| Neon Indian | |
|---|---|
Neon Indian (Alan Palomo pictured) performing at Sudoeste Festival 2011. |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Denton, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Indie pop, synthpop, chillwave, New Wave, noise pop |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Labels | Fader, Static Tongues, Lefse Records, Arts & Crafts México |
| Website | Neon Indian on MySpace |
| Members | |
| Alan Palomo Leanne Macomber Jason Faries Lars Larsen |
|
| Past members | |
| Ronald Gierhart | |
Neon Indian is an indie electronic band from Denton, Texas.[1] The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo (born July 24, 1988), also known for his work with the band Ghosthustler and as the artist VEGA. The band's debut, Psychic Chasms, has received many favorable reviews, including the designation of Best New Music and 14th best album of 2009 by Pitchfork Media.[2] The Rolling Stone magazine called Neon Indian one of the hottest new bands of 2010.[3]
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Palomo who was born in Monterrey, Mexico moved to San Antonio, Texas at the age of 5, relocating to Denton, Texas for college. As he grew through much of his high school years, he had already been writing and performing music before the inception of Neon Indian, in his projects Ghosthustler and VEGA. Shortly before the release of Psychic Chasms, Palomo said he planned on releasing another album as VEGA, although this has not yet happened, and it is unclear if it ever will.[4] In an interview, Palomo cites his father as a musical influence, "just because that's how he makes his living-- he had a brief stint in the late 70s and early 80s as a Mexican pop star." Palomo also shared that he sampled some of his father's material in his work with Neon Indian.[5]
The name Neon Indian was conceived by an ex-girlfriend of Palomo's, who was also the subject of their song "Should Have Taken Acid With You."[6] The song was originally presented as a musical apology for a missed acid date. Her positive reaction to the song spurred Palomo to continue writing more songs as Neon Indian.[5]
On October 13, 2009, Palomo released his debut LP Psychic Chasms on Lefse Records. The album was designated Best New Music by music website Pitchfork Media.[7] Pitchfork also listed two tracks from Psychic Chasms in their list of The Top 100 Tracks of 2009.[8] Pitchfork Ranked "Psychic Chasms" 14th on its Top 50 Albums of 2009 staff list.[2] "Should Have Taken Acid With You" was listed as the year's 74th top track and "Deadbeat Summer" came in at number 13. The Hype Machine ranked Psychic Chasms as the 47th best album of 2009.[9] Spin Magazine praised the album for its "dreamy collage of samples and synth tones."[10] Thought Catalog reviewed it from a penile perspective,[11] to which Palomo responded with "Finally! Someone hears the penises!"[12]
Psychic Chasms was released in the UK on Palomo's Static Tongues label on September 20, 2010. It includes all original tracks from the US version, plus "Sleep Paralysist" and several remixes to original Psychic Chasms songs.[13]
Recorded in Helsinki, Finland during the winter of 2010, Era Extraña (a Spanish language title, literally "Strange Era" or "She Was Strange," depending on the context) was released September 13, 2011 on Palomo's Static Tongues imprint. [14] Soon after the new album's release, Palamo will commence a US tour with bands Com Truise and Purity Ring.
On April 20, 2011, Palomo released a clip from his new album entitled Heart: Attack, which featured shots of Palomo in Helsinki, Finland while a new song titled Heart: Release played in the background. It was said to be the first of a three-part instrumental piece which will be featured on the upcoming album. [15]
The album was available as a full stream on NPR's "First Listen" project.[16]
When performing, Palomo is joined on stage by a live band, consisting of Jason Faries (drums), Leanne Macomber (keyboard, vocals) and Lars Larsen (Live Visuals).[17] Ronald Gierhart played guitar and sang in the live group prior to 2011, leaving to finish college and begin a solo project (Ronnie Heart).[18]
On February 11, 2010, Neon Indian had its national television debut on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The band performed a medley of the songs "Terminally Chill" and "Ephemeral Artery".[19]
Neon Indian has played several prominent independent music festivals, including Moogfest, North Coast Music Festival South by Southwest, Bonnaroo Music Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival, Sasquatch! Music Festival, MtyMx All Ages Festival of Art and Music, Monolith Festival, Virgin Mobile Festival, Austin City Limits Festival, Emmabodafestivalen, Incubate, Bestival, and Camp Bisco. Neon Indian has toured with Phoenix, Prefuse 73,[20] Miniature Tigers, Massive Attack, Chromeo, Sleigh Bells, Real Estate, and Wild Nothing.
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [21] |
US Dance [21] |
||
| 2009 | Psychic Chasms
|
- | 11 |
| 2010 | Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed
|
- | - |
| 2011 | Era Extraña
|
74 | 4 |
** (This single was written and recorded with Chris Taylor from Grizzly Bear for Mountain Dew's Green Label Sound Series)