As a child of the 80s there is a rather lengthy list of songs, artists and albums that have profoundly influenced and transformed my life — in particular David Bowie, Talking Heads, Madonna, DEVO, R.E.M, The Police, Sting, Run DMC, Public Enemy, Metallica, Prince and several others were a major part of my formative music listening years. Much like with David Bowie’s death earlier this year, Prince‘s sudden and tragic death last month has garnered a number of covers and tributes from a variety of artists who have been influenced by his incredibly deep and impressive catalog.
Now, if you’ve been frequenting this site over the past year or so, Denton, TX-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and electronic music artist Alan Palomo, best known as the creative mastermind behind the acclaimed indie electro pop act Neon Indian has become a JOVM mainstay — especially in the lead-up to the release of his recently released full-length album, VEGA Intl. Night School, an album that has further expanded Palomo’s national and international profile as the album is comprised of slickly produced 80s-inspired, dance floor friendly pop that sounds indebted to Depeche Mode, Prince, New Order and others. Recently, Palomo along with an impressively talented array of friends and collaborators including Escort’s Adeline Michele, Dum Dum Girls and Kristin Kontrol‘s Dee Dee, Holy Ghost!, Ejecta‘s Leanne Macomber, Xenia Rubbings and Midnight Magic teamed up for an equally funky yet breezily contemporary take on Prince’s “Pop Life” that replaces Prince’s guitar pyrotechnics for a buzzing, psychedelic-tinged synth solo — but even with a subtle change here and there, the Neon Indian and friends rendition should remind the listener that Prince had an uncanny ability to write some incredibly timeless pop tunes.
