There's no denying that cannabis is now mainstream, and with all that mainstreaming comes, of course, a heaping helping of good old-fashioned snobbery.
Just as a veteran wine drinker might turn their nose up at you for having the audacity to pair cabernet with havarti, so too do you run the risk of offending an experienced marijuanaut by failing to fine-tune your playlist selections to the strain du jour. (Though it's admittedly a small risk — we're not really a high-strung bunch.)
If you're worried about finding the perfect tune for your next smoke session, never fear: We've compiled six prime sonic selections from a wide array of genres, along with recommendations for which cannabis strain will bring out the best from the tunes.
FREDDIE GIBBS AND MADLIB, "HIGH"
If anyone's most fit to carry on hip-hop's grand tradition of odes to Mary Jane, it may just be Freddie Gibbs, who was kicked out of the Army for smoking the sweet leaf and found his calling as an MC thanks to a friend at a dead-end mall job. "High" finds Gibbs fondly recalling a time before his legendary cocaine hustle interrupted his youthful, carefree blaze-haze. The track features his effortlessly charismatic flow and a nicely cartoonish assist from Danny Brown to boot. It's not safe for work, but ideal for some time with your favorite bong.
PAIR WITH: Chemdawg, OG Kush, anything reliable and buzzy
MELVINS, "QUEEN"
The grunge veterans' aptly titled album Stoner Witch kicks into high gear with this steamrollering showcase of their trademark lumbering tempos and sludgy, swampy guitar tones. Full to bursting with chunky, distorted texture, "Queen" is less a chill vibe to kick back to and more a weighted blanket to reinforce that couch-lock.
PAIR WITH: A strong indica, like Grandaddy Purp
GLASS ANIMALS, "POOLS"
Before Glass Animals were chart-dominating indie rock stars with "Heat Waves," they were a funky, trippy art-pop outfit with a thing for bongo grooves. And they were never looser or bouncier than on this single from their 2014 debut, ZABA. Suffused in rubbery bass hits and Dave Bayley's whooshing falsetto, the infectious refrain of "I smile because I want to" pitches itself straight to the giggly stoners in the cheap seats.
PAIR WITH: Something sweet and mild, like Lemon Skunk or Golden Pineapple
EXPERIENCE UNLIMITED, "FUNKY CONSCIOUSNESS"
Experience Unlimited (E.U. on Spotify) blended R&B and jazz with psychedelic and progressive rock, helping to originate the Go-Go genre. This nine-minute cosmic funk excursion, the finale of their 1976 debut Free Yourself, delivers all the technicolor reefer fantasies of the best classic rock from the era — perfect for anyone going through a blacklight and/or lava lamp phase.
PAIR WITH: Acapulco Gold
EARTH, "ENGINE OF RUIN"
Olympia drone-metallers Earth have spent most of the 21st century expanding their pummeling, minimalist foundations into lush, vivid sonic landscapes. On this standout from their 2008 album The Bees Made Honey In The Lion's Skull, the band works a simple piano motif into a honeyed kaleidoscope of organ and guitar that practically begs you to melt into it.
PAIR WITH: Skywalker OG, Trainwreck (if that's how you roll) — the more mind-bending the better
NIGHTMARES ON WAX, "(MAN) THA JOURNEY"
Nightmares on Wax's 1995 album Smoker's Delight is an overlooked marvel of dubby, soulful downtempo electronica, and "(Man) Tha Journey" offers one of the Ibiza producer's most intoxicating beats to date. Whether just a bassline and a drum shuffle or when the track is at its busiest, it's a playful and fun blast.
PAIR WITH: Lamb's Bread or a good edible ♦
