Chillwave | New Music Excess

Salem – Water EP

Posted in Chillwave, Funeralgaze, Illwave by newmusicexcess on January 18, 2010

Track listing:

1. Redlights
2. Skullcrush
3. Water
4. Whenusleep

On the Water EP it’s once again slow-it-down and spook-it-out time for Salem. John Holland’s, Heather Marlatt’s, and Jack Donoghue’s slow bass heavy electronic beats, funeral washes, fuzzed out melody lines, and ghostly vocals brings to mind the soundtrack to a John Carpenter movie played at the wrong speed. Actually, it’s rather like the Halloween soundtrack gone all shoegaze. Perhaps the band are really fronted by Michael Myers. Funeralgaze, anyone? Remember to play with all the lights out, unless of course your name is Laurie Strode, in which case, best leave all the lights on.

More band info:

The Guardian (New Band Of The Day) – http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/dec/10/new-band-salem

Reviewed at:

Pitchfork – http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/12650-yes-i-smoke-crack-ep-water-ep/

Tagged with: Chillwave, Funeralgaze, Illwave, New Music Excess, Salem, Water EP

Neon Indian – Psychic Chasms

Posted in Chillwave, Electronic, Electropop, Indie, Indie Pop, Neo-psychadelia by newmusicexcess on January 6, 2010

Track listing:

1. (AM)
2. Deadbeat Summer
3. Laughing Gas
4. Terminally Chill
5. (If I Knew, I’d Tell You)
6. 6669 (I Don’t Know If You Know)
7. Should Have Taken Acid with You
8. Mind, Drips
9. Psychic Chasms
10. Local Joke
11. Ephemeral Artery
12. 7000 (Reprise)

Neon Indian’s Psychic Chasms manages to still sound distinct while drawing from a wide variety of sounds. I hear a whole number of similarities to other things vying in the tracks, like M83, MGMT, Maps, Daft Punk, 80’s Synthpop, 70’s glam, 8-bit Nintendo sounds, and disco all wrapped up in a trippy psychedelic haze. To sound both retro and futuristic at the same is a pretty amazing achievement. Say, are you boys on drugs?

Reviewed at:

Allmusic – http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:wxfwxzwaldke

Drowned In Sound – http://drownedinsound.com/releases/14886/reviews/4138421

Pitchfork – http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13510-psychic-chasms/

Spin – http://www.spin.com/reviews/neon-indian-psychic-chasms-lefse

The Onion – http://www.avclub.com/articles/neon-indian-psychic-chasms,36707/

Prefix Magazine – http://www.prefixmag.com/reviews/neon-indian/psychic-chasms/33465/

PopMatters – http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/115054-neon-indian-psychic-chasms/

cokemachineglow – http://www.cokemachineglow.com/record_review/4992/neonindian-psychicchasms-2009