“Deadbeat Summer”
from the album Psychic Chasms
2009
iTunes
Remember tape cassettes? No, me neither. Not until Alan Palomo’s Neon Indian reminded me how it sounded when a tape played so much it unraveled in the deck: twisted, flanging, and misshapen. Still, retro and warped suits the project’s simple arrangements, which, with sonic manipulation and Korg interjections, are as fun and offbeat (with titles like “Terminally Chill” and “Should Have Taken Acid With You”) as they are old-school in production. “Deadbeat Summer” is yet another catchy mix of bent guitar, ditzy pop melodies, and reverberated vocals set to a momentum of bass and rock drums. Lyrics like “All my dreams reminisce” point to the sentiment and longing for past misadventure that M83 has built his entire discography on, but Neon Indian renders precisely these memories of chilled-out, lazy days of youthful abandon in song. Here the project really finds its groove, nailing perfectly the essence of woozily nostalgic synth-pop.