World of Hassle

Last updated

World of Hassle
APalomo WHassle.jpg
Studio album by
Alan Palomo
ReleasedSeptember 15, 2023
Genre Experimental pop, jazz-funk
Length48:26
Language
  • English
  • Spanish
  • French
Label Mom + Pop
Producer Alan Palomo
Alan Palomo chronology
Vega Intl. Night School
(as Neon Indian)
(2015)		World of Hassle
(2023)
Singles from World of Hassle
  1. "Nudista Mundial '89"
    Released: May 1, 2023
  2. "Stay-at-Home DJ"
    Released: June 6, 2023
  3. "Meutrière"
    Released: July 11, 2023
  4. "Club People" and "La Madrileña"
    Released: August 8, 2023

World of Hassle is a solo album by Alan Palomo, better known for his work under the alias Neon Indian. The album, Palomo's first release under his birth name, was released on September 15, 2023, by Mom + Pop Music.

Contents

Robert Beatty acted as the album's art director. The album includes contributions from Palomo's brother Jorge Manuel, Flore Benguigui, and Mac DeMarco. Palomo sang in English, Spanish, and French on the album. It was preceded by four singles.

The album was inspired by 1980s-era Leonard Cohen and various rock frontmen of the time who had left their bands for solo careers. The music consists of experimental pop and jazz-funk, and was inspired primarily by city pop and the music of Bobby Caldwell. It was received positively by critics.

Background

Palomo started releasing music as Neon Indian in 2009 at age 21, his third musical alias after launching the projects Ghosthustler and Vega. [1] On July 27, 2023, a few days after his 35th birthday, Palomo explained his reasoning for releasing World of Hassle under his real name, saying he was inspired by I'm Your Man -era Leonard Cohen and multiple 1980s rock frontmen who had left their bands and reinvented themselves as solo acts. [2] He called the idea "impish" and "refreshing", and said that despite the loss of name recognition, he couldn't resist the idea and figured that "50 year old me might thank me for it in the long run". [2] He also emphasized that the Neon Indian name wasn't being "officially retired". [2]

In an interview for Tone Glow, Palomo elaborated on Cohen's influence, saying:

And one big thing that was on my mind was that for some reason I'd missed–I mean I'd listened to Leonard Cohen in college but I'd never heard his later '80s stuff–I just ran across I'm Your Man. That whole album and just him in the black suit, total Jewish zaddy vibes, grown-ass man. And he's discovered his sense of humor or at least finally showcasing it. Everyone's like "dude since when are you funny?" and he's like "I've always been funny, I just never put it in my music." That was so liberating. The lyrics are so smart but they're also so ham-and-cheese and really lean into the self-parody aspect of it. [3]

If I was to do the '80s sophisti-pop, male frontman rock cliché, "I'm quitting my band and making a jazz record!"–if I was to do it, I also had to make fun of it. So that was kinda where that came from, but also with Neon Indian, you hear the production, they're very textural records–I kept asking myself, "Well they know you can do that, what have they not heard you do yet?" And I realized it was really putting your vocals in the front and center, not hiding behind any reverb or distortion. I know the real fans will go on Genius, they'll buy the record, they'll look at the lyrics. But a lot of the time, nobody really understands what I'm saying on those records. This one it's like "dude let's just throw it on the forefront", especially in the era of lyric videos. Don't hide behind it, if that's gonna be you up front, what do you have to say? And the answer nine times out of ten is jokes, that's just how I communicate with my friends. So that was just something where, if it was going to be more of an Alan Palomo record, and be more personal in that regard, the humor had to be there by design. And the Leonard Cohen realization allowed me to do that. [3]

The album is Palomo's first work of his own under his birth name, [4] though he previously used the name when featuring on the Miami Horror song "Holidays" from their 2010 album Illumination . [5] The album name came from a quote from the Thomas Pynchon novel Inherent Vice . [6] [7]

Release

Prior to the album's announcement, Palomo released its lead single, "Nudista Mundial '89", on May 1. [8] The song features indie rock singer-songwriter Mac DeMarco, who was brought on board because he had a Yamaha CP-70 which Palomo wanted for the song. [8] [9] The single came with a music video inspired by the video game series Leisure Suit Larry . [8]

The album was announced on June 6, set for release on September 15, 2023, by Mom + Pop Music. [4] Along with the announcement came its second single, "Stay-at-Home DJ", which Palomo cowrote with his brother in 2019 and previously performed on tour as Neon Indian. [4] The single came with a music video directed by Robert Beatty, who is also the album's art director. [4] The third single, "Meutrière" featuring L'Impératrice singer Flore Benguigui, was released on July 11, 2023. [10] "Club People" and "La Madrileña" were released together on August 8. [11]

Style and influences

The album has been called experimental pop [12] and jazz-funk. [13] It is also said to include disco, [14] R&B, [14] yacht rock, [14] [15] city pop, [14] [9] [15] synthwave, [9] reggae, [14] Italo disco, [14] [9] and funk. [15] The album is built on a core instrumental lineup of guitar, bass, synthesizer, and saxophone. [15] Lyrics on the album are written in English, Spanish, and French; [14] [9] the Spanish lyrics were inspired by contemporary Mexican novelists including Fernanda Melchor and Yuri Herrera. [16]

Palomo's inspiration for the record came from listening to Bobby Caldwell and city pop records, namely Awakening by Hiroshi Sato, and decided he wanted to incorporate their fusion of Steely Dan-esque jazz fusion with disco. [3] He also described the sound he was striving for as "Thomas Dolby-type Fairlight PPG-style production" recreated with a Yamaha TG33. [17] During the making of the album, Palomo mainly read the Thomas McGuane novels Panama and 92 in the Shade and the Jay McInerney novels Bright Lights, Big City and Brightness Falls , and also watched the film adaptation of Bright Lights, Big City starring Michael J. Fox. [7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Clash 7/10 [18]
Paste 8.5/10 [14]
Pitchfork 7.6/10 [19]
Under the Radar Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]

Glide Magazine's Ryan Dillon called the album "an endlessly fun LP that takes you on a cosmic journey through Palomo's limitless artistry." [12] Paste 's Sam Rosenberg wrote that the album "does, sometimes, feel a touch pastiche-y", but "Palomo's sun-soaked, salt-rimmed, neon-tinged world has such an immersive, hypnotic pull that its more derivative tendencies don't really matter." [14] Everything Is Noise's David Rodriguez called the album "without a single doubt one of the best I'll hear this year." [20]

Joshua Minsoo Kim of Pitchfork called the tracks "the funniest and most musically accomplished songs of his career", as well as Palomo's "most fun record because it's his most accomplished". [19] Clash 's Nick Roseblade called the album "pretty fun" with "some killer melodies", but was disappointed by the lack of diversity between songs which are "of a similar tempo, tone, and theme." [18] Under the Radar 's Andy Steiner called the album "leisurely and confident" and "as easy as a beach day." [15]

Paste ranked the album as one of the 30 best pop albums of 2023. [21]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Alan Palomo with others noted below. All tracks produced by Palomo.

World of Hassle track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Wailing Mall"Ian Wilson Cronin5:08
2."Meutrière" (featuring Flore Benguigui)
  • Flore Marie Sidonie Benguigui
  • Cronin
  • Lou-Rebecca di Domenico
3:34
3."La Madrileña" 3:50
4."Nudista Mundial '89" (featuring Mac DeMarco)DeMarco3:04
5."The Return of Mickey Milan" 4:06
6."Stay-at-Home DJ"Jorge Manuel Palomo3:47
7."Club People"
  • J.M. Palomo
  • Joachim Polack
4:23
8."Alibi for Petra" 2:01
9."Nobody's Woman"
  • J.M. Palomo
  • Max S. Townsley
4:18
10."Is There Nightlife After Death?"
  • J.M. Palomo
  • Townsley
3:14
11."Big Night of Heartache"
  • J.M. Palomo
  • Townsley
4:09
12."The Island Years" 4:43
13."Trouble in Mind" 2:09
Total length:48:26

Personnel

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron & Wine</span> American musician (born 1974)

Samuel Ervin Beam, better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album. He occasionally tours with a full band.

Chill-out is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally refers to anything that might be identified as a modern type of easy listening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let It Happen</span> 2015 single by Tame Impala

"Let It Happen" is a song by the Australian rock artist Tame Impala. It was released as the lead single from their third studio album, Currents (2015), on 10 March 2015. The song centers on accepting personal transition, and was worked on in various locations around the world. The song runs at nearly eight minutes long, and its second half contains a section of the song repeating akin to a scratched Compact Disc, and stripped-down lyrics consisting of gibberish. It also has vocoded-like vocals in the second half, which were actually manipulated with a keyboard sampler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Father John Misty</span> American musician (born 1981)

Joshua Michael Tillman, better known by his stage name Father John Misty, is an American musician. He is known for his satirical lyricism and eccentric performance style.

<i>Psychic Chasms</i> 2009 studio album by Neon Indian

Psychic Chasms is the debut studio album by American electronic music band Neon Indian, released on October 13, 2009, by Lefse Records. Pitchfork placed the album at number 14 on its list of Top 50 Albums of 2009, while Rhapsody ranked it at number 17 on its list of 25 Best Albums of 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neon Indian</span> American band

Neon Indian is an American electronic music band from Denton, Texas. The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo, who is also part of the band Ghosthustler and releases solo music under his birth name and the stage name VEGA. The project has been characterized as defining the 2010s music genre chillwave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Chain Gang of 1974</span> Musical artist

Kamtin Mohager is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and graphic designer born in San Jose, California. Raised in Hawaii, and later Colorado, Mohager began pursuing punk rock music in his teenage years. Later inspired by shoegaze and alternative rock bands from the 1990s, he formed the indie electronic project The Chain Gang of 1974. He has released five studio albums, White Guts (2010), Wayward Fire (2011), Daydream Forever (2014), Felt (2017), and Honey Moon Drips (2020). His 2014 single "Sleepwalking" gained popularity for featuring on the video game Grand Theft Auto V (2013) and its accompanying soundtrack.

Chillwave is a music microgenre that emerged in the late 2000s. It is characterized by evoking the popular music of the late 1970s and early 1980s while engaging with notions of memory and nostalgia. Common features include a faded or dreamy retro pop sound, escapist lyrics, psychedelic or lo-fi aesthetics, mellow vocals, slow-to-moderate tempos, effects processing, and vintage synthesizers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washed Out</span> American singer-songwriter and record producer (born 1982)

Ernest Weatherly Greene Jr., known professionally as Washed Out, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Commonly associated with the chillwave genre in the 2010s, Pitchfork dubbed him "the godfather of chillwave".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twin Shadow</span> American musician (born 1983)

George William Lewis Jr., better known by his stage name Twin Shadow, is a Dominican-American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor based in Los Angeles. He has released five studio albums to date: Forget (2010), Confess (2012), Eclipse (2015), Caer (2018), and Twin Shadow (2021).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Cohen (musician)</span> American singer

Samuel Benjamin Cohen is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, artist, and producer based in Brooklyn, New York. A founding member of the psychedelic rock and pop band Apollo Sunshine, he released several albums with the group in the early 2000s. In 2009 he formed the solo project Yellowbirds, releasing the debut album The Color in 2011. This release was followed by Songs from the Vanished Frontier in 2013. The first Sam Cohen record, Cool It, was released on April 28, 2015, on Easy Sound Records, and primary featured Cohen playing all of the instruments. It was then re-released on Danger Mouse's imprint of Columbia Records, 30th Century Records, on June 3, 2016. Cohen is also known for his original collages on the Yellowbirds album covers, and his collage animation videos.

<i>The Flaming Lips with Neon Indian</i> 2011 EP by The Flaming Lips and Neon Indian

The Flaming Lips with Neon Indian is an extended play by American rock band the Flaming Lips and American electronic music band Neon Indian. It was released on March 23, 2011 as part of The Flaming Lips 2011 series of monthly music releases. The 12-inch EP was a limited release pressed on special colored vinyl and distributed to select record stores in the United States. The song "Is David Bowie Dying?" was later included on the 2012 album The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends.

<i>Era Extraña</i> 2011 studio album by Neon Indian

Era Extraña is the second studio album by American electronic music band Neon Indian. It was released on September 7, 2011, by Static Tongues and Mom + Pop Music. The recording took place between the winter of 2010 and 2011 during frontman Alan Palomo's visit to Finland. Containing influences and elements of psychedelic pop, shoegaze, and new wave, the album has the same summery sound as the band's debut studio album, Psychic Chasms (2009), but with a darker and more serious tone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mom + Pop Music</span> American independent record label

Mom + Pop Music is a New York City-based independent record label. Founded by Michael Goldstone in 2008, its roster includes Alicia Keys, Courtney Barnett, Madeon, Tom Morello, Porter Robinson, Tycho, Tash Sultana, Sunflower Bean, Beach Bunny, Caamp, and Del Water Gap. Goldstone serves as co-president of Mom + Pop Music with Thaddeus Rudd, who joined the label as Goldstone's business partner and co-president in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish Girl</span> 2011 single by Neon Indian

"Polish Girl" is a song recorded by the American band Neon Indian. It was released on August 3, 2011, as the second single from their second studio album, Era Extraña (2011). A music video, directed by Tim Nackashi and produced in collaboration with The Creators Project, was released on September 13. It was included in the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One rereleases of Grand Theft Auto V in 2014 and 2015 as part of the radio station Radio Mirror Park.

<i>Errata Anex</i> 2013 EP by Neon Indian

Errata Anex is the second extended play (EP) by American electronic music band Neon Indian. It was released digitally on April 9, 2013, by Mom + Pop Music. The EP consists of remixes of tracks from the band's second studio album, Era Extraña (2011). The EP's title is an anagram of Era Extraña. The band's frontman, Alan Palomo, said of the EP:

These remixes are a small collection found along the way of my year on the road while we were touring Era Extraña. The artists were chosen by whatever most consistently blared out of my headphones that fall and what I was most giddy to hear an amalgamation of from the songs I was playing live, and the artists I'd listen to later that night. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then total re-imagination from song scraps must be something far more warm, mutant, and mutual. I hope you enjoy them.

<i>Song to Song</i> 2017 American film

Song to Song is a 2017 American experimental romantic drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick and starring an ensemble cast including Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman, and Cate Blanchett.

<i>Facedown</i> (EP) 2012 EP by the 1975

Facedown is the debut extended play (EP) by English band the 1975. It was released on 6 August 2012 by Dirty Hit and Interscope. The band produced the EP alongside Jamie Ellis and Ian Grimble. An art rock, indie pop and ambient pop record, it incorporates a diverse range of sounds including indie rock, electronica, dance-pop, gothic and emo.

<i>Vega Intl. Night School</i> 2015 studio album by Neon Indian

Vega Intl. Night School is the third album by American electronic music band Neon Indian. It was released on October 16, 2015, by Mom + Pop Music. The album title was an intentional nod to Alan Palomo's other music project, titled Vega, for which he produced only a single EP. Noticing that ideas from Neon Indian and Vega were merging, Palomo decided to combine the two projects into one and retire the use of the Vega moniker.

The following is a list of events and releases that happened in 2023 in music in the United States.

References

  1. ↑ Dombal, Ryan (August 14, 2009). "Rising: Neon Indian". Pitchfork . Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 Rettig, James (July 27, 2023). "Alan Palomo Explains Why He's Not Going By Neon Indian Anymore". Stereogum . Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Schoop, Eli (September 8, 2023). "Tune Glue 018: Alan Palomo (fka Neon Indian)". Tone Glow. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Minsker, Evan (June 6, 2023). "Neon Indian's Alan Palomo Announces Debut Solo Album, Shares New Song". Pitchfork . Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  5. ↑ Fantano, Anthony (September 28, 2010). "Miami Horror: For When Sophistication Gets Old". NPR Music . Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ Schube, Will (September 25, 2023). "Alan Palomo on Embracing a Tried-and-True '80s Rock Frontman Cliché with World of Hassle". Flood. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  7. 1 2 Dillon, Ryan (September 26, 2023). "Life After Neon Indian: Alan Palomo Talks Creative Rebirth & Vibrant New Album World of Hassle". Glide Magazine. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  8. 1 2 3 Strauss, Matthew (May 1, 2023). "Neon Indian's Alan Palomo and Mac DeMarco Share Video for New Song". Pitchfork . Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Exposito, Suzy (September 26, 2023). "Alan Palomo shelves Neon Indian name, mines the 1980s in new album". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  10. ↑ Rettig, James (July 11, 2023). "Alan Palomo – "Meutrière" (feat. Flore Benguigui)". Stereogum . Retrieved July 11, 2023.
  11. ↑ DeVille, Chris (August 8, 2023). "Alan Palomo – "Club People" & "La Madrileña"". Stereogum . Retrieved August 20, 2023.
  12. 1 2 Dillon, Ryan (September 13, 2023). "Alan Palomo Drops Neon Indian for 13 Catchy AF Synth-Drenched Anthems on World of Hassle". Glide Magazine. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  13. ↑ Minsker, Evan; Monroe, Jazz (September 15, 2023). "9 New Albums You Should Listen to Now: Mitski, Alan Palomo, Tomb Mold, and More". Pitchfork . Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rosenberg, Sam (September 15, 2023). "Alan Palomo Invites Us Into His Dazzling World of Hassle". Paste . Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Steiner, Andy (October 11, 2023). "Alan Palomo: World of Hassle (Mom + Pop)". Under the Radar . Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  16. ↑ Chang, Ailsa (September 15, 2023). "Musician Alan Palomo on World of Hassle and his love for synth". NPR . Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  17. ↑ Fitzmaurice, Larry (September 21, 2023). "Alan Palomo on Humor, Filmmaking, the Music Industry, and Looking Back at Looking Back". Last Donut of the Night. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  18. 1 2 Roseblade, Nick (September 25, 2023). "Alan Palomo – World of Hassle". Clash . Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  19. 1 2 Kim, Joshua Minsoo (September 22, 2023). "Alan Palomo: World of Hassle Album Review". Pitchfork . Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  20. ↑ Rodriguez, David (September 28, 2023). "Alan Palomo – World of Hassle". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  21. ↑ Rosenberg, Sam (December 27, 2023). "The 30 Best Pop Albums of 2023". Paste . Retrieved February 9, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.