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The Best Albums To Listen To When You’re High

To celebrate the day of great greenery this coming 4/20, we’ve rummaged together a collection of some of the best albums to explore when you hit the green leaf. So light up, zone out and turn up these iconic records:

Lonerism — Tame Impala

Let the steady pace of the looped drums and twinkling synths in “Be Above It” send your senses into a mindful array of illusion, man. While tracks like “Music To Walk
Home By,” unspiral in a fluid motion of constantly evolving rhythms, guitar licks both effortlessly catchy and hypnotic. Kevin Parker speaks to his “influences” while writing music in an article with GQ: “If I’m fleshing out a song, smoking can make it more potent — like turning up the volume of the ideas in your head. But you’re just as likely to turn up a bad idea, as a good one, so I don’t smoke it if I want to think rationally.”

Agaetis Byrjun — Sigor Ros

Icelandic post rock group Sigor Ros have a flair for writing sleepy bedroom indie rock that conjures imagery of nature. The second studio album, Agaetis Byrjun will take you on a sonic journey through rolling hills, lush landscapes and forests of pine.

 

The Dark Side of The Moon — Pink Floyd

“Breathe in, breathe in the air. Don’t be afraid to care.” Iconic, textural and as thick as a cloud of smoke, The Dark Side of The Moon is the perfect 4/20 album and best enjoyed with the good ‘ol Wizard of Oz sync.

 

Drunk — Thundercat

Thundercat’s third studio album is best described by Pitchfork as an “anxious stoner album, the aural equivalent of late night channel surfing.” The 70’s funk and R&B fusion makes for an eclectic combination of insanely groovy baselines and wonderfully amusing yet complexly layered falsettos. Politically charged, humorous, downright weird and unmistakably “chill,” the album makes for a perfect night of quiet introspection.

Paranoid — Black Sabbath

Chiming in as one of the most influential heavy metal albums ever made, Paranoid is a remarkable (and appropriately titled) album to rock out to when you’re stoned. Paranoid is best enjoyed in it’s entirety, especially with an opening track as insanely righteous as “War
Pigs.”


 

You Forgot It In People — Broken Social Scene

What would this list be without a burgeoning album from our angsty, misadventured youth? You’ve probably sat cooped up in your bedroom with nothing but your unrelenting thoughts pouring out into your teenage journals and fixated on wreaking havoc in your neighborhood with “Cause = Time” on full blast. This album bleeds experimental, galloping melodies overflowing with mumbled vocals with relentless trepidation.

Junk — M83

Junk is a dreamy, reverb soaked treasure unearthed by the French electronic masterminds M83. Let the floating mix of savory synths, vivacious violins and evolving vocals subdue you into an ever expanding auditory bliss.

b’lieve i’m goin down… — Kurt Vile

Kurt Vile’s relaxed vocals and country-inspired folk rock is the ideal soundtrack to any stoner’s daytime adventures. Whether you’re lazing about indoors or walking around in the sunshine, Kurt Vile’s most recent album (not counting his collab with Courney Barnett) will put a smile on your face and have you feeling at ease.

An Awesome Wave — Alt-J

An Awesome Wave is perfect for your quirky, incredibly sonic textural experience of distorted bass tones, cosmic and liberally sparse guitars and infectious vocal twangs. So in other words, it’s really awesome, maaaan.

Kid A — Radiohead

Kid A is an album that can only be experienced at it’s most unsullied potential through its uninterrupted entirety — 49 minutes and 56 seconds of pure auditory bliss.


The Chronic — Dr. Dre

The debut studio album of the Doctor himself, Dr. Dre’s The Chronic was made to be enjoyed in a cloud of smoke. A genre-definer in the world of West Coast hip hop, The Chronic quickly turned Dre into the pioneer of G-Funk in the early 90s, while also landing as one of the greatest rap albums of all time.

Devotion — Beach House

Beach House pretty much defined a genre of indie rock, as the purveyors of dream pop. While you could certainly choose any album from their expansive catalogue, smoking as you listen to their highly acclaimed second studio album Devotion is an absolute treat. Follow Victoria Legrand’s soaring vocals through a cascading forest of fuzz, synths, floating drums and trippy sound effects.

 

Person Pitch — Panda Bear

The Third solo album from Panda Bear, Person Pitch is one of the most critically acclaimed records of the last two decades and has often been credited with inspiring the chillwave genre. Composed predominantly of loops, harmonies and trippy samples underneath Noah Lennox’s reverb-drenched vocals, Person Pitch will have you soaring high though a colourful kaleidoscope landscape.

Photo courtesy of Unai Mateo via Flickr.

Please be responsible, don’t smoke and drive.

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