Reviews (page 2 of 7)
Really weird!!! Wish there were more.
Excellent melodic folk rock not necessarily psychedelic.
I will say it again and it is common with this list:How on earth did i miss that one out?Beautiful phychedelia with electronic creativity,great guitars and fretless bass.Drums were exceptional as well.I also really loved the vocals in every song.So many influences are well combined here:Can,John Cage,Beatles,even some electronic Schultze ones at times. The songs now: The American Metaphysical Circus,experimental cacophony with a circus march on time intro,progresses with outworldly synth astral modulations and beautiful female vocals with a psychedelic rock carpet.The vocals modulate as well through vocoders. Hard Coming Love is an uptempo psychedelic rock with experiments in the guitars in frequencies that might annoy you,and when they do,female vocals comes in and the thing smoothes out.Synth usage here is sparse when needed,more like fxs/bridges. Cloud Song is a more electronic heavy song which is a bliss for me.The vocals here are heavenly.Violin and harp involved makes it float.One of my favourites.Bjork must have been influenced by this one for sure. The Garden Of Earthy Delights, is pure astral psychedelia.Everything works perfectly as a whole here.There is a structure and perfect vocals.Also favourite. In I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife For You,Sugar, i feel like it's a blues song made out of electronics and guitar parts of Can.Beatle-tastic vocals.Circus march at it's ending. Where Is Yesterday starts with heavy choir chanting,the choir harmonises -some guitar delays and feedbacks interfears at times-. Coming Down is a great song in a more experimental fashion with a lot of turns.Very interesting.Great drumming,bass and guitar here.Also a favourite. Love Song For The Dead Che, as communists, i guess this was their tribute.Some accordion involved.Beautiful song with more organic sounds.Beautiful,siren singing. Stranded Time feels like a Beatles song from the beginning.Great changes of tempos.short and sweet. The American Way Of Love: Part I- Metaphor For An Olderman/Part II- California Good-Time..nice American bar song that progresses exprerimentally after harsh guitar solos,comes back in a Beach Boys fashion and ends up again in a dynamic experimental fashion.So much going on in this one especially towards the end.Yep Circus closing again,some vocal repeating and Hollywood strings. Osamu's Birthday(alternate version) has some Chinese creepy notes and John Cage's kinda foley.Chinese fashioned percussion as well.Quite dark.There was no other original version in this album though. No Love To Give is an uptempo phychedelic number with great vocals.nice distant guitar solo ending up experimental.The drumming changed almost in a jungle tempo. I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife For You,Sugar(2),female vocals alternate version.Good but i prefer the first one. You Can Never Come Down,proper funky psychedelia.Great female vocals and catchy lyrics. Perry Pier,strong Beatles vibes here again but with female singing.Dreamy atmosphere.Organ really adds to that 60's phychedelia. Tailor Man,great song again,feels warm with great guitar playing ,a beautiful phychedelic distillment.The drums are also exceptional here.The female vocals -as always- great. Do You Follow Me,another great song,i'm really hooked by the lyrics and the singing.It has a nice dynamic without being loud nor experimental.Brilliant. The American Metaphysical Circus (Alternate Version),it's a darker,more experimental repetition,i prefer the first better.It kinda creeps you out a bit.This one and Osamu's Birthday were my least favourites. Mouse(The Garden Of Earthly Delights)is a bit more twisted than the first especially in refrain parts with vocoder delays.Again, i prefer the first version. Heresy(coming Down),is probably the alternate version of Coming Down.Again i prefer the first one. Overall is a fantastic album that i first discovered here,and as most people say at their ratings,too bad it was the only one from this band. 5/5
For anyone into experimental and 60s psychedelic music, this is definitely one of those top tier albums when it comes to forward thinking and innovation. While there are plenty of traditional instruments, the band really pushed the envelope by incorporating cutting edge electronic equipment like synthesizers and modulators. The production is where the real experimentation shines, with electronic effects, tape manipulation, layering, and anything else they could think of at the time.
10/10
You are directly immersed in a hippie haze, you hair are long, the substance you are inhaling is making you feel good, people lost appeal for clothes, social boundaries are melting, you sense a hint of future with these weird electronic sounds, you are a rebel without a cause and you like it
This is what I was hoping for when I signed up for this! I’ve never heard of this band before, never mind heard them. And they’re 100% right up my alley! Loving the early electronic stuff, the editing, the analog synths. I can hear the precursor of Stereolab in some songs, or Loose Fur, noise music. I can picture these guys in a university teaching my cohort how to program synths (that’s not a “dig”, it’s a good thing). Loved this one.
HOoooooOOOO weee my guy, now this is some fireeeeeeeee
1001 Albums Challenge (7/1001) 1. The American Metaphysical Circus (5/5) 2. Hard Coming Love (5/5) 3. Cloud Song (5/5) 4. The Garden of Earthly Delights (5/5) 5. I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar (5/5) 6. Where Is Yesterday (5/5) 7. Coming Down (5/5) 8. Love Song for the Dead Ché (5/5) 9. Stranded in Time (5/5) 10. The American Way of Love (5/5) Total (5/5)
Better than Coldplay
Loved the blend of sounds. Feels like the album tries to embody the “melting pot” motto with how many different tempos it combines
An album so of its own breed that you wonder how every album can’t be this kind of unique listening experience.
This is what Jefferson airplane thought they were doing 4.5*
Monumental trip (in a good way).
These guys can taste the snozzberries. They've caught the dragon. The Pink Elephant goes to these guys for his hookups. You think a simple 1 to 5 number scale would work for an album like this? They're so beyond numbers they CAN even.
The top top top tier of psych. Fuzzy, atmospheric, full of epic hooks and things to fire your imagination from any genre you can imagine and some that you can’t. It doesn’t get any better.
80/1089 - Kinda reminds me of Stereolab. Cool bass-lines, drum breaks, and chords and I thought the canon thing in the middle was quite unique. For sure has a dated sound with the primitive electronic instruments complimenting the 60s recording. I didn't really understand all the found sounds and calliopes but it didn't get too in the way of the psychedelic experiments.
Thought this was some folk-y rock album, forgot how wild and experimental this one is. Pretty ahead of it's time, right around the Velvets and the Doors releasing their first stuff. Heard it once before but it was really clicking this time, will have to go back soon as it definitely takes some listens to absorb it all.
That was super weird and I loved it. Finding out Byrd founded the Yankee Doodle Society has made it even better.
this one caught me off guard in the best possible way. The United States Of America is one of those albums where you sit there thinking, How the hell did this even come out in the '60s? It’s mad experimental, totally off its nut in places, but somehow everything comes together into this weirdly beautiful, psychedelic masterpiece. the creativity on this record is unreal. It’s absolutely loaded with experimental sounds, tape effects, weird synth textures, distorted electronics but it never feels like they’re throwing stuff in just for the sake of it. Every strange bleep and bloop has its place. It’s clever without being pretentious, and I love that. The vocals from Dorothy Moskowitz are lush, delicate but confident, dreamy but sharp. She really pulls you into that psychedelic haze and somehow makes all the weirdness feel approachable. The lyrics are poetic and trippy but not nonsensical, if that makes sense. They paint these surreal pictures that just fit with the soundscape perfectly. The instrumentation is also bang on. There’s no guitar, which is mental for a '60s psychedelic album, but they make up for it with all kinds of keyboards, electronics, and percussion. The bass work is dead clever too. It holds everything together amidst the chaos. The orchestral flourishes and jazz-inspired moments are lush and unexpected, adding so much colour to the whole thing. Production-wise, it’s proper forward-thinking. Everything feels layered and immersive. Even now, it sounds fresh, like something that could’ve dropped this year from some niche indie label. They were so ahead of their time. The only real downside is that some of the tracks get a little too experimental for their own good. There are moments where it teeters on becoming noise for the sake of noise, and if you’re not in the right mood, it can be a bit much. Also, because it’s so experimental, it’s not exactly something you can whack on at any moment, you need to want to listen and immerse yourself in it. But honestly, those are small complaints. I bloody love how ambitious this album is. It’s bold, weird, and wonderfully creative without losing focus. It’s genuinely impressive how they’ve crafted something so strange and made it so listenable. The textures, the experimentation, the lush vocals, the fearless production. it’s all top-notch. This album feels like discovering a secret little treasure chest. Every time I go back to it, I find something new. It’s playful, it’s inventive, and it’s one of those albums that reminds me why I love diving into music in the first place. 4.8/5 stars. Almost flawless, bold as hell, and completely unique. A proper psychedelic gem that still holds up decades later.
9/10 Prettyyyyy insane and lovely hidden gem from the 60s, Experimental Rock wasn’t as common place until the 70s and onwards so it’s pretty easy to miss the weirdo Rock albums from this era that weren’t Zappa, TVU, Beefheart, or some Beatles cuts. This is an essential for anyone looking for some early innovators in the genre, it still sounds fresh today, from the Electronic fusions and Sound Collage methods to the very progressive and outright radical songwriting topics, it’s pretty fucking sick for an album from 1968. It’s really neat to have a random collage of abrasive, psychedelic, experimental, and genuinely lovely songs all be on the same album, like I just fucking adore this record so much and it deserves so much more credit than it gets. Fuck tha brits, USA USA USA
Absolutely loved this - completely bonkers and chaotic, in the best way. This is what I love about this list: getting to hear new-to-me or neglected album. I was aware of this group but had never really listened to any of their work. The mood and style veers all over the place, but tracks like Coming Down and Cloud Song sound so of their time and somehow timeless too. I love Broadcast, and if you love them too, you'll probably know this album already. A masterpiece.
The fact that there are no guitars could be seen as a gimmick, but you just forget about it after like 10 seconds. It's a really fun and inventive psychedelic rock album.
The right type of Psychedelic rock. Honestly LOVED this album.
calling music "dreamlike" feels like even more disappointingly limited than it is in other mediums because it often just means something hazy and fuzzy and chill/pretty but this is a really, really vivid expression of music taking on a convincing Dream Logic...just structured enough to feel like its pulling from waking life, but floating and abstract enough to be slightly uncanny and enchanting and horrible and beautiful. just familiar enough but u subconsciously know not to prod it in a certain way and overstretch the limitations of the illusion, liking knowing what not to do in a janky video game to prevent it from bugging out. extremely extremely good and cool music, easy to remember for its cryptic qualities but i forgot how flowingly melodic it is as well! among adventurous american music from around this time, id say this is even more forward thinking and beyond its time than the likes of the velvet underground, or maybe any non-jazz music period!
This is completely bonkers, totally nuts and I absolutely love it! Sounds like it’s from the 60s but doesn’t if you get what I mean? Shame they only made the one album but what an album!
layers of sound, electronics, Beach Boys style harmonies, great variation and depth - a very entertaining and stimulating listen
Psychedelic, while short lived in terms of mainstream popularity, certainly was a trip when still relevant, and this album shows that to a T. Solid 5 Stars.
What an amazing surprise. I love weirdo music but never gave this a listen (the cover is familiar), and I'm only sad I've waited this long. Odd, but catchy and psychedelic in all the right ways, along with what sounds like krautrock, old times jazz and protopunk at times. Fucking brilliant.
I've heard this before and have to say this is right up my street. Absolutely bizarre, unsettling and a one-off. It's totally groundbreaking and experimental. I guess it had to be unique - nothing this weird would have lasted.
Off to a fucking excellent start with The American Metaphysical Circus. This plays with the same lopsided dourness as Portishead. The vocals keep pushing ahead as if they are being delivered through molasses with effects/distortion bleeding across periodically, while the instrumentals trudge around uncomfortably. Hard Coming Love opens on a tear with a tight-grooved instrumental and fuzzed out noise in the left monitor. The drum work is fantastic. Cloud Song floats at 30,000 feet where it should. The plucked strings make me think of the prettiness of some songs from Four Tet's later albums. When Is Yesterday is fucking great. Was loving it during the eerie opening, but when the drum kicks in it takes on a whole new life. This album is a trip in the best way possible. Perfect balance of experimental and boundary pushing, while retaining solid structures and elements of quality songwriting. I'm floored - 5 / 5
This album made me cry.
Fantastically trippy! Psychedelic but accessible. I loved this!
I have never heard of this audaciously-named band with only one album… so this was a real surprise. A completely crazy ride that I enjoyed from beginning to end! I kind of love it when an album becomes a sort of funhouse filled with surprises. And even better when done so well! Terrific!!!
I have no issue with stealing this much from The Beatles if you do it this well! Wonderful experimental psychedelic record.
this feels so far ahead of its time. innovative sounds, cool riffs, leftist politics, sign me up
This is awesome! I like that late 60s psychedelia vibe and this is an exceptional example - the electronics make a great addition to it, and certain chunks sound way ahead of their time. The closing minutes of "The American Way of Love" wouldn't seem out of place on a late 90s downtempo / turntablism type record, for example. Fave track - "Where is Yesterday" - I am a sucker for that sort of falling violin sound effect.
I can't believe I've never heard of this psychadelic gem!
The USA's only album simultaneously contributes innovations to American psychedelia and has the sweet and romantic qualities of the original Mersey beat.
I'd never heard of this, but really enjoyed it. It does sound like an insane clown is going to kill you, but there are some real nice songs on here and I'm a big fan of Psychedelia
Expected nothing but was impressed. It's so "60s" but at the same time. it's pretty experimental and ahead of it's time. Something like this could even be released nowadays as indie experimental project. 90/100!
Verrrrry cool
I'm always so disappointed when it says Psychedelic on the label and then it's just bluesy folksy pop-rock, but in bell-bottoms and someone may have had a joint. This here is the good shit. Yes. Bit cartoony at times, some tracks are like skits but I don't mind them in the flow of the album. Good one!
Thiis is The United States Of America's only album. After all these years, it is still receiving praise. It is sad that disagreements between band members, particularly leader Joseph Byrd and others, about the band's future direction led to a break-up shortly after the album's release. It is also said it had limited commercial success at its time. But the album has stood the test of time for its uniqueness, to which I attribute its enduring relevance and elevation to a cult classic status.
Very surprised to see this on the list. Some pretty deep psychedelia right here. Extremely ambitious for the time. I believe they did not use any electric guitars for this album (besides the bass). Lots of early electronic experimentation. Also a lot of experimentation with stereo separation. My vinyl copy is mono so I'll have to grab a stereo copy soon. I can't begin to image what this must've sounded like to listeners in 1968, cause it still sounds hella weird even today. But it's a good type of weird. Not like "wtf turn this off" weird but more like "what the hell is this, I'm intrigued" weird. Obviously had a huge influence on more modern psych acts such as The Flaming Lips. **Fun Fact** Mac Miller sampled the track "Coming Down" off this LP for the song "Smile Back".
Loved just about every track and even a lot of the bonus tracks were good. Very surprised by this one. Rating: 4.8
loooved
Foundational - influenced so many bands I love, and still sounds so fresh
I really liked this. Far out!
The chaos of this album is mesmerizing. The further I go, the better it gets.
Excellent and totally unpredictable. The array of sounds and inspirations from different musical traditions is insane and I'm here for it. I was just thinking all the time - what else can they to to surprise me?
Wonderfully eclectic. Another band I had never heard of til doing this. Another easy five stars.
When dealing with a psychedelic album, the potential to find oneself in the midst of a masterbatory jam fest that is trying just a little to hard to be weird is always high. This album, however, is an example of how fantastic this genre can be. It utilizes both the male and female voice in addition to early electronic music, classically influenced music, and even some polyphony. The result is a textured and beautiful masterpiece that never insists upon itself.
Another one that I had zero expectations for and ended up loving. Albums like that are why I’m liking 1001 so much.
Brilliant orchestral avant psych music that is uncompromising in its vision and still sounds fresh today.
Isä: Sinä et kai ole koskaan ajatellut, mitä isänmaa on? (Laskee kätensä poikansa olkapäälle.) Isänmaa on kaikki, mikä ympäröi sinua, kaikki, mikä on kasvattanut ja elättänyt sinua, kaikki, mitä olet rakastanut! Tämä pelto, jonka täällä näet, nämä talot, nämä puut, nämä nuoret pojat ja tytöt, jotka iloisina käyvät tietään, tässä on isänmaasi! Lait, jotka turvaavat sinua; leipä, jonka ansaitset työlläsi; sanat, joita vaihdat toisten kanssa; ilot ja surut, joita saat ihmisiltä, joitten keskuudessa elät ja olet, ovat isänmaatasi! Pieni huone, jossa äitisi ennen asui; muistot, jotka hän on jättänyt jälkeensä; maa, jossa hän lepää, on isänmaatasi! Sinä näet ja huomaat sen kaikkialla! Kuvittele mielessäsi, poikani, oikeutesi ja velvollisuutesi, taipumuksesi ja tarpeesi, muistosi ja kiitollisuutesi, ajattele kaikkea tätä yhdistettynä yhteen nimeen -- tämä nimi on: isänmaa! Poika: Ah, minä ymmärrän, se on suuri perhe, meidän suuri kotimme, se on se osa maailmaa, johon Jumala on kiinnittänyt ruumiimme ja sielumme! Isä: Poika, onko Ameriikan maata kuvaava albumi oikean kuvaava, jos näet ei se sisällään pidä asian toista luonnetta ja laitaa, vaan survoo sisälleen sen puolen joka ain nenäänsä nyrpistäen kapinoi, vaikkakin Kristuksen Jeesuksen valossa pysyy. Näet, nuorehko sukupolvi uusi ja syntynyt on. Pieni malli ihanne. Kaduilla ja teillä mellakassa ei vain näet isommalle poliisille pärjää. Poika: En käsitä. Isä: Where is yesterday echoes huuhtoutunut täältä albumista kuin maamme ensimmäiset kullankaivajat. Che, rakastaja kuin ranskan suuri lahjoitus New Yorkiin. Aikaanjääneet itku tarina... sitä et ymmärrä poika.. Kokonaisuudessaan albumi yhsitelmä electronicaa ja psykedeelistä. Albumi saatttaa kuullostaa leikittelyltä, ja vaikka ihmiskunta katsoo aina eteenpäin, kaipuu lisää, etsii uusia rajoja, vain murtaaksesi ne ymmärryksellä että tämä maailma on yksi, jossa me kaikki jaamme vastuun tietää, että Tänään tekemäsi päätökset vaikuttavat pysyvästi huomisen sukupolviin. Saattaa paine kasvaa liian suurikse, näet ei se aina ole helppoa.
So good. Ahead of their time.
What a crazy ride this record is! Psychedelic and weird at the same time
How had I never heard of this band or album before??
Weird.
A real trip. Not really into all the bonus tracks but the original album itself is brilliant
I didn't know the band. Pretty solid psychedelic rock. Not a single song I don't like.
Wow, a very interesting art pop electric inspired gem, a damn shame this project ended after one album.
So strange but also enticing. I added a few songs to a couple of playlists so I can remember to come back to this band. I enjoyed this quite a bit.
(Light 8/10) Overall really interesting and mind-expanding stuff from this one-off group from the late 60's. Definitely going to have to hear this one more down the line but I liked what I heard!!
Had a lot of fun listening to this. Sonically interesting psychedelia that definitely kept my attention.
Ibland är det ju härligt med lite 60-talskaos. En annan dag kanske det hade blivit ett lägre betyg, men idag passade det bra.
Totally bizarre and off the wall. One and done, you've got to respect that
A wild ride, but just the right amount of chaos to feel innovative. Has a bit of a rock opera vibe and I love it.
This album was a trip! I really enjoyed it. I've never heard of this band before but was sucked in front to back. Every song was so different as well! Big fan.
I need the people on here to explain their low ratings. This is really good!
Stunning acid prych one of the top of the Era
An interesting album. Really out there. I think it was very innovative at the time. However, the band and the album aren’t that far ahead of other bands and albums in terms of innovation. Similar music and experiments had already been around for years. But the album is definitely worth a listen. It reminds me in part of Krautrock, Tangerine Dream, early Pink Floyd albums, and Monty Python. That’s excellent company. I’m going to listen to the album again. 4/5
This feels like a momentous record. As abrasive as it is avant-garde, it does pull beyond its first track 'The Garden of Earthly Delights' to offer a very weird yet solid psychedelic experience which is unlike most albums on the genre. 9/10 [KEEP]
One of the most interesting records to come out of the late ‘60’s psychedelic wave. Deeply experimental, massively influential, basically an early example of electronic music. Like The Silver Apples, but they integrate those new strange sounds into more familiar (and sometimes parodic) forms. Glad to revisit this one.
Feels like one of the only hippie Summer of Love albums that feels ahead of its time instead of woefully of its time. The dreamier stuff is all really fantastic and interesting here... then the band breaks up never to make anything else. The bassist, who is great, has 0 other credits I think. Or at least I read that. Really good one!
The roots of prog rock. Early, experimental, some of it is interesting.
Trippy AF 60's nugget. Really fun, politics of it seem timely again.
Ooh, an album with a "reputation"! This should be interesting... I can hear where Broadcast got their inspiration from! Like!
Rating: 4.5/5 Short Review: Strange, ahead of its time, and constantly unstable in an exciting way. Blends psychedelia, electronics, and political unease into something that still feels weird today. Feels like the sound of the late ’60s melting in real time. Favorite Track: “The American Metaphysical Circus.” Pure controlled chaos. Feels like a parade collapsing into a nightmare.
Wow. Well this one is truly weird. Actual psychedelia! I dig the objective, and parts of it are really very cool/ interesting. Some of it verges on noise torture. I can see it being VERY divisive. This definitely seems like a love or hate kind of album. I believe I fall on the love side overall. But man, this is a hard listen. I can’t say I would ever just throw this on. Unless I was wanting other people present to leave. Or maybe as a test. Could they make it through the first track or to the song group beginning with where is yesterday? Could they last to hear the reprisal of coming down at the album’s end? I mean it’s actually remarkable. 4 stars. Boolean rating: yes definitely glad I heard before I die. Not sure I can listen again, though.
Pleasant surprise, never heard of this band. Really interesting blend of straight up rock, psychedelia, and experimental. Cool, would listen again.
Hell yeah. What an awesome, crazy album. This one was so much fun, from the weird circus intro to the psychedelic Thomas the Tank Engine sounds later in the album. Absolutely brilliant, loved the chaos. I was completely unaware of this albums existence, such a fun ride. Favourites: The American Metaphysical Circus The Garden of Earthly Delights Love Song For The Dead Che You Can Never Come Down
Psych one hit wonders bringing 66 minutes of bliss.
What a trip! Genuine psychedelia is so good and I really liked this. Trippy the whole way through, it was so strange and out there. Imagine listening to this tripping on acid in the 60s, what an experience that would’ve been!
Is this about the most perfect replica of what might be a weird soundtrack to the late 60s? Or what we think about that time-period and the oddness of those times? I went into this thinking I might absolutely hate this crap...but I am surprised I found it pretty damn good (much better than Trout Mask Replica, to say the least). As opposed to Van Vliet's crap, I made it through the whole damn thing. Bravo, weird ones. Plus an interesting band backstory. Drugs (acid anyone?) had to be involved.... 4 "surrealistic pillow'd" stars.
Alternatywna muzyka z damskim wokalem ma specjalne miejsce w moim sercu. Wybaczam jej więcej. Tutaj te cyrkowe wstawki trochę kłują w uszy, całość często odbiega od harmonii dźwięków, ale jest to ciekawe, nietypowe i lekko folkowe - czyli to, co ja lubię najbardziej. 7/10
Blind album and artist. I thought it was actually pretty good! Gave me Jefferson Airplane x Beatles vibe for sure, but more Sgt Peppers Beatles than Abbey Road with all the weird instrumentals and I thought it was interesting. 4
Am Anfang dachte ich nur: "ohoh, das wird schwierig". Aber im Endeffekt verbindet das Album so ziemlich alles, was in den Sechzigern so los war. Klingt teilweise nach Beatles, dann wieder nach Doors und dann auch nach Simon & Garfunkel, um nur ein paar zu nennen. Ziemlich vollgepackt, aber auch recht unterhaltsam im Gesamtbild.
Zum Teil sehr komisch, also genau mein Ding.
Very psychedelic, very cool.
I'll indulge myself with a cliche: "tour de force" mind-expanding stuff NOTE: The 1001 Albums book lists this record as being 37 minutes long and having ten tracks, which is how it was packaged for the original LP. If you listen on a streaming service, the explosive end of the record immediately gives way to a bunch of demo tracks and b-sides that go on as long as the album itself does and kind of sully the whole thing.
i feel like i don't have the right vocabulary to discuss this album or its sound and idk if its cos i've just not listened to much psychedelic rock or cos it's so *out there* but either way i fuck w/ it deeply so im gonna try. the first minute or so of "american metaphysical circus" sounds like booting up rollercoaster tycoon, cranking the speakers and scrolling around so all the ride music plays at once, "i won't leave my wooden wife for you, sugar" and "the american way of living" are both equal parts incredible and incredibly goofy, and i really enjoy "coming down", especially the electric organ parts. its close but i wanna say "cloud song" is my favourite track, i love the haunting, ethereal texture it has. i could listen to a whole album of that sound alone. but then it probably wouldn't be a psych rock album. oops..... i guess my only complaint would be that "stranded in time" has a real strong beatles stink on it. not sure if it's genuine inspiration or if they're taking the piss but either way i think this album is at its strongest when its doing its own thing, so the track just feels kind of unfortunate. other than that tho this album is great. it feels very ahead of its time. might be hard to get other people to listen to given how it starts lmao
This album has so much: distorted easy listening, cacophonies, political friction, experimentation, tongue-in-cheek homages, genuine jams, koto appropriated on electric guitar, unmistakable 60s keyboard, dreamy vocals, self-reference, yelps mixed into percussion, primordial synths, uptempo, downtempo, etc., etc. I can see with absolute clarity why an album like this was tapped for "must listen before you die." Psych-rock is another one I usually don't enjoy unless done well, but this album is way ahead of its time. It's challenging and alienating, and frankly not something I'd put on to fill in space, but it's the exact kind of experience I was hoping to get exposed to on this project. Very inspiring.
For as experimental as this is, I found it pretty easily digestible. Really cool experimentation and great bass.
Now this is a fucking trip. Psychedelic, weird and wonderfully fun. Not something you'll put up quickly, but simultaneously a blast to listen when you have the space for it. It felt like a whackier and more crazy Doors or Beatles at times
I thought for a split moment this was the 90s alternative band of a very similar name, but no this is the country not the president, so don't get it twisted now. It has a really unique sound for a psychedelic release. It combines sound collages, electronic noises, whimsical vocals, and some other experimental elements, it succeeds in managing to sound like nothing like it's contemporary albums. Really refreshing album. Highlight Song/s: "Hard Coming Love"
Nice surprise, at times felt like Jefferson Airplane vibes meets the Beatles. Fun album.
Apart from the weird first track, I really dug this.
Nice album, my first listen.
crazy aber iwie voll gut
Wow, this really gives me strong Stereolab vibes, something I wasn't expecting at all. Very interesting, highly experimental work for it's time. I can see this going for 4 stars and at least 3.5 on RYM
Crazy sounds specked throughout
Kinda shocked at how much I enjoyed listening to this album. It kind of makes regret the 1 rating I gave to Os Mutantes because I feel that they're quite similar in nature; the primary difference being the language. This album is avant-garde and psychedelic as hell but damn is it cool. It's like an ultra-weird Sgt. Pepper with a flavor of Os Mutantes. The best line throughout the album is "The price is right; the cost of one admission is your mind". And the closing track is awesome too. Top tracks: The American Metaphysical Circus; I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar; Coming Down; The American Way of Love
This was pretty awesome. The early electronic work trying to imitate the (too expensive at that point) MOOG is really cool and adds substantial atmosphere but it's Moskowitz's vocals that make this transcendent stuff. Premium psychedelia, it's a bummer the group didn't go on to record more because you can tell that the creative direction on here is really tuned and talented. They knew what they were doing. Reminds me a bit of West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band. Favorite Tracks: Hard Coming Love, The Garden of Earthly Delights, I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Coming Down, The American Way of Love
Vamos hoy martes con una banda que me es completamente desconocida. La experimentación sonora del comienzo, que va desde el caos hacia la calma y luego regresa al laboratorio sonoro, adelantan lo que va a ser el disco: animarse a probar. Gracias por la sorpresa y hasta mañana
Very good album, i liked it, it got me out of my comfort zone
This album rules! As far as experimental rock from the 60s goes, it's so far back at this point that it's genuinely difficult to find something that still sounds truly out of this world. But this album manages it, with its strange passages and use of tape manipulation conveying some far-off world.
really cool and trippy for its time
I won’t leave my wooden wife for you sugar, mouse
I came in with low expectations and ended up being fairly surprised. Feels pretty cozy sandwiched somewhere between John Cale, Beefheart, and Zappa and it's all rather cohesive, too. Honestly, I was kind of hooked with the first track which might sound like the full un redacted Epstein files if set to music...
Coldplay left me well, cold
This had a rough start with the literal clown music in the first track, but as the record went on I started to dig what they were going for here. It's unashamedly weird, yet oddly catchy and engaging. The album's wikipedia page mentions that the usage of electronic instruments here was pretty cutting edge and experimental for the time, and I can certainly see how that would be the case. In a lot of ways it doesn't sound like something made in the 60s, though in others it sounds like the most 60s album ever made. My knowledge of the 60s psychedelia movement in the US is pretty much exclusively derived from that Simpsons episode where Homer becomes a hippy, and I'd believe you immediately if you told me Hard Coming Love was played during that episode at some point. This album goes through a few different styles of music, so I find it hard to imagine someone getting bored listening to this. There's the sort of eerie, downbeat soundscapes on tracks like The American Metaphysical Circus and Where is Yesterday where things get most avant-garde. Even when they're being deliberately weird, though, they never take the songwriting for granted. There are a lot of interesting progressions going on in these tracks, and the vocals are both excellently utilized and just plain nice to listen to. The two vocalists are both great at bringing different styles and textures to the tracks they take the lead on. Then you have the groovy psych rock tunes Hard Coming Love and Garden of Earthly Delights, as well as the lullaby-esque ballads Cloud Song and Love Song For The Dead Che (the former track being seemingly the blueprint for every upper-middle class female singer-songwriter in the late 2000s/early 2010s. Not that I have a problem with that, it's a great vibe.) I'd say there's something for everyone here, but looking at this album's rating that's evidently not the case. Oh well. This would be more of a 4.5 if that was an option, but I'm going to round it down rather than up as it's hard to really describe this as an all time classic. I liked it a lot, though. Favourite tracks: Garden of Earthly Delights, Where is Yesterday, Coming Down
Partway through the first track I was dreading this one as a poor version of surrealistic pillow but a few songs in and it really started clicking and I really enjoyed this one. Great psych album.
This album starts off on a bad foot, but greatly improved.
A very creative and probably very little known album. Since it lacks a connection to "popular music elements" and "nice" riffs it has never and will never be mentioned as one of the great albums of the 60s. But in terms of ideas, composition and creativity, certainly one of the big ones (of the 60s).
I was very surprised by this and how much I was into it. Super experimental and noisy, way before its time! The variety of sounds and vibes across the record are nice and keep things interesting, and trippy. I like the floaty but raw vocals, the bass is killer, and the drums come in when you really need them, and just a weird assortment of electronic sounds. I will definitely be revisiting this album.
Very psychedelic. I don't understand the relatively low ratings on this one (2.6 at the time of writing). It isn't too long--which is a common complaint I see on other low rated albums--and, sure, it's out there but that's the point. It was experimental and purposefully ahead of its time. Using electronic sounds was still very much a new concept at that time and I feel like this band did a good job of it, considering how new the art was.
Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Velvet Underground en circus... wat een combi!
Other 60's albums sound like they are enhanced in the studio, but this album sounds like it could have only been made in the studio. The distortion in combination with all the classical touches and overdubs sound really interesting and ahead of their time. The ideas don't always work out but there's a lot of great moments and it showcases just how far out music could go from here really well. Like some sort of demonic circus.
First Listen; 4; Very experimental while still having catchy hooks mixed in with interesting sounds. Some of this is really off the wall, and other parts sound way ahead of their time. I really liked the distorted guitar/bass sound. Also, all of the samples and different effects are interesting and probably wasn't a small feat at this time. I see this being an album I come back too. Favorite Track: The American Way of Love
INPUT = {"artist": "The United States Of America", "album": "The United States Of America"} LINEUP = {"men": 4, "women": 1} FEATURED_ARTISTS = {"men": 0, "women": 0} TOTAL_MEN = 4 TOTAL_WOMEN = 1 WOMEN_PERCENTAGE = 20 OUTPUT = "Score adjusted accordingly. 4/5"
tame impala respawned from this shoutout to psychedelic 60s gotta be one of my favorite genres
Gran album. No conocía a la banda. Me pareció novedoso y muy entretenido. 1967. No se puede creer. 8/10
this album is weird as fuck, especially considering when it came out. at times, it sounds more like someone today using samples and modern technology to re-create the sounds of psych rock than a handful of people fooling around in a studio sixty years ago. incredibly impressive record, and far more varied than i was expecting.
Stranded in time is a banger, rest of the album was really interesting.
really solid melodic rock album
I’d never heard of the band or their album before today. It’s certainly a rather odd recording, but one I found pleasantly entertaining on the first play through. It’s also grown on me further during the second play. Definitely very experimental but I like it.
Psihodelični klasik šezdesetih
This album is... really good, I think if you don't like it you're probably just lame?
This was very cool. The instrumentals were very creative.
This was actually cool despite the bad band name and circus opening. But I probably won’t listen to this album again.
...as if Jefferson Airplane said, "Nah. We're just too mainstream" after Surrealistic Pillow. It's really good psychedelia. The first track is a bit hard to get through if you aren't open to it -- just tonally different than a lot of the rest of the record. Once past that, it tightens up considerably. A good trip, and all it will cost is your mind.
first listen super varied and really interesting for 1968
3.5
of all the psychadelic stuff on this list this stuck with me the most
After listening to a lot of boring music, this freakish clown trip was actually welcomed. Good psychadelic rock with a lot of weird surprises
Stereolab travels back in time and does a co-lab with Jefferson Airplane
Not what I expected. There were parts that I enjoyed a lot, but it also veered into being 'wacky' rather than interesting at times so I can't give it more than a 4.
There are definitely some interesting sounds here that remind me of The Zombies, The Kinks, and The Beach Boys. It doesn't hit all of what it could be, but I think it is an interesting experiment and has some fun songs and nice compositions.
Good album with lots of interesting and unexpected sounds and arrangements A tad too long for my punk rock attention span but I dug it
Very cool. The more avant-garde songs got weird but they didn't overstay their welcome.
An album full of ideas, ideals and hippie philosophy. Some might say " a radical psychedelic critique of American society that builds to a finale which synthesizes everything that came before", but could also be described as a fascinating mess.
Discordant and angry, subversive and challenging and any other host of adjectival couplets I can think of. Members of this group would work on, of all things, Sesame Street. And when I think about it, it makes perfect sense. Sesame Street was sort of subversive. Targeting the poor and the underprivileged, Sesame aimed to educate and used the tool of the elites, advertising, to do just that. It worked. For a while.
Proto-Stereolab, pretty cool
weird but interesting
This is not for everyone, but it is for me! What a trip. Anticipates the remix era, prog rock, etc. Very quirky, yet flows naturally. Who were those guys?! 4.2
i feel like i hear a lot of psych rock and i never really understand why its considered to be psychedelic. this shit is definitely deserving of the title. really odd production and mixing all other the project and I love it. so otherworldly, really ironic when you consider the title. loved it
This album was really pushing boundaries, in many ways. A psychedelic rock album that intentionally abandoned the guitar in favor of a plethora of instruments that were not being widely used by rock bands at the time (electric harpsichord, violin, piano) all mixed and distorted in ways that were unique and in some ways prescient to music that would follow later. United States of America is weird, but in a good way. It works. Joe Byrd, who is responsible for much of the overall production of the record, had formal music training and a familiarity with many different genres, which we can hear weaved together throughout the album. Lastly, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the gorgeous vocals of Dorothy Muskowitz. Many people have credited this album as the first prog rock release. Whether or not this is true to is hard to imagine an album that better capture the counter culture of its time. The fact that an album like this, with commie-loving lyrics, enjoyed some commercial success, despite being so avant-garde, speaks volumes about the importance and influence of underground culture at the time. I’ve always appreciated unique and interesting music, which is probably why I tend to like albums of this list with a wide variance of reviews from listeners. This album isn’t an exception and was a joyful discovery. I fully intent to check out Byrd’s later work, The American Metaphysical Circus.
Very interesting stuff. I liked it.
Definitely seemed to be ahead of its time. I kinda like it. Interesting that there aren't any guitars on the album, as there were times I could have sworn I heard some. 3.5* and it's an odd round-up, as I don't see myself coming back to it again.
Hadn't ever heard of this before. It was bonkers but there was a bit too much of it to really get a strong opinion after just one listen
Un peu de mal à accrocher au début et puis finalement vraiment pas mal.
Easily my favo(u)rite of the batch of obscure US 67/68 albums so far..great humo(u)r and nice sound experimentation/collages, some of which reminded me a little of UK kids TV shows - Magic roundabout and I think Ivor (or was it Thomas)....
Some songs are a bit too experimental even for me, so Pinja must hate them. Lol. But behind that weirdness is actually a very talented band. There's great rhythm sections all over this record and the arrangements are actually quite pretty and catchy despite the quirkyness. Also I can't believe this came out in the 60's, very ahead of its time.
Completely unbridled creativity. I love insane and weird music because that’s where you always find the musicians with the biggest imaginations. I see the left-wing lyrics often get praised, but one of the most evocative political statements on the album is wordless. The record opens with traditional patriotic American songs playing over each other, creating a hellish soundscape. 4/5
Interesting album similar to small faces late 60s psychedelic progue rock
Sombre et inquiétant. Leurs expérimentations diffèrent de celles que j'ai entendues dans ces années, plus solennelles, presque mystiques, dans la parcimonie plutôt que dans la débauche des sens.
I liked getting this album--this is why I stick with this project no matter how many PJ Harvey albums there are. Lots of fun listening and kudos to the band for delivering on their vision.
I'm surprised I had not heard of this band
I liked this much more than I anticipated. It was sufficiently weird yet fun in a quirky way.
This would have blown my little mind if I hear it when it came out. Still pretty sick but looses some impact with the modern landscape. Its psychedelic. Its bold. It tries a ton of different things and nails it all. With the female vocals it almost reminds me of some Jefferson airplane if they did some more drugs. Its just a great time even today though. And the production on this is crazy for the time. I had to look it up, but he worked with herbie Hancock and id say that tracks pretty damn well. I had fun. Its no the president's of the united states of America but I got a nice lump going on for this album. Gross. But anyway great record that should be listened to more. Give it a whirl with your wood wife
I've listened to this album before and it's very good. It seems like it would be pretty out there in 1968. I wonder what they would have made if they kept at it. 3.75/5
~What the f@ those guys in a little plastic box recording songs while travelling trough space-time
Had a really good time with this. This seems like it would’ve been a blast live.
That goofy ass circus sounding song started the album off poorly, in my opinion, but I dug the 60’s acid / psych sound for the most part. I can see this being big with avant-garde artsy types like Andy Warhol and his crew of drugged out weirdos. 3.5⭐️ rounding up because I like drugs and weirdos
Never heard of these folks....love the psychedelia of it.
At its best when it's being weird, which is unfortunately not all the time, because sometimes it's being a Jefferson Airplane clone with charged lyrics. I wonder if time has dulled its edge, since a lot of the stuff happening here is no longer no and exciting (save the opening track, which is fucking WILD and genius). That said, it's very good and the only reason I'm not giving it a 5 star is because, at its worst, it sounds a little too stuck in 1968 for something that's supposed to be so avant-garde. Hater hat, though, because otherwise this is a real gem. I'd call it forgotten because I've never heard of it, but there's a whole list of albums I've never heard of so not sure about that.
good
Beautiful proto-prog.
Im not sure what this is. Avant Garde? I do know I loved it.
For what you’d expect to be yet another one of those ‘foundational’ albums - one that preceded presumably better, more developed music - it holds its own, and then some. You can check a lot of boxes here. Late 60s, vague talk of injustice, rights of man, and of course its status as the only album that The United States of America ever released. A great name, if you ask me. Well, this was before a lot of band names were already taken, so you might as well have a cool one. You’ll be lulled by expected psychedelic whimsy in the opening track, and of course the tracks with the most whimsical titles, especially I Won’t Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar. It’s quick to step in and out of the whimsy and to enter the simply insane, too. At points the music will jolt you back into focus, where you’ll probably utter “what the fuck?”, or something of that similar dumbfounded expletive nature. You could call this proto-a-lot-of-rock, as whilst it isn’t among the first rock records by any means, it certainly inspired a lot of the real greats of the 70s and onward. Nowhere near as well-known as, say, The Velvet Underground & Nico, but every bit as confident.
One of the worst names a band could have. Surprisingly a great album despite their lack of imagination in creating a band name. There’s some really innovative 60s sounds in here that consistently had me bobbing my head. The lead singers voice is angelic and a time capsule of that 60s era vocalization. My only negative, other than the band name, was that the second half of the album had a bunch of repeats? I phrase that as a question because I am unsure if they were different takes of the same song or not and I am too lazy to do a complete analysis. 7/10
ciekawa pozycja, bo jest to jedyny album bandu the united states of america, rzuca on wyzwanie rokowaniu tworzac albumik bez uzycia gitary, wiec 37 minut plyty jest przepelnione awangardowym brzmieniem dziwnych instrumentow i elektroniki, a to przeciez rok 68, gdzie syntezatory dopiero raczkowaly, poza tym sporo wnosza wokale pani dorothy moskowitz, ktora jest tutaj glownym glosem, a jej zmiennosc barwy jest tak duza, ze z kawalka na kawalek potrafi brzmiec calkiem inaczej, wiec ladnie poczarowane w efektach zeby takie brzmienie wokalne uzyskac, nie wiem czy nazywac album psychodelicznym, ale ma w sobie cos tripowego, bo jak inaczej nazywac album na ktorym po kawalku o groomowaniu uczennicy wchodzi kolejny zaczynajacy sie chorkami koscielnymi po lacinie, no i jest to kolejna pozycja na liscie ktora idzie w lewym kierunku mocy, stad tez pewnie prowokacyjna nazwa krazla/bandu, bo pan byrd byl chyba sympatkiem hamerykanskiej partii komunistycznej, co tez slychac na love songu for the dead che czy troche subtelniej na stranded in time, a pewnie na innych trakach tez mozna sie doszukac skrawkow ideologicznych z lewej strony, ale tak czy inaczej byl to dziwnie przyjemny odsluch, nie bylo czuc braku gitary, ktora niemal sie materializuje na zamykajacym krazek the american way of love w jej pierszych dwoch minutach, na plejke dodam wspomniany stranded in time oraz i wont leave my wooden wife for you, sugar
A lot of interesting concepts, and they definitely had a particular point of view. Great addition to this list.
Nice.
I really enjoyed that! Plenty of nonsense, but a few really good tracks that make me wonder why I have never heard of them before. The singer’s voice is perfect for the music and like all the best 60s stuff the music seems timeless.
Consider this along the lines of 1960’s Mothers of Invention, but less humor. It’s experimental, culturally conscious, experimental again, and psychedelic. If your platform contains all the bonus tracks, listen to the alternate version of “I Won’t Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar.” That is worth the foray into this material. Also enjoyed “You Can Never Come Down.” Anyway, 4/5 because there’s plenty of room left in my heart for more experimental, psychedelic 60s rock.
I love weird leftist shit
que trem bom vei fui total no preconceito e sai maravilhado.
esse eh o tipo de coisa que eu esperava encontrar na lista hein. psicodelia do fim dos anos 60 sem guitarra nenhuma, só sons elétricos e um baixão fretless!!! lembra um pouco velvet underground, mas fazer o quê. achei top demais. possivelmente ficarei obcecado por uns dias!!
This is funky. It's cool. Not an every day listening, but that's fine. Like if the Mamas and the Papas met Flower Travelin Band at Jefferson Starship.
Wild psychedelia with... checks notes... a calliope! Some slide-whistle shows up here and there too. I don't know what the fuck this is but I'm not hating on it.
Truly interesting and innovative for the time.
4/5
Che esto me encantó. Es super flashero y adelantado a su época. Definitivamente lo volveré a escuchar. Nota: 4.0
The United States of America was an LA-based band that recorded only one, self-titled album. The band's work is an early example of progressive rock; they used a range of instruments and very early versions of electronic effects in compositions that are closer to experimental jazz than anything found in most "rock" bands. Singer Dorothy Moskowitz's vocals add a distant, almost cold, sense to the band's work. The band was critically acclaimed, but found very little commercial success, and broke up soon after the release of their album. These are interesting, challenging songs, with an impressive range of instrumentation and sound effects. The band's avant-garde version of rock is a development in 60s psychedelic rock towards the prog rock sounds of the 70s.
Very experimental, she has a beautiful voice. I actually knew a song off the album, falls right into my 60s psychedelic phase. It's definitely an acquired taste but good.
This is one I’m going to have to come back to fully… one of those albums that should be listened to in full to be truly appreciated before one makes a full opinion of it. What I did hear is of its time period (especially the stereo mixing where the drums are all coming out of one side of the stereo picture) but still worth it.
Thought provoking and interesting sounds.
Very weird, physadekic, groovy,experimental. I did not expect to like it but it was really good
Crazily jam-packed album. So many songs were actually three songs, even if they were only a few minutes. I really liked the classical themes, as well as the imagery a lot of the lyrics conjured up. Very weird sounds at times, but overall a nice experimental album.
liked this one a lot. interesting and experimental, amusing lyrics. good stuff
So, my wife said this sounds like the music that plays when a clown comes round to murder you and we were both like "Rock on, baby!".
I can't believe I hadn't heard of this record until now. You can hear how much this influenced later records. Really great album, cool instrumentation. 8/10
i'd heard a lot of people rave about this album over the years, but never got around to it myself until now. i can see why people like this album. i also don't know that i really get it fully. it's good, at points. there's some cool stuff here, but there's also a lot of carnival music. i wish there was more of the cool stuff and less of the carnival music. it does feel ahead of its time, but also i don't know if i think it's all that great ultimately.
Well this was an unexpected psychedelic delight It’s wiggy in places, insufferable in others, but when it all clicks there are cracking songs here
I had to give this a second chance, listening to a few songs again. At first I didn’t like it. But I came to enjoy the playfulness, and the vocals as well. Interesting for sure.
I actually enjoyed this a lot. I’ve said before that there’s actual 60s psychedelic music with soul and then there’s the sort of “hippy scene in Ironside” fake square version of it. Well rarely, you get something which feels like both combined. And it’s a vibe I dig. Like The Monkee’s “Head” film. Similar to that film, this feels like it has some Frank Zappa in it, especially the early Mothers of Invention stuff. It also reminds me of White Noise and Jefferson Airplane. But some tracks almost feel like modern Radiohead to me with the fuzzed out bass and precise drum rhythms. Yeah! Interesting and different. I will revisit.
The more out-there, experimental stuff isn't great, I'll admit. Aside from that, I'd say everything else they tried they hit the spot. The more typical psychedelic rock they nailed, then the slower ballads were just as good if not better. The bass was phenomenal and Dorothy's vocals are great.
This weird 60's psychedelia album is the kind of odd stuff I keep hoping I'll discover by participating in this site. At times all over the place, messy and experimental, I still enjoyed it as a whole.
Really enjoyed this one! It was a bit long and lost some steam towards the end, but it was all in all an enjoyable listening experience.
Had never heard of the band, and upon googling discovered they only had this album. Explains it. Similar sound to The Doors or post-India Beatles. Synthy progressive rock
Interesting trippy psychedelic rock. It is very much of its era - heard influences from St. Peppers. Standouts are “Hard Coming Love”. Also liked “Garden of Earthly Delights”. That weird calliope type sound throughout the album was frankly a little scary - sounds like a soundtrack to some clown themed horror movie.
Almost aggressively trippy in places, but I dig it, man.
i was vaguely aware of what this album was meant to be and am happy it does what it promises, it's hard to say immediately but maybe a quick favorite in this era of experimenting with electronic and tape stuff. it feels has lots of layered soundscapes and different passages but it rarely feels disjointed, and the atmosphere on a lot of the tracks is really well done. also some of the songs are just really fun too, i love The Garden of Earthly Delights. the vocals are a highlight too i also found out later that the standard edition of the album is just up to track 10, the rest apparently were bonus tracks, some of which were written after most of the band left, but honestly they still fit pretty well with the rest if having a small quality drop, small enough that it still felt pretty fitting. going for high 4 mainly bc i'd need to listen to it more
ba-ba-ba-BANGER Oooh is that a harp? Mmm yum It’s so whimsical and so shroomy
Timeless
Yeah this is pretty good stuff! The group, not the country, I mean.
Wild, avant-garde and ethereal stuff! Amongst my favorite albums from the 60s.
I feel like I will have to give this album more time to really sink in. I like what it does because this album both feels of its time and timeless at the same time, the addition of synths, sound collage and just the sudden shifts in sound really make the record interesting and unique. I just think I need more time to pick up on the little intricacies and better absorbing what the music sounds like and how the band weaves these elements into the music, and also because the songs with the female singer rock tremendously, they are great songs!
1968, the year of my birth! A year of revolution, a year of hippies, drugs and psychedelia. On one hand this is a bunch of musicians who took too many drugs and made a rock album of the time. But listening in full it's so much more! They got their hands on a synthezer (or two), mixed in brass bands, string sections, recorded samples, sounds from I don't know where! For something recorded so long ago this is awesome in places, just listen to the end of 'The American Way of Love', what a way to close the album. I love the tracks she sings on, especially 'Cloud Song' and 'Love Song For The Dead Che'. There's some real weirdness in here: Alice in Wonderland/Tim Burton/Flaming Lips/6 Music Freak Zone/circus nightmare genuinely off kilter stuff. And more than a touch of whimsy, including 'I Wouldn't Leave My Wooden Wife For You, Sugar'! There are also moments of genuine folky and orchestral beauty in the madness. I really enjoyed this, even on the first listen, once I opened up and entered the world they created. Maybe the most innovative and imaginative album so far. The very opposite of bland and completely unexpected.
This album is truly fascinating—one that takes multiple listens to fully process. On my first two plays, I swung between loving and hating it, unsure where I truly stood. Before this, I had never heard of The United States of America (the band and album, not the country), so I had no idea what to expect. What I got was something wildly unique. It feels like Sgt. Pepper’s meets early electronic experimentation—avant-garde, unpredictable, and at times, completely unhinged. With 20 tracks, some are absolutely brilliant, while others feel like total garbage. It’s hard to articulate exactly what this album is or whether I love or loathe it. For something released in 1968, it feels shockingly ahead of its time. The fact that there’s no guitar on the entire album makes it even more intriguing. Favorite songs: Hard Coming Love and The Garden of Earthly Delights. The album starts strong from track 2 through track 7. Least favorite song: The American Metaphysical Circus—it just felt out of place compared to the rest of the album. Way too circus-like! Album artwork: A really cool cover that perfectly matches the album’s experimental nature.
This is one of a few albums on this list that snuck up on me. The first two tracks are pretty challenging and I thought I was in for a rough hour. But then the tone changed and even though there was some more work to be done, by keeping an open mind I actually ended up really enjoying most of this. Talk about not phoning it in!! It’s very creative. I’m sorry the band broke up after this, their only album. Heads up: The version on Spotify includes about a half hour of added tracks from a later release. My practice is to only rate the original album tracks. I actually haven’t listened to the additions yet, I am on my second listen of the original.
I legit thought that this was the Presidents of the United States of America for a hot second, and I went through a weird mix of excitement and sadness as I prepared myself to critically listen to songs like Lump and Peaches. This is a different band from that. My old man confusion set aside, this is a really cool experimental album. The music is really variable, but comes together really well with the vocals. Excellent harmonies in places. It's rare to hear an experimental album that is this pleasant to listen to. Also, if I didn't know when this album was made, I'm not sure I would have been able to guess within a decade, apart from some of the effects that they use that are pretty restricted to the late 60s/early 70s 4/5
Listened to the main album, not all the bonus tracks. But I gotta say I really liked it. It’s hard to listen to at certain moments, including right off the top—but really beautiful often. Reminds me of Hair.
this was a weird one! i really enjoyed the blend of avant garde work with classic 60s vocals. you really can hear how this was an influential album without even knowing who heard it back then. i can dig it
A crazy all over the place record, yet one of my favorite records, which I did not know of. The politcal issues tackled make the record relevant, whilst not being boring. USA introduces their own take on psychrock, more towards that of the Beach Boys, which is totally up my alley, its crazy its all over the place, its ambitious and it shouldn't work, but it does, very impressed by this one. The balance is great, the lyrics are clever and the production is mindblowing at times. Favorite track: The American way of love(OM to "I wouldn't leave my wooden wife for your sugar"). Overall score: 8/10
I love how unapologetically psychedelic this is. They are fucking EXPERIMENTING. And it works really well. Every song feels so different and unique from one another while also remaining mostly true to the albums sound as a whole. This just hits perfect and scratches that itch for me. I really enjoyed it. 4/5
Interesting
It’s a rather strange 4, and I think I admire it because it’s so strange. For the record, I only listened to the first 10 tracks, like the original release. I dunno, I just found myself really mesmerized by this album – the vocal effects, the vague electronica work, the early synths, and the innovation that comes as a result of all this new tech that nobody’s really had time to play with yet, creates a super ethereal experience unlike any of the other 60s psychedelic rock albums we’ve gotten so far. It’s immediate from the vocal filter on “The American Metaphysical Circus” that this is way beyond the scope of casual listening, and I suspect that’s partially why this has such a low rating on the site. It’s not for everyone, and the true entry points into the album don’t come until much later. This album starts weird, asks you to trust where it’s going, and then eases into a better blend of familiarity, normalcy, and this album’s specific brand of avant garde. “Hard Coming Love” has the first real sense of normalcy after the 90 seconds of harsh guitar noise (the worst part on the album by far), but it immediately sort of eschews it – the production tricks from 3:20 onward are the real tipping point of this album’s production, because if you dig that part, and how it all sort of melts around and falls apart, you’ll dig the rest of the album. If you think it’s just noise, the rest of this album is going to rub you the wrong way. “Cloud Song” is kind of sweet, though it has a bit of a “first minute = whole song” thing to my ears. “The Garden of Earthly Delights” has a sort of electronica sitar feel to it, with some nonsensical lyrics and average vocals, but remarkably cool production tricks that create an interesting vibe. “I Won’t Leave My Wooden Wife” has an oddly space-y / transmission feel to it, which culminates in a sort of old-timey radio broadcast effect that swaps between the vocals and instrumentation that clicked really well for me. It’s also just kind of a weird track overall, because the production really has no rhyme or reason to it, but I kind of like the manic feel of it all. “Where Is Yesterday” feels like if The Who (in their Tommy era) did a track for The Shining with a hint of Pink Floyd, and that’s a blend that feels super cool to listen to. “Coming Down” starts off with the sickest intro to the weirdest ‘Yes’ song ever – it’s definitely got elements of prog rock in it, but the production tricks & soundscape carry it more than the vocals / lyrics do. “Love Song for the Dead Che” is an Eno-esque ambient cut with a really lovely feel because of the vocals / lyrics. “Stranded in Time” is the most normal track on the album by far, with a very Beatles-y feel. “The American Way of Love” starts the same way, before going into an even harsher version of the meltiness featured on “Hard Coming Love”, and ending on a weird ethereal rewind / medley of the entire album. As an entire front to back project, its lack of coherency (save for the occasional smooth transitions between tracks) is oddly coherent, and in line with the general vibe the album is trying to give off. It doesn’t always succeed, and it’s certainly rough around the edges at points, but I think what’s here truly is admirable, especially for 1968 – some of the production tricks here are really innovative for the time, and would come into vogue much later. From a pure musical standpoint, I’m at a 4; I don’t think this does enough to get up to a 5, nor does it quite come close, but I enjoyed it a lot. It’s a very strange album for its time, and I respect that they were willing to take big swings at stuff that would later feel much more commonplace. If nothing else, their innovations make each track feel compelling and worth listening to, and I never really got bored (save for Cloud Song kinda biting at me). It’s a unique experience that won’t appeal to everyone, and I can understand why people might give it a 2 or even a 1, but I think it’s a 4 that deserves no less than a 3.
Super dated 60s pretentious psychedelia with a fair share of cool moments to offset the 60s cliches. Was interesting to hear primarily as a historical capsule. I went back and forth between a 3 and a 4, but settled on a 4 because I kind of dig the weirdness. Favorite tracks: Cloud Song, I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar (amusing track), Coming Down, Stranded in Time, The American Way of Love (except for the shrill electric violin solo - but there were some rocking moments, especially the heavy part at the start of Part III: Love is All).
I greatly enjoy a lot of this (mostly the tracks with the female singer.) Some of it is a but too goofy sounding but it’s psychedelic music so that comes with the territory.
It wasn’t what I expected and threw me off a little bit as I started to listen to this. So I got through about 5 songs…waited a few days and started over. I didn’t like the first try at listening but enjoyed it much more once i gave it a chance. I can’t exactly tell you why I liked it, but I did.
Weird
Veldig psykedelisk. Som en virkelig sær sgt pepper. Bittelitt mye klovneri for min smak, men ellers veldig vakkert. Flott bass. Ok det er ganske kult
One part Jefferson Airplane, one part Primus. This album is boldly experimental and reminds me of a lot of music from decades later. Lyrically many of the songs rely on irony and have strong leftist themes. I really like Dorothy Moskowitz's vocals. Some of the tracks are very experimental, in that they're actually tough to listen to because of the sharp electronic riffs. That's the only thing holding this album back from being even higher. I thoroughly enjoyed it. 8/10.
I LOVE late 60’s psych rock. This band is new, excellent discovery for me. Their sound is experimental and wide. Not every song is a win, but they are interesting enough to keep an open mind to them. I will absolutely be coming back to this.
Really glad I learned about this album. Not sure if I really like it or whether I find it "interesting" more than anything else. Either way, it is really a must listen album. One of the albums that really has a concept and it works. It is mostly psychedelic rock with lots of experimental stuff going on and use of electronics. Reminiscent at times of The Velvet Underground, Pink Floyd, The Beatles. Not quite as good as either of them, but that's no shame. Some songs are just really catchy though ("The garden of earthly delights"). The lyrics are very good and paint a picture critical of bourgois American holier-than-thou attitudes (I loved "I won't leave my wooden wife for you baby"), and bitter family situations (loved "Where is yesterday"). Excellent as a concept album, OK to listen to but it's not for every day.
I was a bit nervous going into this because psychedelic music is generally a miss for me, but this was surprisingly cool and varied. There were moments that didn't work for me but they were over and done with quick enough that they didn't spoil the album for me.
I think I'm just high enough to enjoy and find a bit of brilliance in this album. For this to be released in 1968 I think is the biggest surprise. Parts of this particularly the vocals on "Coming Down" sound very 80s/90s New Wave/Pop. The psych is very 60s, but there is a surprising amount of complexity and clarity to the mix, something not super easy to achieve in 68. Overall I am fairly impressed. Probably not a sober 4, but weed does wonderful things.
Great social commentary, okay music
There are flashes of brilliance scattered here and there but there's also a fair amount of self indulgence, guaranteed to annoy most listeners. It was pioneering in 1968, but today it's hippy vibe a bit of a relic of a bygone era. I quite like it, but it's appeal is limited. I do wonder if 'Silver Apples' (also 1968) would have more appeal, with it's electronic techno dance vibes.
The weirder a belief is, the higher the likelihood that the person actually believes it. I wager this crew really believed in what they were doing.
The 60's were a crazy ass time. Favourite Songs: Hard Coming Love, The Garden of Earthly Delights, Stranded in Time, The American Way of Love. Least Favourite Songs: The American Metaphysical Circus, I Won't Leave My Wooden Wife for You, Sugar.
That first song was a psychedelic journey I loved it. About halfway through and loving this. This must've been so much fun to listen to in 68. There's a very distinct female voice of the 60's ala Mama and Papas and Carpenters and this chick fits right in with it. This was a high ass 4 super close to a 5 but couldn't do it.
Well that was something... These guys clearly looked at all of the most experimental music of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, Velvet Underground, and San Francisco psychedelic scene and decided it was all conformist, capitalist garbage. 'United States of America' is a very reactionary album in multiple ways. Clearly, the message is a far left rallying cry, disguised as a patriotic Trojan horse. I do wonder if anyone bought this based only on the name of the band and were severely disappointed. Musically, it's kind of all over the place. Certainly experimental and very psychedelic, owing a massive debt to some of the top bands of the late 60s. But it also blends in a large amount of traditional American styles, like Dixieland Jazz. Electronic sounds (not exactly music) are layered throughout the album. It's easy (maybe too easy) to be put off by the over-the-top barage of styles, which sometimes comes across as overly silly. It has some genuinely good moments, but most of the album is challenging, and probably by design. But I really can't call it a good or bad album exactly. It's like a storm of different music that doesn't belong together and would be boring on its own. But as a montage, it has the ability to awaken some creativity. It's possibly more fun to think about than to listen to, but it's still fun.
Fastest turnaround from a 1 to a 4 I’ve ever seen
Impressive. A combination of a number of great styles, and a very avant garde style for the time. The vocals and instrumentals were great. All around not a perfect album (some of the songs ran a bit similar) but still very good. 3.5/5 -> 4/5
I was skeptical at first, but it ended up being pretty cool
Certainly interesting album, and not at all what I was expecting after reading some of the reviews.. much better than I was led to believe. Quite strange, and quite a wide variety in sounds. 3.5/5 rounding up as it’s too low globally, however not sure I’d seek it out again. Thanks to the 1001 project for bringing it to my attention, wouldn’t have found this otherwise
September 8, 2024 "Cloud Song", "The Garden of Earthly Delights, "Where Is Yesterday", "Coming Down", "Love Song For the Dead Che" Almost anti-musical at times (a la Throbbing Gristle, if that's not too extreme a comparison), but a majority of tracks are disarmingly pretty. I missed a lot of the satire/politics, though, maybe that's a lack of 60's education on my part (though it shines through on titles like "Love Song for the Dead Ché" and "The American Metaphysical Circus". Delirious and dreamy
Batcrap crazy and lots of fun
No los recordaba, pero ya tenía una canción de ellos en mis favoritas. Si te gusta la psicodelia es un disco a conocer. Me he guardado: The garden o earthly delights en las dos versiones del disco extendido de 20 temas, Where is yesterday, Coming down, Stranded in time y No love to give. Volveré a escucharlo.
"The United States of America" is the only studio album by American rock band the United States of America. This album "combines rock and psychedelia with the then-uncommon electronic instrumentation and experimental composition, along with an approach reflecting an anti-establishment, leftist political stance." I don't think I can give a better description. Commercially, the album only hit #181 in the US. It did receive wide-spread critical acclaim for its pioneering style and techniques. The band doesn't mess around wasting time experimenting. "The American Metaphysical Circus" opens with five musical layers including a calliope, two marching bands and two electronic sounds. It transitions to wobbly and pyschedelic music. Dorothy Moskowitz singing about anti-consumerism, anti-Christianity, anti-tv, anti-media and anti-government. The next song, "Hard Coming Love" is more rockin.' It's either an electronic violin, harpsichord or something else which sounds like a guitar. This is very pyschedelic especially with that ring modulator. "The Garden of Earthly Delights" uses that soft-loud-soft dynamic I Iove. There's laser sounds in the background. Very bass forward. It's inspired by "The Garden of Eden" and its temptations and urges getting humanity out. My favorite song on the album. Strings are added to "Stranded in Time." This is a dead ringer for "Eleanor Rigby." The album closes epically with the three-part "The American Way of Love." The first part is more rock and ragtime with the organ and off-kilter sounding violin. The second part slows it up a bit before ending it with a cacophony of musical layers, similar to how the album started. It's another song stressing the media as manipulators. This was one heck of a weird ride. The music is experimental, pyschedelic, very late 60's and, ultimately, very interesting. There's very nice harmonies and lead singing by Dorothy Moskowitz and Joseph Byrd. The musical styles include experimental, pyschedelic, rock, baroque pop and ragtime. I found the sound of the pyschedelic guitar without the guitar quite interesting. I'd say if you're a pychedelic music fan, there'll be plenty to enjoy on this album.
i actually really really liked this and anyone who says it is too pretentious is prob 6 mentally and would not survive any beatles album in the world
Rock psicodélico muy ecléctico. Curioso. Un 4.
Echt psychedelisch, bij vlagen fantastisch, af en toe te meanderend.
Wow, really enjoying this--kind of out of the blue for me. Psych meets electronica and their baby is exploring the world.
I was skeptical going into this, based on the little I read about the album. Just the whole experimental "synths before synths were synths" element made me wary. But this surprised me in all the right ways. Interesting compositions, arrangements, and sounds. Cool blend of electronics and analog instruments and voices. Sounds like it was influential, or at least predicted elements that later bands would use — Portishead, The Flaming Lips, and The Move among them. Kept me invested throughout.
ive listened to this before
A variety of some very cool psychedelic sounds. This was an ambitious undertaking, I think.
Very good album from a group I was not familiar with.
why is it 20 songs. its an hour... the american metaphysical circus- i understand. 6 or 7 hard coming love- a yo??? 6 cloud song- im scared. 4 the gardens of earthly delights- 6 or 7 i wont leave my wooden wife for you, sugar- 7 or 8 where is yesterday- agnes dei???? 7 coming down- 7 love song for the dead che- 6 stranded in time- 7 the american way of love- 7 osamus birthday- 5 or 6 no love to give- 7 i wont leave my wooden wife for you, sugar- second times the charm? 6 or 7 you can never come down- perry pier- 5 tailor man- 5 or 6 do you follow me- 7 american metaphysical circus- 6 mouse- 6 heresy- 6 a strange one but i like it
decent
This is what you get when you turn psychedelia up to 11. Very good album with just one downside: it is a bit incoherent. 4/5
Wow what a trip. I'll say my fvourites are The Garden Of Earthly Delights and the hot mess that is the closing track, The American Way Of Love.
this shit goes crazy for the 60's and i should give it a relisten later
So this is a good reason to be following this 1001 albums generator - discovering unique albums I would likely not discover otherwise. Reminiscent of the late 60s Beatles (in huge part b/c it was produced in 1968), The United States of America offered up a lot of great experimental and avant-garde tunes that I will likely return to hear again.
Knowing when this was released, it not only fits perfect with the time period but is clearly quite innovative. Highlights for me included: “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” “Coming Down,” and “The American Way Of Love.”
Great. Starts of sounding more Pink Floyd than Pink Floyd, the rest is more like an improved version of Jefferson Airplane. Their music should be as popular as those bands. I don't know how much of an impact they had when they were new. That could be a reason why they're not as popular today. Plus the playing is too sloppy at times. Favorite song: the garden of earthly delights
Great late 60s psych
Lovely. weird. Ugly. Surprising. Lovely
Definitely in my top 1000 albums of all time.
What a ride. Very Grace Slick/Jefferson Airplane sounding. I liked it a lot. Four stars.
weird and cool, loved
Very cool avant garde rock. The use of synths is remarkable given the year of release
I really enjoyed this, the vast majority treads the line between kitsch/hippy dippy and groovy very well.
Прикольно, местами смешно дико от музыки алкоальбом: настойка на орехах со вкусом киндер буэно
"Stranded in Time" and "Coming Down" really stand out for me. I'd return to this album for those songs, and probably listen to (most) of the others while I'm there. They take big swings with some of the electronic sounds, which I like, and I occassionally catch hints of Beatles or Beach Boys. Despite its soft spots, it's a really good album. 4.1
1968 was the year of disarray not just around the world, but for The United States of America. Politicians shot down and scare mongering their way to the top, the counterculture being more prevalent than before, riots burning down the cities and music became the powerful voice of revolution. What better way to document that rising tide than a group whose ethos recall both the sounds of the supposed good old days and the then far out future. It's really not that difficult to see where the influence of The United States of America lies in that distant future, hearing the fingerprints nestled within the likes of Stereolab and Broadcast and other library music folk. Cacophony and cohesion collide here for one strange yet inimitable album. How much fun it's been. Favorites: The American Metaphysical Circus, Hard Coming Love, Cloud Song, The Garden of Earthly Delights, Where is Yesterday, Coming Down, The American Way of Love, No Love to Give, You Can Never Come Down, Tailor Man, Do You Follow Me.
What a freaking unexpected treat!
Listened to this while playing A Feast For Odin. I first listened to this album in like 2002 when I first started smoking weed. It blew my mind. The beginning reminded me of Charles Ives, but even more twisted. The reprise of album moments at the end also tickled the music geek in me. Listening to it now...I'm not quite as smitten as I was back then...but it still has some genuinely fantastic moments.
As a huge Broadcast fan it seems I am destined to absolutely lap this up. Slightly saddened to discover they lifted huge parts of their sound from this, but damn, they were good, so that's ok. Also it appears the USA didn't decide to make a whole album like the first track, mixing it up with standard 60s acid freakouts and differently weird stuff, so Broadcast came along and filled that void beautifully. Stop talking about Broadcast. Basically I prefer them to this but it turns out they're quite different. Second half of the album really picks up after a little bit of slackness creeps in. Where is Yesterday and Coming Down are cracking. Overall this is a fun, mad as a box of frogs album. I can only imagine what it sounded like in 1968 when everything was kicking off left right and centre across the globe.
Bonkers
Starts of with a goofy ahh beat, but after that its some nice experimental 60s psych music.
Lotta trippy 60s stuff…it has some really fun moments (standout track for me is “The Garden of Earthly Delights”), but a lot of the tracks go a little overboard on the sci-fi and slide whistle sound effects. Overall still a fun listen.
The United States of America’s The United States of America is undeservedly hated on. It features some trippy layers throughout the tracklist. I believe the main gripe with this album, for others, is that it feels awkwardly out of sync and not focused. However, in this particular case, I feel ir works well for the album. Take the serene Cloud Song, or the upbeat Hard Coming Love. This album is full of tone switches, and thats what I think I liked the most about it. All in all, The Untied States of America is a good album. Best Song: Hard Coming Love Worst Song: The American Metaphysical Circus
Interesting lyrics. Love her voice
60's psych rock is my poison. The singer adds a lot here. Her voice is kind of whimsical but also grounds the more experimental aspects with a pleasant and poppy sheen. Really interesting story behind them too. I dig it!
I thought this was excellent actually! Felt very Beatles influenced, but that's not a bad thing. I liked it's meandering experimental style. It had jarring stuff in there, don't get me wrong, but some pretty stuff too. Didn't know what to expect next!
Gear: Fostex TH610 Artwork: überraschend weder experimentell noch sonderlich beeindruckend - bei der kreativen Energie und mit dem Namen hätten sich so viele spannendere Artworks geradezu aufgedrängt... Mix: (be)rauschend, holografisch, Drums spielen auf anderem Planeten (aber immer brav im rechten Kanal), genialer Bass in "Where is Yesterday" Musik: psychedelisch, avantgardistisch und teils grenzwertig herausfordernd - aber immer spannend! Gerade der Einsatz elektronischer Musik ist echt beeindruckend - für ein über ein halbes Jahrhundert altes Album. Werde ich wieder hören (müssen)! 👍 Wertung: 🗽🗽🗽(🗽)/5
Hippie bullshit
Flott plata fyrir þessi tímamót, er nú ríflega hálfnaður. Þetta er mjög góð sjöundatugar psychedelía, stundum læti jú jú, en oftar en ekki frekar töff. Söngurinn góður, cacaphónían hófstillt og töff og á köflum grípandi lög. Mæli með.
Doors und Everything but the girl mit Klamauk. Great!
This is a glorious celebration of psychedelic experimental rock. Definitely not something I'll listen to all the time, but it's a fantastic album, and was really a groundbreaking album in its day.
I have a rule to only listen to albums in their original form, not the bloated bonus tracks that come on Spotify. So here I stopped after track 10, ignoring the further 10 tracks from some reissue done years later. There were some very good parts where everything seemed to come together perfectly. However, there were a few duller sections, often in the same songs, where it just wasn't as interesting. I could hear shades of many other bands that may or may not have been influenced by this album, everything from Hawkwind to Stereolab. I particularly enjoyed the electric violin. I loved the fact that, even halfway through a song, the album changed tack and went off in an entirely different direction. But it wasn't quite enough for 5 stars, so I'm awarding a strong 4 stars for this.
A pleasant surprise, with The Garden of Earthly Delights as an absolute highlight. There were a few moments where the psychedelics sounded a bit too jarring for me, but overall a very strong album.
8/10 Excerpt what this list should be for - interesting and good albums that have passed me by Never heard of them (kudos for the un-googleable name) and really liked it Sounds like a current band doing a pastiche of a 60s psychedelic album, a tribute to the production sounding way ahead of its time Elements of older/traditional, 60s contemporaries like the Beatles, Kinks, Beach Boys, and sample/electronic elements Really interesting and varied sounds Definitely drugs involved Reminded me of acts like Stereolab Best: Stranded in time
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The garden of earthly delights
Totally unfamiliar with this band or this record, but man this was interesting, fun and far out. Super solid record all around and really enjoyed it. I actually listened to the extra half hour of bonus stuff that the streaming release has, which I never do for albums on this--so I think that is really saying something.
I'd not heard of them before. But I loved it. Great feeling to the album.
This was weird as hell, and I liked it! Reminds me of a strange fusion of George Harrison-penned Beatles tunes, a little Frank Zappa and Nico on the vocals.
I really liked how experimental this sounded
Interesting instrumentation. Ambitious. I’ve never heard about this band or album before - kind of weird. It’s a pretty wild listen - must have been influential? Grew on me pretty well over a couple of spins.
Really cool instrumentation. I was beginning to think all old psychedelic music sounds the same but this showed me different
Psych rock is not my genre.
A very good balance of rock, electronic experimentation, and psychedelia. I haven't listened to this band before but I really loved this album at my first listen. This is the stuff that I find interesting, unique and different from so many other albums and genres I listen to. I'll definitely come back to this album later.
Weirdly good, loved some of the songs
This was weird, but in the absolute best way. I think I’m just a sucker for weird psychedelic 60s music. My favorite song on here by far was “The American Way Of Love” but “Where Is Yesterday” and “Coming Down” were up there too. I’d never heard of this band before, and I’m glad I listened to this album. I wish they’d put out more music.