by Andrew Sacher

Neon Indian - 'Era Extrana'

Back in April, we mentioned that Neon Indian (aka Alan Palomo) was working on a new LP, though little information was available. It's since been revealed that the album will be titled Era Extraña and will be released "on Palomo's own Static Tongues imprint in conjunction with Mom + Pop Music in North America, Transgressive Records in the United Kingdom and Europe, Pop Frenzy/Inertia in Australia and Big Nothing Records in Japan." That's the cover art above.

Alan, who hates the term 'chillwave' anyway, further distances himself on this album from the 'genre.' While bands like Toro y Moi and Memory Tapes are practically full blown disco acts, with Era Extraña, Neon Indian is diving more into the psychedelic pop he created on his 2009 debut Psychic Chasms. Though he's no longer using those sometimes-tongue-in-cheek song titles like "Deadbeat Summer" and "Terminally Chill" to let you know his synth pop is more on the experimental side. He's instead exploring new sounds and musical themes that demand to be taken more seriously. Running throughout the album is a three-part instrumental piece titled "Heart: Attack", "Heart: Decay", and "Heart: Release". He flirts with late '80s shoegaze on the guitar-driven "Blindside Kiss." Like other lo-fi artists are starting to do, he's embracing clearer pop vocals on some of the tracks like "Polish Girl" and "Hex Girlfriend," but the most interesting element of the new album is the experimentation with electronics. Era Extraña doesn't come off as the work of a pop artist with a keyboard and reverb, but rather an experimental artist who understands pop.

The video for "Heart: Attack" surfaced with that initial album announcement in April and now the one for "Heart: Decay" is available as well. Check both out below. The album was produced and mixed with Dave Fridmann, known for his work with The Flaming Lips, who Alan recorded a 4-track EP with earlier this year. The EP was even more far-out and experimental than anything by either artist involved. Vinyl pressings of that EP sold out pretty quickly but there are some available on ebay. Or try mediafire at your own risk.

Neon Indian will tour in support of the album this September and October. Whether Danny of the Big Sleep is still on guitar by that point, like he was at Governors Ball, remains to be seen but is likely if the tour doesn't coincide with the release of the new Big Sleep album (which is coming soon). All dates are listed below.

The Neon Indian tour concludes in NYC on October 21 at Webster Hall which means the show is probably part of CMJ. Check ticketmaster for Webster Hall tickets (or maybe wait to see if you can get in with your CMJ badge).

While Neon Indian's music is soaked in nostalgia, the Webster Hall show and other October dates are being opened by the futuristic electro-pop duo Purity Ring. As of now, the Webster show will be Purity Ring's first in NYC. Com Truise also open some dates on the tour.

All tour dates and videos below...

Continue reading "Neon Indian announces new LP & tour w/ Purity Ring (2 new videos, cover art & lots of dates)"

photos by Chris La Putt

DOWNLOAD: Au Revoir Simone - Another Likely Story (Neon Indian RMX) (MP3)

Erika from Au Revoir Simone joined Neon Indian for a song @ Governors Island

Special guests are usually show highlights, and this time was no exception though Erika Forster's appearance on stage with Neon Indian on Governors Island was a bit marred by the fact that you could barely hear her at first. They played a live version of the Neon Indian remix of "Another Likely Story". The second half of the song was really good though, as was most of Neon Indian's headlining set. Some in the crowd held glo-sticks and wore headdresses as they danced along to the chill waves being transmitted over the multi-colored, lit-up palmtree-decorated beach that gives everyone a beautiful view of the Manhattan and Jersey City skylines (including the performers who made note of the view at least once).

The Converse-presented "Gone to Governors" show also included entertaining and free sets by Prefuse 73, Dom, Nite Jewel, and late addition, Arizona band Miniature Tigers who were kept secret until after their Friday night Mercury Lounge show with the Spinto Band. At Governors Island, they went on at 8 and played 6 songs. I missed them by a minute (I got there before Nite Jewel went on).

Neon Indian, who produced the track "Gold Skull" on Miniature Tigers' new album, will pair of up with Miniature Tigers again, for a fall tour, and for a semi-secret, private NYC show at The Studio at Webster Hall tonight (8/16). The intimate show will be taped and streamed live by MTV.com.

7:30 doors
8pm Miniature Tigers
9pm Neon Indian

Neon Indian will be releasing "a newly mastered deluxe edition CD and double Vinyl" of their debut album Psychic Chasms "on September 28, 2010 and digitally on August 31 via FADER Label / Static Tongues"...

...The album's new version, which is augmented by Mind Ctrl: Psychic Chasms Possessed, contains nine bonus tracks consisting of exclusive remixes and cover versions by Toro Y Moi, DNTEL, Bibio, Javelin, YACHT and more.

Psychic Chasms was first released on indie-label Lefse Records last October and has since been embraced by numerous critics...

Continue reading "Neon Indian & Miniature Tigers played Governors Island (pics), playing the Studio tonight (win tix, stream it live) "

interview by Billy Jones

DOWNLOAD: Memory Tapes - Green Knight (Creep remix) (MP3) (via)
DOWNLOAD: Memory Tapes - Bicycle (MP3)

"For a guy who's never been on tour before, Dayve Hawk's Memory Tapes does a much better job than many bands well-versed in live performance. It's probably because his music is just so good he'd have to work hard to make it sound bad, and with the addition of live drumming and guitar, it sounded totally fantastic. It took me a while to warm up to Seek Magic, but live his work is clarified, catchy, and precise, more immediate than on the album. Vocals and instruments rose above sound effects. Indeed, a Memory Tapes record is for spaced-out, sunny afternoons; a Memory Tapes show is a place to let go and dance. We always need more of those. Thanks for giving us another one, Dayve." [Tiny Mix Tapes]

Billy Jones, who recently talked to Dave Sitek on the phone and Dom via Gchat, caught up with Dayve Hawk via email. Their conversation can be read below....

Continue reading "an interview w/ Memory Tapes (who plays MHOW Saturday) "

photos by David Andrako

Small Black & Washed Out @ The Bell House

[Beach House's] opener, Washed Out, one-man band Ernest Greene, also showed command in his performance, which is a challenge for a solo artist/performer. The music was literally ringing, as he vibrated the venue with synthesizers and looped vocals. Though Washed Out managed to have a strong presence playing alone (a combination of sick beats + him prancing around with microphone in hand), his set really came alive when the band members of Small Black joined him on stage for the latter half of his set. They played a show together the night before at the Bell House and it was evident that there was amazing chemistry there. [Morning After Pills]

Small Black next plays a hometown show on a Wednesday, July 14th at Mercury Lounge with "Special Guests." Tickets are on sale. It's the final date of a currently-very-short U.S. tour.

More Bell House pictures and all tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Small Black played the Bell House w/ Washed Out (belated pics), playing Mercury Lounge & other tour dates "

photos by Chris La Putt

DOWNLOAD: Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round & Round (MP3)

"Ariel Pink completely obliterating to the max at mercury lounge! and being wasted on top of that is a plus plus pus." - Neon Indian

"How long does it take for an indie rocker to become a musical granddaddy? About five years.

In 2004 the Brooklyn band Animal Collective -- nearly granddaddies themselves at that time -- introduced a musical prankster from Los Angeles called ARIEL PINK (real name: Ariel Rosenberg). His albums, credited to Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti, were a hazy mess, from the layers of cruddy tape hiss to the way the songs seemed to absorb chunks from other songs, like a radio tuning in random stations. Somewhere beneath all this interference shone nuggets of nostalgic pop.

Flash forward to 2009, as music blogs alighted with a wave of new acts like Neon Indian, Washed Out and Memory Tapes that used clouds of reverb to distort 1980s-esque electronic pop. (Think Depeche Mode, underwater.) These bands were alternately identified as chillwave or glo-fi, but they were following a trail first laid by Ariel Pink." [NY Times]

The always-interesting R Stevie Moore ("one of Mr. Pink's personal heroes") opened the Mercury Lounge show where Billy Jones reports that "Bright Lit Blues Skies was great but Ariel Pink didn't play the last chorus, outro to Round and Round. Kind of a dick move."

If you want to see Ariel, actual touring kicks off June 8th in Paris, and then again on July 9th in LA. The next NYC show is at the much larger Irving Plaza on July 24th and tickets are on sale (on a related note, Memory Tapes play MHOW this summer, and Washed out play The Bell House tonight).

More pictures and a video from the Mercury Lounge show, and a video of Ariel Pink sort of performing "Round & Round" recently for Viva Radio, below...

Continue reading "Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti played Mercury Lounge with R. Stevie Moore (pics & video) & Viva Radio (video) "

DOWNLOAD: Memory Tapes - Bicycle (Little Loud Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Dom - Jesus (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Memory Tapes - Bicycle (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Twin Sister - Lady Daydream (Cassette Version) (MP3)

Memory Tapes @ The Bell House in February (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

I'm happy to announce the BrooklynVegan Northside Festival showcase, happening on Saturday, June 26th at Music Hall of Williamburg with Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM and ZAZA. $15 Tickets (ARE NOW ON SALE) --- go on sale Friday, April 30th Saturday at noon (the show is 18+). A certain amount of tickets will also be reserved for Northside badge holders. Info on those passes and other Northside shows TBA.

The L Magazine-created Northside Festival debuted last year, and runs from June 24-27 this year, the same weekend as Williamsburg Walks. Most of the venues in Williamsburg and Greenpoint will be participating. If you missed it last year, it's like a mini CMJ where you can either just go to whatever shows you want, or buy a badge that lets you jump from show to show, capacity (and mood of the venue) permitting. The idea is that it's all contained within the Brooklyn neighborhood(s), mostly walking distance from each other.

For Memory Tapes, the Brooklyn show will be their third NYC performance ever (despite head member Dayve Hawk living in Jersey). He previously opened for Atlas Sound at The Bell House, and played a Self-Titled party at Tribeca Grand right after that. The sequenced tracks on his CD, Seek Magic, might have you wondering about the band's live arrangement. For that, Hawk sings and plays guitar, and is now backed by one band member. They'll be debuting a "reworked live show" at Music Hall. Check out video of past shows below.

Twin Sister has been playing around town quite a bit over these past few weeks - most recently at the Morning Benders' Mercury Lounge show last night (pics coming). They'll be at Rooftop Films Opening Night on May 14th and a release show for their Color Your Life EP at Glasslands on May 28th. They tour with Bear in Heaven this July.

DOM of Worcester, Mass, has sooner shows coming up as well, one of those is the release party for Keepaway's EP at Mercury Lounge on May 18th.

ZAZA, who Bill recently called "one of the best, most under-appreciated bands in the city right now", are in Europe on tour with Black Rebel Motorcycle Club this May.

Sample tracks are above, and videos from all the bands (including Twin Sister covering Daft Punk on a roof) are below...

Continue reading "Memory Tapes, Twin Sister, DOM & ZAZA are playing the BV Northside Fest showcase (and other dates) ++ MP3s, video "

Washed Out @ Mercury Lounge (more by Benjamin Lozovsky)

Washed Out and Small Black, whose March & April tour together already brought them to Mercury Lounge for two nights and to Music Hall of Williamsburg for one, have more shows scheduled together. One of them is in NYC, and soon. They'll play the Bell House in Brooklyn on May 5th. Tickets are on sale.

The Bell House show happens one day before Washed Out opens for Beach House at Webster Hall (sold out). After NYC, BH & WO continue touring to Philly and Baltimore. Washed Out and Small Black will tour Europe together starting at the end of May. Beach House will be back in NYC in July to open for the National in Prospect Park. By then, Washed Out and Beach House will have both played the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago. All dates below...

Continue reading "Washed Out & Small Black add more shows, Beach House too"

Toro y Moi @ Brooklyn Bowl - 3/26/10 (by Anna Hiort)

Toro y Moi is currently on tour with The Ruby Suns. Last night (3/26), was their NYC show at music venue and bowling alley Brooklyn Bowl (where the Grates play tonight). The show went as planned until later in the night after Toro y Moi (aka Chaz Bundick) packed up his car and was ready to leave. Still needing to get paid or use the bathroom or attend to some other matter (I'm not sure exactly what), he went back in to the club before taking off. During that short time, someone broke the lock on his car door and stole his clothes, passport and laptop!

That sucks so bad, though at least they didn't get his guitar which was also in the vehicle. Regardless, his laptop is essential to his live show so he was forced to cancel the next four dates including tonight (3/27) at The Middle East in Cambridge, and Vermont and two shows in Canada. He'll use that time to regroup, get some ID, get a new computer and meet back up with the Ruby Suns in time to play the March 31st show at Schubas in Chicago. Hopefully Chaz doesn't hold this against Brooklyn where he'll return to on May 7th to kick off a tour with Caribou. If you happen across any of his stuff, contact him. A video from the Brooklyn Bowl show below...

Continue reading "Toro y Moi robbed after last night's Brooklyn Bowl show w/ The Ruby Suns - 4 shows cancelled "

words & photos by Erez Avissar

Going by phone/digital camera clips I'd seen online, I wasn't expecting what I got from Neon Indian Tuesday night. This genre called "chillwave" seemed to me all but doomed to ever really work well in the live setting -- not only is it all lo-fi and bedroomy, but Alan Palomo's peers (Toro Y Moi, Washed Out, Memory Tapes) didn't make the decision to recruit a live band. Opener Toro Y Moi was good, but yeah, there is only so much one man can do live.

Neon Indian, fresh off a European tour, played with loads of confidence, improvising, tweaking, and expanding. And they delivered: "Terminally Chill" hit hard, as did "Deadbeat Summer," and the rest of the highlights from their great record. I didn't think there were any songs left for an encore, but what did they do? Come back out (sans-Leanne Macomber) as Vega to play an extended (12" version?), totally spaced/funked-out "No Reason," temporarily turning the place into the best club on earth.

Neon Indian finish their three-night NYC run at Brooklyn Bowl tonight (12/17) with Tigercity and Awesome New Republic (tickets available at the door?). More pictures from the first of two shows at Mercury Lounge below...

Continue reading "Neon Indian, Toro y Moi & MNDR played Mercury Lounge - pics "

DOWNLOAD: Toro Y Moi - Blessa (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lunar Youth - Misfits (MP3)

Toro y Moi

"Memory Tapes, Toro Y Moi, Washed Out and Future Trends all have signature styles, but all are responsible for some of that private, warm, hypnagogic music. They're also four of the most notable actors in a scene no-one has a name for yet. The name I'm going with, for the sake of ease and this essay, is 'glo-fi' - for its connotations with warmth and radiance and its proximity to 'lo-fi', it seems a better fit than 'chillwave', an alternative name found hanging in the weed burps of rad 'net dudes that won't stink us out for too long." [The Quietus]

On Tuesday and Wednesday, Toro y Moi shares opens for fellow chillwaver Neon Indian at the sold out Mercury Lounge shows. It's one of three NYC shows for Neon Indian who also play Brooklyn Bowl on Thursday (12/17) (also now sold out).

Toro y Moi's first full-length album, Causers of This, will be released by Carpark Records on February 2, 2010. MP3 above. Cover and tracklist, with all dates, below...

Continue reading "Toro y Moi is here - new album info & 2009 tour dates"

Trend You Wish Would Go Away

1. 90s revivalism (No Age, Japandroids, Cymbals Eat Guitars)
2. Afropop indie (Dirty Projectors, Fool's Gold, Abe Vigoda)
3. Animal Collective acolytes (Blind Man's Colour, Our Brother the Native, USF)
4. Balearic (jj, John Talabot, Windsurf/Hatchback)
5. Chillwave/glo-fi (Washed Out, Neon Indian, Nite Jewel)
6. Dubstep and its offshoots (wonky, funky, bassline)
7. Post-Lily Allen UK pop (La Roux, Little Boots, Florence and the Machine)
8. Prim, buttoned-up indie (Grizzly Bear, Andrew Bird, St. Vincent)
9. Shitgaze/lo-fi aesthetics (Times New Viking, Wavves, Vivian Girls)