What is the Neon Indian? Contrary to popular belief, it’s not one of the tall sparkly blue people from Avatar.  It’s the five-piece psychedelic pop band lead by Alan Palomo, and their debut album Psychic Chasms might be one of the best things to happen in 2009. The Austin natives are embarking on a tour around the globe, including gigs at some of the premier festivals of North America such as Sasquatch and Bonnaroo. Fortunately, those of us who call southern California home won’t have to traverse the continent to get a peek at Neon Indian’s live act. This group of synth loving tribesmen will be playing at the Casbah in San Diego on June 2, Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa on June 3, and finally at the Los Angeles Museum of Natural History on June 4. They will be complemented by the hip-hop stylings of Peanut Butter Wolf for their big night at the museum, which will be their last stop in California for this tour.

Alan Palomo is the man behind the music of Neon Indian, sculpting the majestic melodies himself and then employing his band mates to create an adapted live show. After hearing and loving all the many layers of Psychic Chasms, I can’t wait to see how they incorporate every detail of its surrealistic dream into a live performance. The album sounds like a mixture of samples from your favorite old video games, plus echoing vocals and fuzzy guitar that put you in another mental space entirely. Chasms makes you feel the way you do when you’ve slept in way too late because you were having such a great dream, and all you want to do is just sit back and smile in the haze. This is the feeling that you get the first time you hear “Deadbeat Summer” or “Terminally Chill.” All of Neon Indian’s tracks carry a sound that’s similar enough that everything blends together well throughout their album, but still different enough that the album stays clear of sounding repetitive. To listen to a few tracks off of Psychic Chasms, or to see a full list of tour dates, check out Neon Indian’s MySpace.