Were Neon Indian's Alan Palomo somehow born in 1958 rather than 1988, he surely would have risen as one of the preeminent producers of the Eighties, on par with the likes of Giorgio Moroder. That being said, it's a privilege to have him here and now, producing in the 2010's, as his latest work is a brilliant reminder of everything that made 1980-1989 the best musical decade ever. On 'VEGA INTL. Night School', Palomo is lost in the dirty streets of 80s New York at midnight, chasing cocaine, sluts and the shadows of the music he grew up listening to.Talking with an online music mag recently, Palomo describes 'VEGA' "like a screwball comedy about nighttime New York." Anyone familiar with Tim and Eric Awesome Show's appropriation of 80s jingles and VHS-tape distortion effects will instantly appreciate openlude "Hit Parade", which sets the bar for what's to come, as the album is chock full of hazy hits. Breezy first single "Annie" finds Palomo in the subway, begging her not to run away "where I can't find you / the game has gone too far." Back at "Street Level" he's already moved on, finding a new girl to get high and survive the night with ("til I see thru sunrise / til my eyelids capsize"). Bored and restless again, he takes a brief detour into a seedy Chinatown brothel to get his rocks off in "Smut!"The twisty trip continues as Palomo stumbles into a NYC Soul Train on "Bozo", "The Glitzy Hive" and "Dear Skorpio Magazine". While he sweats out his dance fever on "Skorpio" to a guitar solo that recalls Bryan Adams' 'Reckless', Palomo promises his love to the girl who makes his heart "beat on display / if she ever came this way". Barely halfway through, he's already had more nightlife than most people have in a month. 'Night School' is Palomo's Periscope, inviting you to experience the grimy nocturne in real time.Thematically, the album is actually two concepts rolled into one. Originally conceived as a release for his Vega side project, 'INTL.' reaches climax at Italo-disco centerpiece "Slumlord", where the beat goes on and on "as long as you got the money". Perhaps the best track, Palomo saves you the bother of having to buy the Maxi extended single as he tacks on a 2-minute encore "Slumlord's Re-Lease". The pervading 'Night School' theme is inspired by the many long nights that went into making the record, when the relative quiet allowed him to do his best writing and thinking in the city that never sleeps. Accordingly, it's hard to envision Palomo constructing Disclosuresque banger "Techno Clique" during daylight.Palomo slows down the jam on the sobering "Baby's Eyes", where he swears to his bae "I'm never coming home again / until they see the world as I see you." The rubbery bassline, arcade-game synths and reverbing chords epitomize his obsession with clinging to a scheme, making it a late (if dragging) highlight. However, this is the only place where he comes down. On chugging "C'est La Vie", Palomo pops a molly to get him through to dawn and breaks out in French falsetto. At "61 Cygni Ave" he sucks up some helium and evokes the best chillwave from a constellation 11 light years away. Alas, in 'Night School' daybreak never comes as an exhausted Palomo laments "I just can't wait for the light" to hear the "News from the Sun", a soleado sendoff that would fit perfectly on any 80s Prince record. Back to the future in 2015, the news is already here: Neon Indian is glowing brightly.