CUT FOR IT.

As the release of our next single for Marina & The Diamonds' "Obsessions" creeps ever closer, the first few remixes have begun trickling in and we'll be bringing them to you as they drop. First up is a slow-burning Italo-disco take from New Jersey's finest Pink Stallone, described by the guys themselves as some "empty street Sally Shapiro lonely disco shit". Cutting out the verses and stretching it out to seven-plus minutes, the duo transpose the track onto a churning bassline that takes the original into darker territory as air raid synths cascade back and forth across the mix and Marina's vocals ebb and flow ominously throughout. "Obsessions" is released worldwide this Valentine's Day and is available for preorder now from the Neon Gold Shop in the US and Puregroove in the UK.

MP3: "Obsessions" (Pink Stallone Crush) - Marina & The Diamonds

THE NEW KING OF POP.

Theophilus London is quite possibly our biggest tip for 2009. Even sure things like Passion Pit and Clare Maguire don't have the potential Theo has to really turn the music industry on its ear in '09. We used to hail him as the future as hip-hop, but even a lofty title like that might not be doing him justice. Hype much? Yeah, but if Theo's not the hottest new artist in the game by 2010 we'll close up shop and start going to Dave Matthews Band shows.

Theo's brand new mixtape dropped yesterday and it's pretty much fire. Beyond the Smiths-referencing title and brilliant Elvis Costello-referencing cover (above left), This Charming Mixtape compiles some of London's best work to date, including his amazing remix of Amadou & Mariam's "Sabali" which kicks things off as the intro track. Try it out for yourself below. Uh-oh, uh-oh.

MP3: "Sabali" (Theophilus London Remix) - Amadou & Mariam

TONIGHT JUST BECAME THIS MORNING.

I was never overly fond of Jack Penate's fresh-faced guitar sounds, but after initially hailing him as their new wonder boy, the alarming swiftness with which the UK music industry and press seemed to turn their collective back on the young troubadour was staggering to say the least. Penate could have easily put his tail between his legs and wandered off into obscurity in the aftermath, but instead he's resurfaced with one of the most impressive comeback singles we've heard in ages. Teaming up with the one and only Paul Epworth is one way to get your name back in the headlines, but it doesn't mean shit if you haven't got the goods to back it up. On "Tonight's Today" Penate's penned a classic pop song set to the dreamy backdrop of Epworth's nigh-on balearic production, the result an ethereal that takes us far away from the dreamy context of the present as our thoughts drift towards greener pastures and carefree pursuits. Perfect for watching the world wake up around you as you waltz home in the predawn twilight.

MP3: "Tonight's Today" (Extended Version) - Jack Penate

// Nacho Alegre //

ONLY YOU CAN KNOW THE WAY I'M FEELING.

Back from London and back in the swing of things. Giantess are obviously one of our biggest tips for 2009, what with the fact that everything they've touched so far has turned to gold and whatnot. A big reason for this is the sexy studio touch of Ayad Al-Adhamy, who apart from holding down the synths and samples in Passion Pit moonlights as Giantess' producer at his Bo Flex Music studio in Boston. Ayad's taken to remixes these days, sometimes teaming up with the Giantess bros (as was the case on their phenomenal "Sleepyhead" mix) or going it alone as he's done on his latest rework, this one for DC indie types US Royalty. The original's a fairly unremarkable, standard-rock affair that's not much to write home about, but the Bo Flex treatment drapes it in layers of icy synths that perfectly complement the admittedly phenomenal vocal of the original. Pure studio magic, Bo Flex's take on "Keep It Cool" is just one of the many reasons to keep an eye on Boston's rapidly up and coming pop scene in '09.

MP3: "Keep It Cool" (Bo Flex Remix) - US Royalty

// Monotonia //

HERE COMES WHAT YOU NEVER REMEMBER.

Holiday hiatus over. 2008 was a good year for us. We got up our grassroots operation up and running, put out one of the best bands we've ever heard and laid the foundation for a big year in 2009. The first half of '09 will see us releasing records from Marina & The Diamonds, Gotye and Theophilus London, and we'll continue to work with Giantess in a managerial capacity until they've signed a billion dollar record deal and we all become rich and famous. Enough about us though, other people are going to be fucking some serious shit up in 2009 as well. Our next few features will be highlighting some of the fresh new talent that'll be coming up through the ranks next year to make some serious noise on the charts.

While Passion Pit and Marina are pretty much no brainers for big league triumphs next year, there's no safer bet for supernova success than Clare Maguire. Recent years have seen like-minded, big-voiced starlets like Winehouse, Adele, Duffy et. al ascending the charts with fluid ease, establishing their kind as the prototype for guaranteed chart success. Thus, Maguire, who's bros with Marina Diamond and produced by Primary 1, seems like the safest bet for surefire mainstream dominance in '09. A lengthy A&R struggle saw Maguire on the receiving end of one of the biggest deals we've heard about in an age, and "Strangest Thing", her brilliant white label debut, is already getting play on Radio 1 and has the future looking blindingly bright for this one.

MP3: "Strangest Thing" (Demo) - Clare Maguire

And since you were wondering, below are our favorite songs of '08.

1. "Sleepyhead" - Passion Pit
There's been no shortage of praise thrown at our debut release and we don't think it's a dick move giving the top two slots of this list to Neon Gold artists, rather it just shows how blessed we feel we are to be working with such incredible talents. "Sleepyhead" sounds like nothing else before it, a completely original musical thought that's straight up one of the best songs we've ever heard. Hands down our song of the year and we hope it's yours too.

2. "Obsessions" - Marina & The Diamonds
The demo of this was our most listened to song of the year until Passion Pit strolled onto our radar, and Liam Howe's production on the recently unveiled single version just makes it even more special. Available worldwide on Valentine's Day '09, this was one of the defining tracks of the year for us and we're honored to be able to release it to the masses in February.

3. "Daylight" - Matt & Kim
Matt & Kim followed up their impressive '07 debut with two shit-hot singles in 2008. The more recent of the two, "Daylight", goes down as one of the year's most infectious tracks and hints at huge things to come on the duo's upcoming sophomore album. Twinkling keys hook you from the start, before a monumental drumbeat drops in and the song takes flight on a catchy-as-fuck vocal structure and oscillating synths. Special.

4. "Hearts A Mess" - Gotye
One of our favorite records of all time since it's initial release in 2006, Gotye's cinematic masterwork finally saw release beyond Australian borders courtesy of Lucky Number Music last spring. We're thrilled to announce our upcoming collaboration with the Australian maestro, which will come to fruition when we issue Gotye's first-ever US release this spring. Yeah, we're pretty excited.

5. "Get Over It" - Guillemots
Guillemots' "Trains To Brazil" was the best thing to happen to music in 2006 and they came damn close to topping it with "Get Over It". In the weeks leading up to its unveiling buzz around the industry was that Guillemots' had written the perfect pop song, and fuck if this isn't one of the most inspiring, euphoric tracks we've ever had the pleasure of listening to.

Concise, yet effective - these were the songs that really mattered in 2008. Let's see if '09 can do any better, shall we?

// I Need Chemical //