Underwater affirmation

God bless the boys of Animal Collective for reminding us that psychedelic sound mining can easily intersect with pop bliss. Panda Bear's Tomboy effort continued the gang's winning streak, with some excellent tunes that belong more to a hidden underwater world than a starry-night campfire. This one makes me a bit misty in that anthemic way. On the other hand, tears under the sea? That doesn't really seem possible.

Panda Bear - You Can Count On Me

You'll lose your mind and play

It's a rare song that hits on most of the hallmarks of psychedelic music without coming off like a parody. Pre-arena Pink Floyd were aces at that. And not just in long form. Syd Barrett could conjure musical visions from the outer (inner?) regions in the space of a tight pop song. Case in point...

Pink Floyd - See Emily Play

Obscured by clouds

Well, it blizzarded again. And except for when the wind picked up (or a kid tried to throw a snowball but fell down and started crying), there was an excellent calmness to the snow blanket. It all made me want to stay home and throw the layers on. So, here's a song for mental bathrobes and innerspace voyaging.

I always thought that this one was mistitled. They keep talking about the sun, but it's all dark spaces with only flickers of light to guide the way. I guess the floor tom mallets help with the compassing too.

Pink Floyd - Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun