Notes on Era Extraña by Neon Indian

Ahh Spanish its such an old language, and it might soon mix with English and die off just like Latin. Or not Neon Indian is a "chillwave" or "glo-fi" band. Alan Palomo, I'm proud of you man. Mexican-born texan, Alan is the genius of Neon Indian, he also is known for ghosthustler and VEGA. He gives real Mexicans a good name unlike stuck up cholo/chicanos claiming to be Mexican. Besides that he is a genius of the electronica genre otherwise known as indietronica, who he and his band released psychic chasms in 2009 and helped create a movement in the electronic genre called chillwave. With the release of this new album we were expecting great things and him and his band didn't let us down did he?

1. Heart: Attack: Opening track: static sounding, beaming, full of twinkling and bleeps and buzzing. Short but setup to introduce...

2. Polish Girl: Around this time i'd give you an impression of what the music would sound like in words but its hard to transform the complex bleeps and bloops into words. Synth is amazing, I hear buzzing, flange, and other electronic sounds I can't describe. His vocals are as psychedelic as ever, and the beat its dragging your feet to the dancefloor. There is so much climax in the chorus and it continues still. To bad I'm not old enough to go clubbing because this song would be banging at any good bar.

3. The Blindside Kiss: A wave of synth on acid breaks past the end of polish girl. It speeds up until the vocals enter, then it stabilizes and the pretty sounds continues. The highly processed vocals don't ruin the sound but it builds a better sound, highly addictive and liquid.

4. Hex Girlfriend: The noise of tiny digital chaos. The transition to catchy electronic beats and vocals just amazes me. This song is very good it has just enough chaos and order to keep the song in check with its own destruction. Bliss song really its got a happy tone to it from beginning and end. One of the best song of the album.

5. Heart: Decay: Highlights from a movie or television show play, in the background of this song, while the music plays very passive music with an abrupt ending.

6. Fallout: Sound very chill and electric in the beginning. The drum beat is nice. I can't say I don't like this song. The sound is like of a zombie movie but the movie isn't scary. Still creepy but terribly chill and relaxing. It's very laid back and the vocals help give it that sound, that's why its one of my favorite songs.

7. Era Extraña: Peaceful, resting sound. All of a sudden an angry synth pops up. The angry synth is causing chaos. The vocals barely touch the surface of the music and the chaotic damage is still taking place and the halls are filled with mirrors reflecting the sound in a mid 80's style beat.

8. Halogen (I Could Be A Shadow): It sounds like someone took a vinyl and is playing an old record but is holding the vinyl back refusing to let it go faster but is failing horribly. It's really glam and shoegazey, its really great for shoegaze not from the 80's. It is very vintage sounding, very memorable, and the vocals are very soothing.

9. Future Sick: The beat sound really out of tune, like a DJ playing a song but in a very deep and slow tone and looping it. I'm pretty sure he did that he took an old song and slowed it down and lowered the pitch and added vocals and the occasional synth, He pulled it off though I give him that also he formed a song out of someone else's album and made it his own.

10. Suns Irrupt: We have lazer sound effects in the beginning, really stange for an intro by the way, a synth begins and a drum beat creates a whole new atmosphere. An atmosphere were you can dance to strobe lights and high pitch squeals of synth. You can hear a vibrating dance club or a loud bedroom with someone dancing in the background, destroying their bed.

11. Heart: Release: Like heart: attack this song is an instrumental (if you think computers are legitimate instruments) anyway this song is really great, its a good jam party song. It's short and really groovy it has the catchy bass line with just enough umph to get you moving, the synth is an extra layer of goodness that perfects the cake.

12. Arcade Blues: Ok first off this sounds like an old arcade game rip or something around those lines, the old Sega games the pre mortal combat games with the fighter type joystick games. Anyway he really just sings over the intro with a synth in the front drowning the arcade sound effect. The lyrics are kind of sad though, the beat is very great especially if your into the need for madness soundtrack. It reminds me of the music of the "beach party" level in the first need for madness.

This album is amazing, I'm kinda regretting not getting the vinyl at urban outfitters today though, its an amazing album really its so full of glam and electro pop mixed with shoegaze remixes. The volume and feel is tremendously good and if you like "chillwave" or good shoegaze style albums GET THIS ALBUM. I can't say anything other than that though I should tell you to go to the Neon Indian concert and see the live band he has. Speaking of they're coming too, I can't go though, but anyway its a good album so buy it if you like electronica.