Thursday, September 30, 2010

A NEW KIND OF PIECE OF MACHINERY.

We like to think we have a fairly rich pedigree of female pop talent here at Neon Gold, as we gaze fondly at the busts of Marina & The Diamonds, Ellie Goulding (who makes her NYC live debut tonight) and Mr. Little Jeans lining the halls in the pantheon of Neon Gold leading ladies. So it's with great pleasure that we pass the torch on to a special newcomer by the name of Spark, who's brilliant sophomore single "Revolving" will bear our crest when it drops this November.

We first fell in love with Spark (quite literally born Jess Sparkle Morgan) via the breathtaking Monsieur Adi remix of her debut single "Shut Out The Moon", so it only seemed right that we invite the Italian Frenchman back for another round of remixing Ms. Morgan on "Revolving". The result is a stroke of minor genius, as Adi forgoes the stale electro beats that plague the blog remix scene in favor of electrifying strings arrangements while Spark bares her soul over his dramatic orchestal backdrop. Experience the remix for yourself below, and be sure to visit Spark's Soundcloud where you can hear the original version of "Revolving" and its accompanying B-side "Wrap".

MP3: "Revolving" (Monsieur Adi Rework, Allegro in C Minor) - Spark [exclusive]

Thursday, September 23, 2010

YOU MAKE ME FEEL.

We've been fully on board the Lissie wagon ever since we experienced her literally AMAZING duet with Ellie Goulding at this year's Great Escape festival (phenomenal footage of which is viewable above), and her debut album Catch A Tiger and its lead single "When I'm Alone" were two of our favorite surprises of the summer. Leo Zero must have felt similarly, so keen was he to remix "When I'm Alone" that he approached Sony to let him have a go at the track long after the single campaign had run its course. We're glad he did, though, as the results are nothing short of magnificent. Not unlike the brilliant remix of Florence & The Machine's "Rabbit Heart" that he turned in last summer, his rework of "When I'm Alone" is a sprawling epic, an anthemic leviathan looming large in the mix for 8+ minutes of balearic bliss. Leo Zero we salute you, the world needs more remixes like this.

MP3: "When I'm Alone" (Leo Zero Remix) - Lissie [exclusive]

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

GET UP OUT MY SOUL.

"The Recluse" was our favorite track off Plan B's amazing The Defamation of Strickland Banks, easily the most impressive comeback record of 2010, so when we heard a remix was coming from dubstep extraordinaires Nero - whose immense rework of The Streets' "Blinded By The Lights" remains one of the biggest remixes we've ever heard - it's safe to say we got a little bit hot and bothered. Now it's arrived and we're pleased to report it doesn't disappoint, with Nero smashing it out of the park on one of the heaviest mixes of the year... this shit is LOUD. Shouts to Discodust for the tip.

MP3: "The Recluse" (Nero Remix) - Plan B

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

NIGHT HAS FALLEN LIKE A STONE.

Way back in late 2008, Bag Raiders changed our lives with their amazing "Shooting Stars", which remains to this day one of the most magical - and in our opinion most underrated - singles of the past few years. Now at long last their debut album is visible on the horizon, preceded by what their press release calls the official sequel to "Shooting Stars", the absolutely immense "Way Back Home". Featuring WIM's Martin Soloman on the vocal, the track utilizes the same formula that made "Shooting Stars" so special, it's brooding gloom-pop gradually giving way to anthemic majesty on the chorus before ultimately climaxing in an epic breakdown of tribal percussion in the song's final act. It's one of the best tracks we've heard in a long minute and has us beyond excited to experience the fruits of the Aussie duo's labor when their self-titled debut album drops October 1st on Modular.

MP3: "Way Back Home" - Bag Raiders

Thursday, September 16, 2010

MEET ME IN THE RED SKY.

All aboard the Clare Maguire express, next stop: the stars. After what seems like an eternity, Ms. Maguire's debut single proper has finally arrived in the form of "Ain't Nobody", a dramatic stunner that showcases the Birmingham chanteuse's booming voice and knack for the epic. While it lacks the chart toppling potential possessed by some of the other Clare tracks we've heard behind closed doors, it's a perfect introduction to her expansive pop sound. Complete with a brilliant remix package featuring killer efforts from the likes of Coyote and Memory Tapes (download the latter below) and a windswept epic of a video that channels "Frozen"-era Madonna, "Ain't Nobody" drops 18th October as Polydor readies her debut album Light After Dark for release in early 2011.

MP3: "Ain't Nobody" (Memory Tapes Remix) - Clare Maguire

STARS SO BRIGHT.

We won't front like we know all that much about Australia's Kimbra, but she's clearly got a good head on her shoulders, going straight for the crème de la crème of remixers when she hit up our dude Penguin Prison for a mix of her latest single "Settle Down". While the original finds Kimbra intent on settling down, Penguin's all about shaking things up on his remix, upping the BPM and breathing new life into the track via churning synthesizers and the buoyant booms and bips he's become known for. All frenetic minimalism and soulful swagger, it's just another step away from the rest of the pack as Penguin further establishes himself as the freshest new remixer in the game.

MP3: "Settle Down" (Penguin Prison Remix) - Kimbra [exclusive]

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

STATIC TONE ON THE PHONE.

We've been banging on about how amazing Fyfe Dangerfield's cover of Girls Aloud megahit "Call The Shots" is for quite some time, so the fact that it's taken until now to get an mp3 up on the blog is somewhat unforgivable. Fyfe played NYC a few weeks back though and fully reignited our love for the track, swiftly helping us to realize the err of our ways in sitting on this track for so long. The Girls Aloud original is one of the better mega mainstream singles of the past decade (right up there bumping shoulders with "Rude Boy" and "Ms. Jackson") and boasts a Xenomania-penned topline that's one of the best in recent pop history, so the source material is pretty strong in itself, making Dangerfield's ownership of the track on his cover all the more remarkable. The mp3 below is a live recording from a recent BBC Radio 2 session, and while we still pray for the day a proper studio recording of the cover becomes a reality, this is pretty damn great for now.

MP3: "Call The Shots" - Fyfe Dangerfield

Friday, September 10, 2010

WHEN YOU'RE FEELING DOWN AND LOW.

You'd be forgiven for trying to determine the sample in The Knocks' "Make It Better" - after all, it was the first question we asked when they first played it for us - but on the real it's an original vocal from The Knocks' Mr. JPatt, just pitched up and fucked with. But the sample question came up so often they decided to go back and write a retro original track, as if it were the track they were sampling on "Make It Better", even though it was written after the fact. Confusing, we know, but it'll all make sense when you hear it below. "When You've Got Music", as it's called, is not only a kind of genius idea, but it's also on some unreal vintage soul shit, with JPatt absolutely murdering it on the vocal and stepping out as one of the most talented new vocalists in the game.

MP3: "When You've Got Music" - The Knocks

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

FOLLOWING YOUR EVERY MOVE.

The third and final installment of Russ Chimes' Midnight Club mini-film has arrived and it doesn't disappoint, wrapping things up in an epic finale soundtracked by EP highlight and next single "Targa", featuring a killer vocal from our main man Cass Lowe. The EP will be available for purchase soon, but for now revel in its accompanying mini-film directed by Saman Keshavarz, the finale of which is above.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

TRYING TO FIND THE INBETWEENS.

With the release of The Naked & Famous' anthemic debut single "Young Blood" cresting over the horizon as we prepare to drop it next week, it's time to dip into the excellent remix package that's coming together around it. Earlier today Popjustice premiered the epic Sound of Arrows remix as his Song of the Day and made it available for free download on the main page, and now it's time for us to follow suit with the immense Pink Ganter remix. Reinventing the massive central riff of the original as a nearly oriental chimes progression and laying down a relentless, churning bassline along the backbone of the track, it's a brilliant reinterpretation that comes off like The Knife and Diplo getting down in the studio after ordering in one too many dumplings from their local Chinese takeout.

MP3: "Young Blood" (Pink Ganter Remix) - The Naked & Famous [exclusive]