New Neon Indian Sounds So 2000s

Remember last year when I blogged about Neon Indian's "lo-fi electronics, disco loops, and syrupy pop" or how his Psychic Chasms LP "[reveled] in its lack of polish and [wrapped] its charm in dated synthesizers and out of tune melodies"? No? Well feel free to check out that previous entry here.

In the meantime, know that I've been relieved to learn that Neon Indian chief Alan Palomo is sticking to his 8-bit 80s sound. There's no doubt that his latest, "Sleep Paralysist," is predominantly less lo-fi and feels less seasonally/emotionally evocative than any of its forefathers on Psychic Chasms. However, Palomo's keyboards, breathy vocals, and John Hughes vibes are all still there, albeit coming into your headphones a little more clear.

So while he loses some street cred for going all high fidelity on us, Palomo's song writing chops are still safely on display and he remains an act you should be listening to. Besides, Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor produced the track, so maybe he's to blame for all that whack crispness.

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Sleep Paralysist - Neon Indian

Let's Pretend We're at SXSW

SXSW is going on as I write this. Sadly, I'm not in Austin, but in lame Brooklyn with nothing to do. If I was down in Texas though, I know exactly where I'd be today... Over at Emo's for the fifth annual Pitchfork/Windish Austin Party. If the beerific flier above didn't cue you into the awesomeness, then I'm afraid this post will be lost on you.

In honor of the twelve TJ-approved bands playing the showcase, I've put together a Citizen Mix, expertly cobbling together stellar tracks from each act* all in one high quality MP3. It's just like a cassette mixtape, but not really.**


- Download the SXSW/Pitchfork Citizen Mix here -

The tracklist is down below and I decided to host the MP3s individually for those who can't handle forty-eight minutes of straight jams. Happy Weekend everyone.

*None of the MP3s have been hosted on the blog before.

**It's still pretty cool though.

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1. Wet Hair - Japandroids
2. Cheerleader (Neon Indian 'Sega Genesis' Remix) - Grizzly Bear
3. Catholic Pagans - Surfer Blood
4. Bicycle - Memory Tapes
5. When I'm With You - Best Coast
6. Hood Pass Intact - Dâm Funk
7. You'll See It - Washed Out
8. Black Lake - Real Estate
9. Bad Stuff - Free Energy
10. Soda Popinski - Javelin
11. Airplanes - Local Natives
12. Billie Holiday - Warpaint

Diplo Produces Robyn and (Surprise) It's Great

Judging from the Swedish press, 2010 is set to be a big year for popstress Robyn. What exactly she'll be releasing is unconfirmed, but she's said in interviews to expect a whopping three LPs this year: one in spring, one in summer, and one in autumn/winter.

While the music press still sits and waits for any official word, a single leaked onto the web a little while ago. It's a new Robyn track, which I suppose should stir up some blogosphere excitement, but the bigger news here is that it's produced by the "I-Think-He-Can-Do-No-Wrong" DJ extraordinaire Diplo.

"Dance Hall Queen" is a pretty welcome departure from Robyn's up-tempo brand of pop. It's subdued reggae synths back-up an appropriately catchy chorus of: "Now what, your jaw has dropped / Until the music stop, you know / I still run this thing like a dance hall queen / I really don't want no hassle."

It all sounds incredibly Diplo, pretty damn infectious, and like track two on your "Spring Quarter 2010" mixtape.

EDIT:// P4K released an interview with Robyn yesterday confirming her three album plan, as well as breaking the news that her first LP will debut in June. Read it here.

Also, there's a new, possibly unfinished, track streaming on Robyn's website as we speak. It's tentative title is "Fembot." Check out the MP3 down below.

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Dance Hall Queen - Robyn
(Removed by request, but you can still find the track over on Hype Machine)

Fembot - Robyn

Keep It Goin' Louder (feat. Nina Sky & Ricky Blaze) - Major Lazer

Pon de Floor (feat. VYBZ Kartel) - Major Lazer

What If Dwight Schrute Met Lil Wayne?

W-T-Fuck is this greatness? The Office theme song playing backdrop to Wayne's "Hustler Musik"? Count me way in.

Unsurprisingly, Lil Wayne has found his way onto my musical radar despite his incarceration. And while this isn't new Weezy by any means, the track below is one fantastic mash-up... And O-M-G, just in time for spring weather and Oberon season!!!

It comes courtesy of a Boston/L.A. DJ by the name of Clockwork. I'm sure his Myspace has been BLOWIN' UP since putting this thing online. Word.

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Office Musik (Dwight K. Schrute vs Weezy F. Baby) - Clockwork

I'm Back

In case you haven't heard, T.I.'s back, or so says his new-car-smelling single, "I'm Back." Okay, so the track's been floating around the web since the day Weezy shipped off to jail (*tear*), but that doesn't mean it's not blog worthy (because it is awesome). Plus, I've got to believe a host of whoever reads my blog has their finger far removed from the T.I. pulse -- No offense to all of you who own T.I.'s Road to Redemption on DVD and have been counting down the days to his release on your Dilbert calender. Ya'll have probably had this for days.

"But what does it sound like TJ?" Well, it sounds like T.I., really good T.I. Fair enough?

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I'm Back - T.I.