Only in the eccentric minds of Gruff Rhys (Super Furry Animals) and electro stalwart Boom Bip (otherwise known as Bryan Hollon) could a concept album about the life and times of John DeLorean become a fully-fledged musical reality. Featuring collaborations with Spank Rock, Yo Majesty and, bizarrely, The Magic Numbers, 'Stainless Style' is a hook-laden science-fiction odyssey, referencing Star Wars and myriad 80s influences, while retaining the pop sensibility of Gruff Rhys' projects and the innovation of Boom Bip's. Includes the single 'I Lust You', featuring Cate Le Bon.

Nov 2007

Neon Neon is the artist name for the combined musical powers of Los Angeles based producer Boom Bip and Super Furry Animals main man and solo star Gruff Rhys. The whole 'Stainless Style' record is inspired by the incredible life of the world’s first playboy engineer, John DeLorean. The ballsy businessman dealt in high stakes, borrowing enormous sums of money, including £85 million from the British Government, in order to fulfill his lifelong dream of building an automotive empire. His crowning glory, the iconic DMC-12, better known as simply ‘The DeLorean’, was fittingly immortalized as Marty and Doc’s time machine in legendary 80s movie Back To The Future.

Boom Bip’s euphoric, lush and pin-sharp dancefloor-pop leads us into the heady world of fast cars, fast living, shagpile carpets and the bitter taste of martini as Gruff Rhys’s brilliantly maverick songwriting reimagines – through the eyes of DeLorean himself – the heady romance between the smitten fast-living businessman and silver screen siren. The album also features guest appearances by Spank Rock, Yo Majesty and Fat Lip.

• Mojo - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[B]ehind the mechanised chill is a small human presence taking on the robots, a warm pulse driving the glorious sci-fi pop of 'I Told Her On Alderaan' and 'Raquel'."
• Mojo - Ranked #28 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "[T]he sleekest ride of the year."
• Uncut (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[I]t's a thrill to hear Rhys' mellifluous voice juxtaposed with the music's synthetic thrust....As an exercise in sleek, nostalgic pop fantasy, STAINLESS STYLE is a lot of fun..."
  Q (Magazine) (p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] terrific collaboration on DeLorean's life story. Cue convincing synth-pop about the playboy industrialist's lust for power..."
  Mojo (Publisher) (p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[B]ehind the mechanised chill is a small human presence taking on the robots, a warm pulse driving the glorious sci-fi pop of 'I Told Her On Alderaan' and 'Raquel'."
  Mojo (Publisher) (p.69) - Ranked #28 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "[T]he sleekest ride of the year."
  Clash (magazine) (p.65) - Ranked #20 in Clash's "The 40 Best Albums of 2008" -- "Boom Bip and Gruff Rhys teamed up to make a sonic interpretation of John DeLorean's life."
  URB (Magazine) (p.107) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Erstwhile Super Furries eccentric Gruff Rhys sings the tale in his dulcet rasp, documenting his protagonist's rise and fall in the first person and with hilarious detail over the power-pop bounce of LA-based electro texturalist Boom Bip."
  Record Collector (magazine) (p.95) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Boom Bip's beats are straight 80s electro discotheque....They propel the tale along, both capturing the era and, in the case of 'I Told Her On Alderaan,' taking you anywhere you like."

An extension of Gruff Rhys's guest appearance on Boom Bip's BLUE EYED IN THE RED ROOM, Neon Neon finds the two performers delving deep into 1980s culture for a concept album about high-rolling car manufacturer John DeLorean. While a few tracks feature hip-hop luminaries (most notably Spank Rock and Fatlip), most tunes on STAINLESS STYLE are fascinating simulacra of synth-laden `80s pop tunes, best shown on the propulsive "I Told Her on Alderaan" and the bouncy "Raquel." Although fans of Rhys's day job--the Super Furry Animals--and Boom Bip's more subdued work may be initially perplexed, the collaboration is a highly entertaining exercise in STYLE.