Neon Indian - "Hex Girlfriend" & "Arcade Blues"

Two more tracks have surfaced from analog synthesizer guru Alan Palomo's newest Neon Indian LP, Era Extraña. With the driving buzzsaw fuzz and swirly Atari 2600-recalling blips of "Hex Girlfriend" and "Arcade Blues," Palomo again proves his distinctive ability to craft organic and hook-laden pop music out of the mechanical world of electronic frequencies and signals. The ever-dedicated Palomo also helped create his own mini analog synthesizer with Austin-based manufacturers Bleep Labs called the PAL198X, which you can preview in an acid-washed instructional video below.

Neon Indian - "Hex Girlfriend" (from Era Extraña)

Neon Indian - "Arcade Blues" (from Era Extraña)


Watch Neon Indian's PAL198X instructional video after the jump.

Neon Indian - "Polish Girl"

If "Fallout" is Alan Palomo's meditative ode to heartbreak, the newly leaked "Polish Girl" suggests that the chase for love, lust, and everything in-between is still on thanks to bouncy and feverishly energetic synth-made bass thumps, swirls, and blips. Part retrograde Nintendo-inspired nostalgia and part progressive pushing-the-musical-envelope genius, Neon Indian's arsenal of sounds has become more creative and intoxicating with every new release. Thanks to "Polish Girl," the forthcoming Era Extraña just became that much more highly anticipated.

Pre-order Era Extraña vinyl here.

Neon Indian - "Polish Girl" (from Era Extraña)
Neon Indian - "Fallout" (from Era Extraña)

Vega - "No Reasons"

Neon Indian came out like the Revolution last night, getting down and funky right away and making me one hell of a happy music fan. Guitarist Ronald Gierhart shredded all night with his t-shirt-style onesie and eye-melting neon glow-in-the-dark guitar. For the encore, the band came out as Alan Palomo's other persona Vega and tore into "No Reasons"—one of 2009's best dance jams. It reminded me of the excellent video Butter Team made for the song, pairing it with the beyond silly Josh Brolin-starring 1986 skate movie Thrashin', the tagline for which reads: "Hot, Reckless, Totally Insane." Indeed.

Vega - "No Reasons" (from Well Known Pleasures)

Miami Horror - "Holidays (Feat. Alan Palomo)"

Yes—whether it's VEGA, Ghosthustler or Neon Indian—anything Alan Palomo touches seems to turn to gold—albeit a 1980s, disco-tinged and dance-friendly variety. Here, Palomo guests on Australian talent Ben Plant's project Miami Horror with that familiar neo-Michael Jackson sense of bass-thumping percussive groove. It's Friday and this song is irresistible.

Miami Horror - "Holidays (Feat. Alan Palomo)" (from Illumination)

Neon Indian - "Deadbeat Summer"

When it concerns the 80s, Austin's Alan Palomo is master of all sounds funky, synthesized, and endearingly cheesy. As Neon Indian, 21-year-old Palomo isn't nearly as danceable as with past projects Vega or Ghosthustler—but the songs are every bit as blissfully carefree and catchy. With Psyhcic Chasms, Palomo has created a low fidelity tapestry of sun-drenched and light-hearted psychedelia channeled through a collection of electronic spare parts: swirling whistles and bells, lazer samples, flanger-effected keyboards and woozy reverb-soaked vocals. It may not be summertime, but it sure feels like it.

Neon Indian - "Deadbeat Summer" (from Psychic Chasms)