NEON existed for a short time (for them) during a weird time (for me). I knew them, I knew their other projects (THE BLUES, STILLSUIT, MOZART, PIG DNA), and I knew NEON from its inception. But it was a weird time and I never saw their chaos in person. There weren't very many shows, to be fair, but that shouldn't be an excuse. It's a reason...but it's not an excuse. What did I miss? No rules, sonic dissonance, art smashing full speed into punk norms and destroying sonic and visual expectations. Sometimes Rosie's bass is quite literally the only thing holding the band together (we're talking about PIG DNA drums and STILLSUIT guitar here, remember), and the vocals are could be an abrasive noise and/or no wave project on their own. And it happened while the Bay Area was in transition, while the members were in transition, while I was in transition, and while I listen this morning it's as if NEON represents so many of those changes (to me), even though I never saw them live (the 12" release show at The Hive is a thing of legend) and didn't even have a copy of this tape until recently. Even when things change, I guess you've still got some time to catch yourself up - and even without the context, NEON gonna take you on a wild ass ride this morning.
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