Neon Indian ; Band of the Week July 30th - August 5th

Hey. I know. It's not the 30th. It's the 1st. You'd be late updating your blog too if you were consistently job searching and shitting yourself every time you try and get anywhere on the multiple freeways of doom around here. San Diego, you will either make or break me.

What's this psychedelic color-fest that you're viewing? A few synthesizers, echoing bass, and hypnotic vocals? This is none other than Neon Indian, lot. One of my favorite bands and .rapt's Band of the Week!

I think I discovered this lone soul in the Fall of 2011. His latest record had dropped and I happened to come across it sporadically on iTunes. My ears were pleased. This is exactly the type of music that I pine for 90% of the time.... Unique, weird, and drenched in reminiscent 80's sound. You can't get much more awesome than that! Neon Indian was one of the sets that I made sure to catch at Coachella 2012, and I wasn't disappointed.

Originating from Mexico and later relocating to Texas, founder and composer Alan Palomo began realizing his musical calling during his teenaged years. Debut album Psychic Chasms was released October 13th, 2009, which hit the right note with highly acclaimed Pitchfork Media, among many others. In September 2011, Era Extrana was let loose, doing it's job in reeling me in like a cod. Currently at the ripe age of 23 and with 2 successful records on the rise, Palomo represents the notion that the youth of today can acheieve anything; standing strong in premise creativity. 
Palomo does all of his own work, but accompanying him on his live ventures are band members  Leanne Macomber (Keyboard, Vocals), Jason Faries (drums), and Lars Larsen (Live Visuals). Together they've played at dozens of music festivals including SXSW, Coachella, Sasquatch!, and upcoming Lollapalooza 2012 and have performed on NBC's Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. This Texan kid is moving up in the world fast and I plan to remain loyal to his extravagant display of synthpop for as long as my heart holds out.

If you're looking for something new to listen to, maybe something to inspire you to dig deeper into your psyche, look no further than Palomo's Neon Indian. Era Extrana is my favorite record, I love the way it makes me feel...Like I'm floating off of this smog-infested planet into a world much greater and colorful. Best track by me: Halogen (I could be a Shadow)....It's pleasant, while also enigmatic. Don't you love my descriptive words today?

All big phrases considered, check Neon Indian out, lot! If you've been clueless to this band before now, then consider this my gift to you for the month of August.

WEBSITE
TOUR DATES

Week One ~ Cactus & Sea

I lied a bit ~ I said I would update about my adventures every Friday.... but I think it would be safer to give myself more of a range with that. I'll update every "weekend." Don't judge. I have a lot going on and not a lot of time to work with!
But there's always time for .rapt and it's illusive readers!

 

 Friday marked week one of my new life in SoCal. It's been a bit interesting.... I've run into a few unexpected obstacles... one being that here in the south, ants are a huge problem. And if a household doesn't keep up with it's chores, the ants TAKE OVER. This couldn't be more true for the abode I'm currently living in. Being a house full of people in their 20's, not much cleaning gets done....And so there are ants erupting from every corner!... Pretty sick, yes? Not as sick as the lack of cleanliness. I'm so used to living at home and having a mother to do all the tidying-up. It was a huge wake up call to enter a home where nothing is ever taken care of. I took it upon myself to buy some cleaning supplies and scrub every inch of the bathroom I'll be using, as well as my new room. The kitchen however is a lost cause. I tried one afternoon to bomb the ants that reside in that part of the house, only to come out defeated. There are too many and it's way too dirty and disgusting to even put effort into it. So I bought myself a microwave for my room. I assure you lot, I won't be doing much cooking unless it comes in a microwavable container.
I never knew how much dedication it takes to keep a house clean until now. I've somehow become OCD about it and I'm actually okay with addmitting that. Someone has to become the mom in this dump of a place!

Despite the cleaning issue, the area I'm living in is gorgeous. I'm in a canyon surrounded by desert and cacti. What a way to live... :)

I'm still job hunting. I had my first interview on Friday afternoon for a lovely place downtown... It would be an ideal job, but I'm a bit fearful that I bombed the interview... Merely because there was an aptitude test that I feel I did horribly on. There were so many questions on it that I would have never known the answer to... The manager who did my interview was also a bit gruff. I suppose all I can do now is wait and see if I get a call back. In the meantime, I'll continue applying to places and hope for the best. It's certainly discouraging being jobless though, especially when everyone else in my household has a job and is bustling about all day while I'm laying on my new futon pondering life and wishing I wasn't so poor.
I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed though.

Not everything has been discouraging. For the most part, I'm in love with the sea and the climate here. The views and the plants alone make me want to melt.... I truly believe that I belong in the southwest. I just need to keep my chin up. There is so much in life still waiting for me. I need to take full advantage of this opportunity and run with the wind! Something is bound to work out eventually.

You're all great. Comments are loved! If any of you have suggestions for me, I could certainly use a few. At least for assistance with my job search!

Photos and film of my first week in the desert sun are featured below!

Band of the Week Update tomorrow.

And so my new life begins....

I'm on my way to my new home in sunny San Diego! I'll miss Washington.... but not the rain. It was hard to say goodbye, especially to my mother and pup. But it's time to go out and see what life has to offer me...Try to find my happiness. I know it's out there somewhere.

Today (July 19th) was the first half of my two day journey south.... Just me, my car 'The Power', and anything I could fit in her. It's been great, one big cluster-F of a road trip. I can feel all my clutter weighing my poor hatchback down... But we'll get there, slow but sure. I'm currently spending the night in a quaint little motel with no food except tea to satisfy me until morning. Just one of the many pleasant things I've encountered throughout my long, unending day. I'm slightly alarmed that I'm still coherent.

I've wanted for a long time to incorporate more of my life into .rapt, rather than just focusing on music.... Despite the fact that music is a large part of my life. Maybe you (the reader) and I have more in common than we think?  It would be cool to find out, possibly? I don't know, bare with me while I try some new stuff out.

I am angry with myself though for not featuring a Band of the Week for quite some time, so from now until the 30th, let's throw M83 at your ears.
 I'm sure most of you know of this collaborative band already, but in case you don't..... PLEASE LISTEN. It took me several years to truly appreciate their music, but once I gave M83 more of a chance, I was hooked. Everything about their music screams inspiration to me. I don't think there's been a day since April that I haven't listened to at least one of their songs.


There are many, but give these particular tracks a listen:
Steve McQueen (Hurry Up, We're Dreaming record), Don't Save Us From The Flames (Before the Dawn Heals Us record), Graveyard Girls (Saturdays=Youth record), Kim & Jessie (Saturdays=Youth record), Reunion (Hurry Up, We're Dreaming record), Teen Angst (Before the Dawn Heals Us record), We Own the Sky (Saturdays=Youth record), and Claudia Lewis (Hurry Up, We're Dreaming record.

Don't get me wrong. All tracks on each record are immaculate, but these are my personal favorites.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE 

As much as I want to go on about my day, I think it would probably be wise to get some sleep with what little time I have to do it. I still have to take on the majority of California tomorrow.
Despite what people have told me about CA (good things or bad things) I intend to base my judgment of the state and the people in it on my own experiences. So if any of you are locals, make a good impression on me! So far, I have nothing but good feelings.

Wish me luck, lot!

I hate Looking, but...

It's completely unnecessary for me to even peek at what's new at my favorite attire sites, but Nasty Gal has a new collection of items that I'm currently frothing over.

Really, I have no business looking. I need to save every penny I have for my move next week.

But check out what's new! Maybe one of you lot will find something you fancy.....


WHAT'S NEW AT NASTY GAL

Unf. Look at those blouses.