Flavor Crystals: Ambergris (2007)

Need some post-modern ambient headphone jams, some somber psychedelia to just zone out to?  I've found your answer.  Minneapolis' Flavor Crystals have been quietly releasing trippy mood music for the past decade and a half; this, their second album, is probably my favorite, but all are equally effective at delivering an evening of drug-free (or drug-enhanced, if that's your bag) mellowness to your head.

Strains of post-90s shoegaze and dreampop abound, echoes of Yo La Tengo's quieter drones, mostly just reverb-drenched guitars and hushed vocals over patient grooves.  It's one of the albums I like to bring on long flights, alongside my Brian Eno collection, to help me try to squeeze in a few winks (which, as a chronic insomniac, rarely works, but it's still pretty relaxing.)  Not much more to say other than slip on some headphones and give 'em a shot.

Here's an audio rip for "Ambergris":

...and "Squid Ink":

..and "Guppython":

...and "Snobrite":

Alas, this album is missing from Spotify (so go buy it on Bandcamp!), but you can stream most of their other albums.  Here's 2015's Shiver of the Flavor Crystals as an alternative; it's got a similar vibe but is occasionally more upbeat, even poppy (i.e. "Diamond Mine"):