Customer Reviews

Psychic Chasms

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The buzz first started on these two mysterious figures comprising Neon Indian earlier this year. It's not hard to figure out why they caused a stir - their sound is immediately striking for how far it pushes the lo-fi angle. One blogger charmingly described it as "a cassette mixtape left to bake in a Celica for 25 years." What's so amazing is that it doesn't feel gimicky at all. It just comes off as an incredibly arresting sound that I honestly don't think could work any other way. The absolute standouts are "Deadbeat Summer" and my favorite, "6669 (I don't know if you know)". Most of the tracks are pretty chill, and this is the kind of stuff you bob your head to, instead of full-on convulsions expressed on the dance floor (or front seat of a car). With one exception. The last track, "7000 (Reprise)" knocks it up quite a bit, and I can't help but rock with the increased intensity of the music. Hopefully Neon Indian will bust out more of this or that with future work.

I love this. I heard this in a record store and had to ask who they were playing.

This sounds like someone's cassette mix tape from 1978 that has been sitting on the dashboard of a Pinto for the last 30 years baking in the sun. It sounds "damaged". But still very catchy, almost cloying pop. The sound of this actually reminds me of some late 70s Paul McCartney records that were synth based ("With A Little Luck", "Wonderful Christmas Time") as well synth forays made by other pop-mainstream artists at time (Stevie Wonder comes to mind and I keep thinking I hear the riff of "What a Fool Believes" by the Doobie Brothers.) Apparently there is a Todd Rundgren sample as well - which makes sense. I am not sure anything I just said will make someone actually want to buy this album (I mean, I hate "What a Fool Believes" and "Wonderful Christmas Time" has to be one of the most insipid records ever) but somehow all of this works. Get it!

Neon Indian sounds, alternatively, like a cross between Daft Punk, MGMT, and some guy smoking pot. Kinda.
The dopey vocals are kind of endearing in their way, and a few of the songs are great. This CD could've been longer, but at the length and price it is, it's definitely worth it. 6669 is the star, in my opinion, but the other songs are also very good. You know you have something when you catch yourself, listening to the last CD, simultaneously wondering when the CD will loop around and start the other songs, and how they could make such a catchy riff [7000 is really good, but it isn't my favorite].