I had big goals for this past summer: I wanted to get a job or internship, save money to buy a car, and have an adventurous summer that would culminate in a cross-country trip from Oregon to Maine. It was a slap in the face when no one back home would hire me (and when I say "no one," I mean Pottery Barn). I was forced to work under-the-table construction for a family friend and I slowly began to realize that I wasn't going to be able to afford a car.
So by July, I was broke and jobless with my bike as my only form of transportation. That being said, I had an amazing summer. My friends were also jobless and we spent our time hanging out in Portland. Eventually, we all embraced our financial situations and tried to have as much fun as possible.
It was a summer full of lazy days, parties and, most of all, music. There was one song in particular that soundtracked my summer life: "Deadbeat Summer" by Neon Indian. The title alone made me feel like the song was made especially for us and the song's mellow, down tempo synths captured that unique summery mood perfectly. The chorus, a simple repetition of "deadbeat summer, it's just a deadbeat summer," felt like an affirmation of my situation: something like, "I know I'm not doing s*** with my life right now, but I don't care. I'm just gonna dance to this song and not worry about anything else." I guess you could say it was my summer jam.
And "summery" is a good word to describe Neon Indian's full length debut. Every song on the recently released "Psychic Chasms" feels like it should be background music at a party or a barbecue. The entire album is drenched in a sunny daze. That's not to say that it doesn't work as an October release, because it does. As the air turns crisp and the leaves start to fall, a little summery synthpop might be exactly what we need.
Musically, Alan Palomo, the man behind this Austin, Texas based project, has a simple formula: boyish, playful vocals over layers of synths and samples with thumping bass to carry the groove. What makes the music unique, however, is Palomo's uncanny ability to create soundscapes that are simultaneously familiar yet inventive; it vaguely recalls '80s pop but feels appropriate for 2009, a time when synthpop acts like Washed Out and YACHT are becoming more and more prevalent in pop music.
While the front half of "Psychic Chasms" (home to "Deadbeat Summer") is good, the second half is amazing. The trippy "Mind, Drips" feels like a slowly cascading waterfall and "Ephemeral Artery" is a psychedelic jam that should burn up a few dance floors.
One of the album's many highlights comes in the title track, a glowing, dream-like masterpiece that gets better with each listen as the many layers unfold. One of these layers is Palomo's voice; he is less concerned with lyrical content as he is with creating a certain sound. It's hard to understand what he is saying sometimes because he uses his vocals almost as another instrument.
The album as a whole works very well; the short instrumental interludes work as transitions from one song to the next, and at just over 30 minutes, Psychic Chasms ends almost as soon as it starts, leaving us begging for more.
Neon Indian might not be the best band name ever (it's not the worst either—they still have !!! and Hoobastank to beat out for that title), but we won't hold that against them. Not when they've released an album that's as good as "Psychic Chasms." So go buy it (and when I say "buy," I mean download off of some random indie blog like I did), and dance away your worries.