sound they achieved commercial success with their fourth album The Soft Bulletin which included four singles that reached the top 25 of the Billboard Modern Rock chart.

After European festivals and headlining tours in support of The Soft Bulletin, The Flaming Lips released Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots in 2002. The album was another critical and commercial success featuring three hit singles and winning a Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In late 2009, they released their second collaboration with Johnson Embryonic. Wayne Coyne has said that one of his favorite moments during live shows is watching people crowd surf while “Waiting for Superman” is playing.

The Black Angels

The Black Angels are an American psychedelic rock band from Austin, Texas. Formed in 2004, the band has released five studio albums and one live album. Their name is derived from the Velvet Underground song “The Black Angel’s Death Song”. They have been categorized as neo-psychedelia, garage rock, and chillwave. The Black Angels are managed by Alex Maas’ mother, Nicole Maas.