In truth, the Jukebox admires all noble gases…

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[5.78]

Ramzi Awn: The last answering machine I actually saw was on the set of Melrose Place. Still, Neon Indian’s Police-tinged electro works well as far as island rock goes. Palomo tips his hat to Roisin Murphy respectfully enough — but a little dork goes a long way. 
[6]

Thomas Inskeep: If Chromeo were more earnest: a lightly skanking beat, keyboards that sound like marimbas, pan flute samples, and no snark. So basically a Thompson Twins b-side. 
[4]

Brad Shoup: It’s about as psychedelic as “Cruel Summer,” and it dates to the same era: earnest game tinged with Cold War-style intrigue. Rhythmic pecking mingles with a near-ska shuffle, and in the last minute, they get serious: wringing the refrain for all it’s worth, tossing in some vintage Gartside vocal process, then letting the funky bass get in the last word.
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Mo Kim: As winning as that throbbing bass and synth chord combination is, the little touches here are what give this skeleton of a crush some flesh, whether it’s the beeping noise right after Alan Palomo admits his answering machine could use some love right now or the brief reprise in the bridge where the two pitched synth-lines play melodies off each other. There are a lot of summer love songs like this, songs where the relationships are barely sketched, but there’s a feeling all about the air, hot and sticky, that’s hard to deny. Play this for me again in December, and I might change my mind.
[6]

Alfred Soto: Mindless in its precision “Annie” bounces with the confidence of a single that will play at a Pitchfork-curated rooftop party. The synths and rhythm lick, steeped in Nile Rodgers, sounds encased in Ikea plastic. As a nonsense hook, “answering machine” will do. The vocals almost don’t, but what else is new? Slip it into a playlist and get me another Hendricks and tonic, please. 
[7]

Josh Love: Up to now, the biggest selling point for Neon Indian’s woozy, synth-drenched indie pop has been how fully immersive it feels. So while I admire that he’s swerved out of his lane here, it’s nonetheless dispiriting to hear someone who’s so painstakingly adorned his own little sonic realm proffering such a thin, pallid R&B-goes-Caribbean piffle. 
[4]

Juana Giaimo: When you sing her such an insipid song, I understand why Annie doesn’t answer you.
[5]

Danilo Bortoli: “Annie”, as many people out there are eager to say, means a new career path for Palomo. Yes, chillwave was never an attempt to sound referential, but it was never anachronistic per se. It was nostalgic for things that only happened inside some people’s own heads. “Annie”, then, loses touch with what made Neon Indian’s past output so enthralling. Back then,it had a sense of longing that permeated the songs, and that was hard to pin down. This new move sounds too calculated, almost as if Palomo were content with simply sounding like the ’80s idols he’s trying to homage. Which is to say, he’s burnt a step while making his music.
[5]

Micha Cavaseno: *Yells down a hole* 2011, THAT YOU BOY!? WELL, STAY DOWN, ALRIGHT!? HELP AIN’T COMING. NOW I KNOW YOU ENHANCED YOUR LOVE OF CHILLWAVE’S SORT OF “FILTERED” AND “HALF-RECALLED” TAKE ON ’80s SYNTH POP, AND TRUTH BE TOLD THE PRODUCTION HERE ISN’T TOO BAD. ITS A LOT MORE PETER GABRIEL-RIPS-OFF-KID CREOLE THAN ALL THIS RICHARD MARX-STYLE CRUD THE GUYS WHO CAME AFTER YOU BROUGHT US. BUT WE DON’T NEED MUCH MORE OF THIS OUT HERE. SONGWRITING ISN’T FULL-ON TOP 40 POP AND YOU’RE NOT GONNA BE ALLOWED TO RISE ABOVE THE FODDER. ITS A WHOLE NEW BALL GAME. SIT TIGHT, AND WAIT FOR THE FANS TO UNEARTH WHAT’S LEFT OF YOU YEARS AND YEARS LATER.
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