sleepy jack

aka Freak Folk aka Acid-Folk, coolest genre names ever right?

Psych-folk roots are in folk rock bands like The Pentangle and the Fairport Convention but the genre more fell into its own in the 1970s with artists like Syd Barrett and Vashti Bunyan. Like folk Psych-folk is mostly acoustic based but often incorporates woodwinds, chanting and of course psychedelic rock influences but in a much more atmospheric manner.

In the early 90s hints of a psych-folk revival were beginning to occur mostly with Elephant Six and Neutral Milk Hotel. By the 2000s it was slowly building to a full-fledged movement dubbed "New Weird America" with artists like Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart, CocoRosie, Animal Collective, Six Organs of Admittance and it continues to grow. Even former ambient band Sigur Ros have gone that way with their new single (which is excellent by the way) Gobbledigook.

Early psych-folk suggestions:
Syd Barrett "The Madcap Laughs"
Vashti Bunyan "Just Another Diamond Day"
Linda Perhacs "Parallelograms"
Syd Barrett "Barrett"

Later psych-folk suggestions:
Neutral Milk Hotel "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea"
Joanna Newsom "Ys"
Six Organs of Admittance "Dark Noontide"
Panda Bear "Young Prayer"
Devendra Banhart "Cripple Crow"

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