Wednesday, June 30, 2010

WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR PHONECALLS.

Everything Everything's "MY KZ, UR BF" was one of our absolute favorite songs of last summer, and it still sounds every bit as fresh and brilliant one year on as Geffen readies it for a proper major label re-release. As if that wasn't exciting enough, our main man Clock Opera gets involved on the official remix package and smashes it out of the park once again. Easily one of the most innovative remixers around, Clock chops and pops the original into a stuttering, stammering mess of a masterpiece, every bit as off the wall as Everything Everything themselves. A truly eccentric union of some of the most inspired and original minds in the game.

MP3: "MY KZ, UR BF" (Clock Opera Remix) - Everything Everything

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

CLINGING TO YOUR FEVER.

There's not much to say about the Holy Ghost! remix of former Neon Gold all-stars Monarchy that isn't immediately apparent once the beat drops and that unreal vocal from soul legend Karl Dixon transforms the original into a swirling and shimmering cosmic disco beast: This shit is HUGE. We've loved Holy Ghost! since their debut single "Hold On" first graced our ears - and the fact that they're frequent collaborators with our dude Penguin Prison certainly doesn't hurt their standing in our books - but this is easily the most impressive thing we're yet to hear from the DFA collective. Like no other remix this year, it transports the original to a whole new place, stepping out into brave new territory the original could only conceive of in its wildest dreams. Well played, Holy Ghost, well played.

MP3: "Love Get Out of My Way" (Holy Ghost! Remix ft. Dixon) - Monarchy

Thursday, June 24, 2010

RUIN YESTERDAY.

From Samuel we roll on to another artist from the Heavyroc massive, the very lovely Alex Winston. With her debut single "Choice Notes" currently being readied for release next month, she's preceding it with a free compilation of covers next week, aptly titled The Basement Covers EP. The EP finds Ms. Winston having a go at covers of Teddybears, The Stones and our dudes Mumford & Sons, but our favorite is her take on Jack Penate's "Pull My Heart Away". It's make up somehow equal parts sprightly and haunting, it was one of the first tracks we ever heard from Alex and was the first clue that the The Knocks had found something special once again. Grab the track below, and be sure to keep an eye out for The Basement Covers EP and her Choice Notes 7" in the weeks to come.

MP3: "Pull My Heart Away" - Alex Winston [exclusive]

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

GOLDEN SUMMERS.

Samuel is one of our number one dudes in NYC (and we just returned from rage managing his West Coast tour), so it's with great pleasure that we unveil his debut single "I Heart NY". I guess it's trendy to rhyme about NYC ever since Jay and Alicia started banging on about bright lights and concrete jungles, but this was our original NYC anthem, the demo racking up a serious play count in our iTunes since we first met the Heavyroc crew 18 months ago. The Knocks are at the helm here once again (under the expert direction of Grammy-nominated veteran Greg Wells), stringing a playful keys riff through a maze of big brass blasts and singalong group vocals, resulting in a breezy summer anthem for the city that never sleeps and a brilliant first single for Samuel as he readies his debut album for release later this year.

MP3: "I Heart NY" - Samuel [exclusive]

Monday, June 14, 2010

GOT ME TIGHTER IN MY MR. LITTLE JEANS.

These days everyone wants to be a single lady, and we're certainly not going to be the ones to tell Mr. Little Jeans she can't get in on the action. So to celebrate the release of her Angel EP last week (quickly flying off the shelves at the Neon Gold Shop and Puregroove), we're putting our hands up and giving away her lovely take on the Beyonce anthem for free download below. We liked it enough to put a ring on it, and hopefully you will too.

MP3: "Single Ladies" - Mr. Little Jeans

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

THIS NIGHT BELONGS TO ME.

One of our favorite new talents of 2010, Spark arrives on the scene next month with her debut single "Shut Out The Moon", released July 12th by our dear friends at Puregroove. Currently on tour with Marina & The Diamonds, she possesses many of the same qualities that have made Marina one of the most adored new artists in the UK, from her off-the-wall fashion sense right down to her powerful personality and breathtaking vocals. We caught her supporting Marina at London's Bloomsbury Ballroom last month and were blown away by her ability to command a room with barely any live experience under her belt, and it was truly one of those magical "a star is born" moments that only come around once in a blue moon.

While "Shut Out The Moon" isn't quite our favorite track from her repertoire (that would be "Revolving" for those of you keeping score at home), the remix package supporting the single is nothing short of amazing and takes the whole thing to staggering new heights of brilliance. Most impressive is a nigh-on genius interpretation from France's Monsieur Adi, who's been wowing us for a minute now with his orchestral electro reworks of everyone from Ellie Goulding to Marina. In what is possibly his finest effort yet, he dresses the original up in all manner of lush strings and heavy bass surges, his background as a classically-trained violinist shining through in the mix and complementing his signature French touch style beautifully. File under: AMAZING.

MP3: "Shut Out The Moon" (Monsieur Adi Remix) - Spark [exclusive]

Friday, June 4, 2010

ALL THE OTHER KIDS.

Quite possibly the most sought after new act in the US, Foster The People have spent the first half of 2010 at the center of a serious major label A&R scrum, and with immense tracks like "Pumped Up Kicks" it's not hard to see why. Combining the production aesthetic of Peter Bjorn & John with the summery falsettos of MGMT or Empire of the Sun, "Pumped Up Kicks" has indie summer anthem written all over it, and with a major label deal already rumored to be in place for the Los Angeles four piece you can expect to be hearing a good deal more from this lot in the second half of '10. But in the meantime it's time to break out the swimwear and pump up those hi-tops, summertime is here.

MP3: "Pumped Up Kicks" - Foster The People

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

NEON GOLD PRESENTS: PENGUIN PRISON IN NYC.

Penguin Prison is our favorite new artist in NYC by miles, so we're thrilled to be putting on his next live show June 9th at Santos Party House. He'll also be DJing the event, joined on the ones and twos by our very own Neon Gold Beat Company, with live sets from Bad Brilliance and newcomers Planes rounding out the night. Anyone who's seen Penguin perform thus far knows it's one of those special glimpses of greatness one rarely gets from young live bands these days, so come out and get down, it's time to get rowdy. Tickets are $12, doors open at 7pm and the show is 18+, for tickets and further info hit up the Santos website here. We'll also be announcing our third single release with Penguin Prison - due out this August - on the blog soon, so be sure to keep an eye out for more developments on that front. Advance warning: it's absolutely IMMENSE.

MP3: "Something I'm Not" - Penguin Prison
MP3: "Pyramid" - Planes [exclusive]