Friday, August 28, 2009

WHO BROUGHT YOU DOWN NOW.

There's been no shortage of Aussie love in these pages of late, but Tim & Jean have just rolled up without warning brandishing a massive slice of blissed-out synth-pop that warrants even more Oz-related gushing. Taking the best parts of Passion Pit and Yes Giantess and mixing them up with a healthy does of 90's boy band nostalgia, "Come Around" is a technicolor blast of late-summer euphoria that's guaranteed to put a smile on your face, even as the days roll on towards the inevitable gray of winter. And when you keep in mind dudes are but 18 and 15 years of age (respectively) it becomes clear just how exciting Tim & Jean really are. Thanks to Hyperbole for the tip.

MP3: "Come Around" - Tim & Jean

Monday, August 24, 2009

GOLD 008: LITTLE RED

With our Gotye 7" now in the shops and awaiting your purchase, it's time to look ahead to our next release. We're staying in Australia for this one, this time to bring the debut international single from Melbourne's Little Red into the world for all to cherish. Without a doubt the hottest new band in Oz, Little Red self-released their debut LP Listen To Little Red to rapturous critical acclaim down under and now have their sights set on the rest of the world. With this release we're teaming up with our friends at the UK's brilliant Lucky Number Music label to bring you Little Red's breezy doo wop anthems "Coca Cola" and "It's Alright" on another fresh double A-side release, a last gasp of summery guitar pop before autumn sets in and it's time to get back to real life.

Coming off like the best unsolicited advert for Coke ever, "Coca Cola" is an ode to fizzy summertime refreshment, bouncing along on a chorus of "my one and only advice / is cold Coca Cola and ice". "It's Alright" shines on the AA-side and has proven to be every bit the hit as its flipside counterpart, already garnering early radio support from the likes of XFM and BBC 6Music, where it's currently their handpicked single of the week. This record is pretty much the most fun you can have this side of Chuck E. Cheese, so drop down and get your preorder on before it's too late. As usual, the Neon Gold Shop and Puregroove are your friends.

MP3: "Coca Cola" - Little Red [exclusive]

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

LOST THAT FEELING.

Visitor have arrived from a parallel universe where pop reigns supreme and synths will never go out of style, and they've brought with them a heavensent slice of stadium-sized dance pop as a token of peace and goodwill. Riding a monumental synth progression laid down by the gods themselves (or more accurately, Australian hitmakers Diamond Cut), "Los Feeling" sounds like The Killers on a dreamwave kick. They make their live debut at Gold Dust tonight and we'll be there with bells on. And given our beloved pop hero Erik Hassle is headlining, we suggest you do the same.

MP3: "Los Feeling" (Demo) - Visitor

Monday, August 17, 2009

COME ON DO IT AGAIN.

Our latest single on Neon Gold comes courtesy of Australia's favourite son Gotye and hits shops this week, and to celebrate the occasion we're here to drop the hotly anticipated Passion Pit remix of the stellar A-side, "Learnalilgivinanlovin". Keeping the throwback guitar and drums of the original intact, Passion Pit take the blueprint laid down by Gotye and dress it up in all manner of synth riffs and washes in keeping with their signature electronic aesthetic. If you haven't already gotten your preorder on from the Neon Gold Shop or Puregroove, you better get a-steppin' as a record this special doesn't tend to sit around on the shelves for long. And fear not Australia, we've got your back and are working to get this bad boy in your record shops as soon as possible.

MP3: "Learnalilgivinanlovin" (Passion Pit Remix) - Gotye [exclusive]

Friday, August 14, 2009

DEEP INTO THIS SHIT.

Erik Hassle and Yes Giantess are probably the best things to happen to pop music in 2009, so the union of the two in the Giantess remix of Hassle's debut UK single "Don't Bring Flowers" is the stuff dreams are made of. Hassle is the next global pop sensation (just try to tell us "Hurtful" doesn't have the makings an international number one) and he sounds even better over a barrage of thugged-out Yes Giantess synths. Get this on your headphones and you're ready for the weekend.

MP3: "Don't Bring Flowers" (Yes Giantess Remix) - Erik Hassle [exclusive]

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES.

The Sound of Arrows are a new breed of pop superstars. With a 100% D.I.Y. aesthetic to their craft, they write and produce their own tracks, handle all of their own design work and even craft their own music videos, and they do all of it pretty fucking masterfully. Popjustice put it rather well in describing the Swedish duo as "one of those bands who'd surprise precisely nobody by coming out with an international Number One pop single" after they unleashed their flagship anthem "M.A.G.I.C." on the world last January, and now they're primed to release their US/UK debut on Neon Gold this autumn. More details on that to come, but for now feast your eyes and ears on "M.A.G.I.C." and it's dazzling accompanying promo video above.

MP3: "M.A.G.I.C." - The Sound of Arrows

Thursday, August 6, 2009

YOU'VE BEEN ACTING AWFUL TOUGH LATELY.


There's been no shortage of massive remixes for Marina & The Diamonds' breakout Neon Gold single "I Am Not A Robot", but we've been furtively holding out on you and saved the best for last. So without further ado we'd like to introduce you to Penguin Prison, hands down the most exciting new artist to grace our ears in 2009. Not only is he among the best new vocal talents we've heard this year (more on his original tracks in the weeks to come), he's also quite possibly the most exciting new producer and remixer on the block and this here is his coming out party. Transforming Ms. Diamond into a dancefloor diva and completely reinventing the original track a stomping, DFA-stlye nu-disco stormer, the NYC pop maestro makes it all look far too easy and turns in one of the year's finest remixes on his first fucking try. He'll be joining the Neon Gold ranks with his debut single this autumn, so keep an eye on these pages for much more Penguin Prison magic in the weeks to come. Ladies and gentlemen, this is some seriously next level shit.

MP3: "I Am Not A Robot" (Penguin Prison Mix) - Marina & The Diamonds [exclusive]

Elsewhere in the world of all things amazing, Abeano has the brand new single from The Big Pink that's got us scrambling to get all those tracks of theirs we passed when we refused to buy into the hype all year. We were wrong. Monsieur Abeano has also put together his own Future 50 feature in response to the rather questionable list that headlined this week's NME issue, a move that we will very soon be copying.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

GOLD 007: GOTYE

As previously professed, Gotye is one of our favorite artists of all time and one of the reasons we're even messing about in this whole music biz thing in the first place. Thus, we're deeply honored to be releasing a very special, very limited edition 7" run of his smash hit "Learnalilgivinanlovin" that will step out as his first ever physical release in the US. The track's already been released in other territories but still has nowhere near the exposure it deserves, so sweetening the deal for our international customers is a brilliant remix from Passion Pit, whose debut 7" single "Sleepyhead"/"Better Things" was the first record ever to brandish the Neon Gold logo on its sleeve. And like our first ever release, this record also features gorgeous artwork from the brilliant FRAUGRAU, Germany's best kept secret when it comes to stunningly unique design work.

"Learnalilgivinanlovin" exudes a vibrant versatility and comes together like a classic Motown hit produced with Phil Spector's widescreen sunshine visors on, an ebullient blend of racing drums, triumphant horns, and the sweetest soul falsetto you've never heard. A huge summer anthem in his adopted home of Australia, it grooves along on a timeless instrumental with a breezy melody that's the perfect soundtrack to the classic urban summer we've been dreaming of, where kids while away hot afternoons chasing the ice cream truck down the street and dancing around in the cool relief of fire hydrant showers. It's not too late to give up hope on that elusive summer dream, and you can preorder the single from the Neon Gold Shop or Puregroove before it's August 17th release. Limited to only 300 copies worldwide, act now before it's too late.

MP3: "Learnalilgivinanlovin" - Gotye