Neon Indian

All of that talk about Neon Indian being chillwave auteurs is just a fancy way of saying they're pretty good at making indie-blessed synth-pop. The Texas group – pretty much the brainchild of Alan Palomo along with some other guys who help him out onstage – sprinkles its songs with cool-record-store spices that stretch all the way back to the Woodstock generation, including '60s psychedelia, '70s disco, '80s new wave, and '90s noise rock. Their second album, 2011's Era Extraña, isn't so much about songs as it is about what's going on in and around those songs. There's lots of noise skimming the surfaces of melodies that may have a chance of some airplay if there wasn't so much musical clutter surrounding them. But they make for intriguing set pieces, which Palomo and Neon Indian are always eager to serve. –Michael Gallucci