STARS BURNING HOLES RIGHT THROUGH THE DARK.

The nicest weather we've ever experienced in London, it's been a glorious weekend of Pimm's in the garden, dining al fresco and soaking up cosmic rays all about town. It's the perfect time, then, to revisit our most listened to summer anthem of last year, "Sleepyhead", through Run Toto Run's magical interpretation of the amazing Passion Pit original and our first ever release here at Neon Gold. Run Toto Run swap Michael Angelakos' helium falsetto for frontwoman Rachael Kichenside's honey-throated coo and offer a brilliant violin arrangement in the stead of the original's synthesizer outburst on the chorus, delivering perhaps the most winning version of "Sleepyhead" we've heard yet.

MP3: "Sleepyhead" - Run Toto Run [exclusive]

NEXT THING WE'RE TOUCHING.

We've been a bit busy bouncing around between London, Bristol, Nottingham and Newcastle over the past few days, but this just demands to have time made for it. Dubstep isn't something we've ever been overly fond of 'round Neon Gold headquarters, but between Skream's "In For The Kill" mix, Nero's immense take on "Blinded By The Lights" and this absolutely massive rework of "Starry Eyed" by Midlands up-and-comer Jakwob, 2009 is slowly changing our outlook on the subgenre. The Ellie Goulding original was already one of our absolute tunes of the year and Jakwob takes the blueprint put in place by Starsmith and blows it up to epic proportions, dropping the year's fiercest bassline on the chorus and destroying everything in his path with what is truly one of the best and most unexpected remixes of the past year.

MP3: "Starry Eyed" (Jakwob Remix) - Ellie Goulding

A BIRTHDAY PARTY.

Hot on the heels of our Great Escape blowout (which was AMAZING, by the way) we've got another big one lined up for this week in London. Their last show before returning home to the United States of Awesome, Yes Giantess are headlining this one with support from UK up-and-comers Flashguns and Egyptian Hip Hop, the latter of whom will be making their London live debut.

In addition to all the live action we've got an all-star line up of the DJs, with live sets from Wonky Pop, Chess Club, Transparent, Jam, Phresh Sex and Blue Flowers. And since it's celebrating the 21st birthday of the lady half of Neon Gold, this one's going to be recession-friendly with free entry and drinks specials galore. Bring your party pants and everyone you've ever met. Yes mate.



In other Yes Giantess news, "Tuff N Stuff" will be the lead track on Sisters, an amazing new compilation coming out on fresh to death French label Sister Phunk next month. For anyone who may have somehow forgotten, "Tuff" is one of the absolute biggest tunes of the last 12 months and a big reason our Boston dudes are sitting pretty as one of the hottest unsigned bands on the block. Here's a quick refresher for anyone looking for a good track with which to blow out their speakers this summer.

MP3: "Tuff N Stuff" - Yes Giantess

GOLD 004: MARINA & THE DIAMONDS

We're a bit late on announcing this due to finals/moving/The Great Escape, but we're over the moon to be announcing our next release with Marina & The Diamonds. The Crown Jewels EP is perhaps our most exciting release yet, three more tracks of spine-tingling beauty from the UK's new queen of pop, and it kicks off a summer full of hot new releases from the Neon Gold ranks. Fan favorite "I Am Not A Robot" picks up where the dramatic grandeur of debut single "Obsessions" left off and it's the lead track here, while a brand new version of "Seventeen" takes a step in a bigger, brighter pop direction for the young superstar-in-waiting and is available below for exclusive free download. Support comes in the form of sterling B-side "Simplify" on the 7", while the digital package will feature an amazing remix from Ellie Goulding beatmaker Starsmith.

MP3: "Seventeen" - Marina & The Diamonds [exclusive]

The whole package is out June 1st and US customers can preorder the record from the Neon Gold Shop, while international customers should hit up our exclusive UK retail partners Puregroove as per usual. In other Marina news, we've recently set up a blog for her and it's heartwarming to see the little blogger she's become. Using it as a platform to treat her fans to exclusive goodies and unleash her musings on everything from Lady GaGa's to boobs and dentistry, it's pretty much her favorite thing in the world and is infinitely more entertaining than any other musician blogs we've ever read. We were with her last night when she logged on to find 27 new comments on her latest post and she loudly screamed "I LOVE THIS SHIT!". Adorable.

WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LOST.

Our love for Ellie Goulding is well documented in these pages, yet she continues to blow our minds with each new offering put forth. This time around it's another cover, as Ms. Goulding has a go at Bon Iver's "Wolves (Act I and II)" and reminds everyone that though she may be a synth-pop starlet by day, she's still an acoustic singer-songwriter by trade.

One of the most revered tracks off his 2008 debut For Emma, Forever Ago, "Wolves" was one of the the record's most awe-inspiring moments, a lesson in visceral, gutwrenching emotion as Justin Vernon challenges a lost lover to deliver the coup de grâce of their failed relationship: "swing wide your crane/and run me through". Ellie's done the unthinkable and managed to match Vernon blow for blow here, keeping the sparse minimalism and haunting mood of Bon Iver's original intact while adding her own heavensent vocals and beautiful layered harmonies to the track. Rarely do we find ourselves getting all starry-eyed over an off-the-cuff cover track, but this... this is different. This is shock and awe, people, and we're still reeling.

MP3: "The Wolves" - Ellie Goulding [exclusive]

NEON GOLD TAKEOVER AT THE GREAT ESCAPE.

Lock up your daughters and put the drinks on ice, Neon Gold is coming to the UK. Next week sees us shipping off to London for the summer where we'll be keeping it real DJing club nights, throwing parties and continuing to release records by some of our favorite new bands. We're really stepping up our game in the months to come with just under ten releases lined up between now and autumn and a monthly club night in the works in London, and it all kicks off next week in Brighton at the annual Great Escape festival. The Great Escape has been one of the highlights of the summer for us in recent years, so we're honored to be throwing the afterparty at the Ocean Rooms late night on Saturday. Neon Gold rising stars Wolf Gang (making their live debut) and Yes Giantess will be doing their thing live with DJ support from Ellie Goulding beatmaker Starsmith, London superstars Chess Club and of course our very own Neon Gold Beat Company. Let's rage.

MP3: "Tuff N Stuff" - Yes Giantess

We suppose this is also as good a time as any to introduce you to our new favorite band and forthcoming release, Wolf Gang. Wolf Gang is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Max McElligott, who's gone and crafted some of the most timeless pop gems you'll hear in this or any other year and is easily one of the most gifted talents we've ever had the pleasure of working with. Proudly wearing a love for pop greats like Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads on their sleeve, the demos put forth are some of the most promising we've ever heard, their rough charm and classic pop feel converging to make them some of the most exciting tracks we've heard this year. The single we'll be releasing in late June remains under wraps for now, but go ahead and introduce yourself with "Nightflying" and see why the sky is truly the limit for this London newcomer.

MP3: "Nightflying" (Demo) - Wolf Gang

// Cristiana Crouceiro //

DEAR FRIEND OF MINE.

The Maccabees sophomore effort strolled into the spotlight this week and quickly reminded us of all the reasons we first fell in love with them when they erupted onto the scene with 2006's Colour It In. Wall of Arms is an impressive next step, unveiling a more mature songwriting approach while retaining all the urgent energy that made their debut so wonderful. Arcade Fire producer Markus Gravs manned the boards this time around, a curious choice on paper that works out to makes perfect sense upon pressing play. Lead single "Love You Better" steadily builds towards a rousing conclusion of epic percussion and brass arrangements that might be the band's finest moment yet, while "No Kind Words" is the band's darkest offering to date, its ominous beat and eerie vocals creating a generally haunting atmosphere never before seen from the Brighton quartet. The accompanying video, above, is one of the year's best as well, and the whole package should be regarded as nothing less than one of the most inspiring comebacks of the year.

MP3: "No Kind Words" - The Maccabees

// Ruth Render //

THEY TAKE A POLAROID AND LET YOU GO.

New girl on the block Azealia Banks hasn't even finished high school and she's already the hottest new lady MC in the game. With rhymes like a sailor and major league flow, the 17 year old is a hip hop sensation just waiting to happen and it's only a matter of time before major label A&R's are beating down her door, checkbooks in hand. Cop her seriously fresh remix of Ladytron's "Seventeen" below and get ready for the takeover. Wake up A&R's, the next big thing is calling.

MP3: "Seventeen" - Azealia Banks

DESPERATE TO CONNECT.

Our favorite artist Gotye finally gets the stateside exposure he so rightly deserves tonight when "Hearts A Mess" will wrench the heartstrings of teenage America on Gossip Girl. The song is one of our all time favorites (as is the video, above) and we're thrilled to be putting out his first-ever US release later this summer. Here's what we said about "Hearts A Mess" this time last year:

“Hearts A Mess” is a pastiche of borrowed sounds and samples culled from record store bargain bins and passed-down vinyl heirlooms, yet the result is a remarkably unified sonic vision: swirling strings, atmospheric percussion and a heartwrenching chorus for the ages all converging to result in the most majestic single you’ll hear all year. A cinematic pop masterpiece just begging to be plugged into any number of primetime network dramas (you feeling me, Alexandra Patsavas?), the track soars and swells into an orchestral gem the likes of which haven’t been heard in pop music since Sebastien Tellier made eyes water across Europe with the stirring beauty of “La Ritournelle”. Similarly, “Hearts A Mess” sounds like nothing else out there right now, a timeless pop classic unrestrained by genre or critical expectations, and it’s the kind of special, once-in-a-lifetime single that rarely comes along in this increasingly homogenized indie scene.

Looks like Ms. Patsavas was feeling us after all.

MP3: "Hearts A Mess" - Gotye

// Brendan Cook //

LOOKING BACK ON A WORLD GOING UP IN FLAMES.

Today marks the release of the latest offering from our friends at Blue Flowers, and what a release it is. The debut single from the much buzzed about Goldhawks, "Where In The World" is a monumental piece of anthemic British rock, effortlessly melding the massive hooks of Springsteen with the epic instrumentation of the Arcade Fire. Even at this early stage Goldhawks' sound already seems stadium-ready, and if their performance at their single launch last week was any indication the band have the live chops to back it up. Get ready for Goldhawks to be everywhere this year.

MP3: "Where In The World" - Goldhawks [exclusive]

NEVER GROWING UP.

Just in time for summer, Chiddy Bang roll through with one of the first block party anthems of the season. Sampling one of the biggest hits of the blog era is a surefire way to get your name out there, but any attempts to pass Chiddy Bang's remix of "Kids" off as anything less than amazing fall flat once that chopped up synth sample drops and the beat takes off. The MGMT original was the soundtrack to thousands of late summer nights last year and spawned just as many remixes, but Chiddy Bang's effort sits head and shoulders above the rest and establishes them as ones to watch in the months to come. Only just wrapping up their first year of college in Philadelphia, the hip hop sensations-in-waiting already have a handful of sick tracks in their repertoire, and if they can follow up their ace remix work with some solid originals of their own they'll be a force to reckon with before the year is out. Recognize.

MP3: "Kids" - Chiddy Bang

// Kirk Hansen //