Space Rock/Cosmic Rock
Space rock is a rock music genre characterized by loose and lengthy song structures centred on instrumental textures that typically produce a hypnotic, otherworldly sound. It may feature distorted and reverberation-laden guitars, minimal drumming, languid vocals, synthesizers and lyrical themes of outer space and science fiction.
The genre emerged in late 1960s psychedelia and progressive rock bands such as Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, and Gong who explored a “cosmic” sound. A new generation of alternative/indie bands drew on psychedelic rock, ambient music, experimental/avant-garde music, krautrock, classical minimalism, and noise pop. This later style was pioneered in the mid-1980s by Spacemen 3, who developed a “drone-heavy” sound. By the 1990s, space rock developed into shoegazing and post-rock with bands such as Failure, Hum, Flying Saucer Attack, and Orange Goblin.