Neon Indian: Psychic Chasms

While bloggers raced to name the sound of Neon Indian’s Alan Palomo—“hypnagogic pop,” “chillwave,” and “glo-fi” being some of the more creative labels—he was probably resting easy, confident not only because he was being heralded as the tip of a rapidly expanding stylistic iceberg (see Memory Tapes, Nite Jewel, Washed Out, et al.), but because he’d done a far better job at naming his own songs than any critic could ever hope to. His breakout single, “Deadbeat Summer,” perfectly mixed sun-damaged cassette fuzz and lazily synthesized pop idolatry. Even Palomo’s voice sounds like it’s been melted to the song’s flangey, bouncy core. The second buzz clip to emerge from the Austin-based artist “Terminally Chill,” which re-imagines the deadened electronic thrust of Daft Punk as a crackly thing built of poor posture and refurbished parts. And last but hardly least was “Should Have Taken Acid With You,” with its lo-bit keyboard crunch and gooey melancholia. Granted, Palomo skipped on that song’s titular indulgence, but his music makes for a good proxy, and true to the promise inherent in that introductory triptych, Psychic Chasms is an excellent album of balmy psychedelia and breezy infectiousness.