Psychedelic Pop

Psychedelic pop is a genre that applies elements of Psychedelia to Pop music. The sound produced is often intended to emulate the way music sounds while under the effects of psychedelic drugs. It emphasizes catchy melodic hooks and vocal harmonies, similar to Sunshine Pop. However, unlike sunshine pop, psychedelic pop always retains a quality of surrealism, usually achieved with abstract lyricism and/or the liberal use of tape effects like slapback echo, reverb, or flanging. The genre makes frequent use of instruments standard in Pop Rock music, but is usually supplemented by instruments considered unorthodox for pop recordings in the early-to-mid 1960s, such as orchestral elements, theremin, zither, or tack piano. Psychedelic pop developed alongside Psychedelic Folk and Psychedelic Rock. Two of its leading artists, The Beach Boys and The Beatles, pioneered the idea of "using the studio as an instrument." Their albums Pet Sounds and Revolver brought psychedelic music into the mainstream. Other examples which soon followed include The Zombies' Odessey and Oracle, The Millennium's Begin, and The Left Banke's Walk Away Renée / Pretty Ballerina.