Neon Indian
Psychic Chasms

THE REVIEW

Alan Palomo is a twenty-one-year-old from Austin, Texas, probably so obsessed with the Beach Boys, early video games, and cassette tapes that he decided from his first project, Ghosthustler, to devote himself to the effects that acid might have on these passions. For example, by taking childhood soundtracks or theme songs from some '80s animations, reshaping them, cutting and stitching a little everywhere with the heavy use of keyboards, samples, drum machines, and recording on worn-out tapes.

More precisely, he himself declares that the Neon Indian creature was born from a summer afternoon spent with the band's current visual artist, Alicia Scardetta, and the intention to indulge it under the influence of acid, which didn't happen, a real shame but also the necessary inspiration to write "Should Have Taken Acid With You," a lo-fi anthem full of spacey beats and dreamy keyboards that will occupy the heart of "Psychic Chasms." The project initially didn't envision a full-fledged band; rather, Alan was working alone on drafts, then the need to be joined by other musicians arose with the need to reproduce the work live, bringing those melancholic vibes around. The melodies and sounds, in fact, are nostalgic, they leave a bit of a lump in the throat perhaps because they celebrate twenty-year-old memories set aside but indelible for the enormous psychedelic potential they hold (after listening to this album, you'll probably find yourself rediscovering the most hallucinogenic themes of old semi-unknown Japanese cartoons or even better, dusting off Yellow Magic Orchestra).

Psychic Chasms starts with "(AM)," a brief and obsessive intro followed by "Deadbeat Summer," a track that evokes twilight beaches, light winds, and burnt photos. Funk psychedelias ("Terminally Chill") alternate with synth-pop solutions closer to MGMT on opiates ("6669 I Don't Know If You Know") united by lyrics that, to be generous, are nihilistic. Noteworthy, among the best tracks present, are the aforementioned "Should Have Taken Acid With You" and the equally dreamy "Local Joke."

The album flows pleasantly, and the drunkenness it mimics is not burdensome, especially due to its duration (just right in this case) that does not exceed thirty minutes. A debut to remember and a style already well-defined, a record that presents strong characters but above all linearity and homogeneity, an achievement not at all easy to reach given the nature of the developed ideas.

Label: Lefse

Release Date: October 13, 2009

Tracklist:

1. (AM)

2. Deadbeat Summer

3. Laughing Gas

4. Terminally Chill

5. (If I Knew, I'd Tell You)

6. 6669 (I Don't Know If You Know)

7. Should Have Taken Acid With You

8. Mind, Drips

9. Psychic Chasms

10. Local Joke

11. Ephemeral Artery

12. 7000 (Reprise)