One Churro, Please.

Heavy Pressing: Neon Neon's Stainless Style

This is the first in a series titled, Heavy Pressing: A quick and dirty determination of whether or not certain high-profile new releases live up to their press.

So, let me guess, you’ve worn last month’s Heavy Pressing pick, Vampire Weekend, down to a melted plastic coaster? Well, not me, I’m still addicted to that one, so if you have or haven’t, grab up Neon Neon’s March 18th release of Stainless Style: An album that is reportedly a concept album about the life and times of automobile creator John DeLorean, best known for creating the DMC-12 (a.k.a.: The DeLorean) and being fingered for some heavy cocaine trafficking allegations.

Sure, this album’s 1980s Americana-style is pushed well in to parody, but that is it’s purpose really. It is parody! Be not afraid. When I read about the album and it’s concept, I knew I would love it immediately; Not only have I wanted a DeLorean ever since I watched my video tape of Back To The Future until it was warped un-watchable back in 1987, but I love 80s music and I’m really a sucker for anything “revival”.

The albums blasts off with a type of theme song that could introducing any 1980’s cop show. It flows in to perfect Peter Gabriel-esque vocals for tracks 2, 3 and 4. Track 2, Dream Girls, kind of set up the album with the background vox declairing, “Your chariot awaits / To golden gates” and when track 3, I Told Her on Alderon gets going, you will imagine yourself in listening to this album on cassette. Track 10, Michael Douglas, has this awesome sound of some kind of battle involving Huey Lewis and Thomas Dolby.

Among the 80s mega-pop sounds are a few complimenting hip-hop and dance tracks that sound a little more modern. Modern enough to give Justin Timberlake bite marks. The hip hop tracks are mostly hit and miss. Track 8 for instance, Sweatshop, seems to be based entirely upon female rap stylings that mostly consists of orgasmic moans. This track is annoying, skip-able and overall, kind of embarrassing to listen to. Track 11, Luxury Pool, however serves as almost an abridged version of the whole album’s concept itself, with lyrics like, “Stainless steel from the bumper to the grill / For added appeal, they got ill / with the gull wing doors and reversible transmission / targeting the market of a man with ambition”.

The last track, the album’s namesake, reads like a self-eulogy for Mr. DeLorean but plays out more like a sweet, yet-truncated funeral for the album itself, complete with big choirs and even bigger synths: “Bury me in stainless steel, my body shall never rust.” Overall, Neon Neon now has a pretty awesome dance pop album on their hands and I am hereby declaring this piece WORTHY of it’s press.