Monday, May 31, 2010

WON'T COME HOME AGAIN.

We know literally nothing about William Fitzsimmons or Pink Ganter other than that the union of the two in the latter's remix of Fitzsimmons' "So This Is Goodbye" is VERY GOOD. Enjoy.

MP3: "So This Is Goodbye" (Pink Ganter Remix) - William Fitzsimmons

Thursday, May 27, 2010

ELECTRIC IS THE AIR.

We've shown no shortage of love to Clock Opera as of late, but how could we not when dude is just deserving it so hard with every move he makes. First he dropped jaws with his immaculate remix of Marina & The Diamonds, then last week he unveiled his brilliant new single "A Piece of String", and now he's back with yet another beautiful rework, this time for Brooklyn dreamweavers Au Revoir Simone. Employing similar techniques to those in play on his Marina remix, Clock keeps the verses largely intact and splices together words and sounds to reinvent the chorus entirely, as pulsating synths churn ominously beneath pristine piano notes and icy Sigur Ros-esque atmospherics.

MP3: "Tell Me" (Clock Opera Remix) - Au Revoir Simone

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

BETTER WITH YOU.

Finland's Villa Nah first entered our lives last summer when "Ways To Be" wound up stuck on repeat on the office stereo for a solid month via their debut VN EP, yet somehow it never found it's way onto the blog. Fortunately after locking themselves in the studio for the past 10 months, the group are back with their debut album, Origin, and "Ways To Be" is back in our lives for good. Out now via Moshi Moshi on an AA-side 7" with the equally brilliant "Running On" on the flipside, the track is one of the best of the year, all synthesized 80's melancholy and timeless pop songwriting. Connoisseurs of haunting electronic pop, Villa Nah join the likes of Royksopp, The Knife and Kleerup as they evolve into viable heirs to the Scandinavian disco throne, and "Ways To Be" - already crowned Song of the Year at Finland's Dance Awards last month - is a massive first step in the right direction.

MP3: "Ways To Be" - Villa Nah

Monday, May 24, 2010

GOLD016: MR. LITTLE JEANS

Our love for Mr. Little Jeans knows no bounds, so it's with great pleasure that we announce her debut single, the three-track Angel EP, out on Neon Gold next month. We already introduced you to the brilliance that is the EP's title track last month, but today we've got AA-side "Faking Gold" for your ears, another rollicking Yeah Yeah Yeahs-esque masterstroke from the pint-sized pop sensation. With it's soaring chorus, infinite hooks and droning electronic bassline, it's cut from the same cloth as it's A-side sister "Angel", and the two converge to form one of the fiercest one-two punches you'll hear on a record this year.

MP3: "Faking Gold" - Mr. Little Jeans [exclusive]

As if the A-sides weren't enough, rounding out the package is a cover of Beyonce's ladies night anthem "Single Ladies", a more subdued affair that offers a glimpse of the softer side of the Ms. they call Mr. On the remix side of things, we've got winning interpretations from the RAC, Luxury Living and Passion Pit spin-off Bo Flex, which we'll be scattering like sonic ashes across the blog sea in the weeks to come. With another brilliant round of artwork from our girl FRAUGRAU (who's work on this release might be her best yet), the EP is limited to 300 copies and drops June 7th, available exclusively from the Neon Gold Shop stateside and our friends at Puregroove in the UK. Preorder is available now, so get involved.

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

FROM A HEIGHT IMMEASURABLE.

The Great Escape had no shortage of delights on offer last weekend in Brighton, but for us there was perhaps none greater than Clock Opera at Hector's House on the Saturday. We've been fans of the group from square one, having put on one of their first ever live shows last July and given them their first remix commission (and we all know how that one turned out), but even we weren't prepared for how far they'd come in the last 12 months.

With an arsenal of new tracks mixed by Dan Grech - fresh off his amazing work with previous Neon Gold all-stars Sound of Arrows and Penguin Prison - and a completely revamped live show, they're one of the most exciting new acts in the game right now. For proof of their progress, look no further than new single "A Piece of String", out next month on new French imprint Maman. Our favorite track from them to date, it finds the group at their absolute best as frontman Guy Connelly's haunting vocals take centerstage while a wire sharp synth riff cascades back and forth across a melange of chopped up guitar and strings samples. Coming off like Antony & The Johnsons collaborating with Four Tet, it's something strange and wonderful and entirely their own, and just one of many reasons they're one of the most exciting acts to grace our radar in ages.

MP3: "A Piece of String" - Clock Opera

Monday, May 17, 2010

LIFE ISN'T MEANT TO DRAG US DOWN.

Fyfe Dangerfield is one of our all-time favorite musicians and one of the nicest people we've ever met in this industry, so when he finally broke into the UK Top 10 last week with his breathtaking cover of Billy Joel's "She's Always A Woman" (as featured on this phenomenal John Lewis advert), we couldn't have been happier for him. Now at long last he's bringing his debut solo album Fly Yellow Moon over to the states for release on Downtown Records, preceded by a string of North American dates this week, launching at Joe's Pub in NYC and rounded off by dates in Philadelphia, Toronto and Los Angeles.

Fyfe put on one of the most brilliant performances we've seen this year at our SXSW showcase, highlighted by a cover of Girls Aloud's "Call The Shots" (live footage here), that's simply one of the most intense and visceral interpretations of a Top 5 pop smash we've ever heard. Sadly there's no studio recording of the track yet, but in the meantime there's no shortage of brilliant Fyfe material to tide you over, like "Headache", an absolutely immense B-side off the deluxe UK edition of the record that's been on repeat around Neon Gold HQ all spring. Get into it.

MP3: "Headache" - Fyfe Dangerfield [exclusive]

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

LET'S TAKE JESUS OFF THE DASHBOARD.

Surf noir. We've no idea what it is really, but still it seems a pretty apt description for NYC via New Jersey songwriter Lana Del Rey. All femme fatale lyrics and rampant nostalgia for the kitschy Americana of yesteryear, Lana's tracks hook you with a sultry approach to pop songwriting that sets her apart from her peers in this city. The icing on the cake is her homemade music videos, which unravel like a parade of influences that serve as a mission statement for what it is Del Rey's all about, and you can view the clip she's put together for "Diet Mtn Dew" - our favorite track of hers to this point - above. While it's clear she's still trying to find her sound and pin down her sonic identity, "Diet Mtn Dew" shows she's got all the necessary components to turn serious heads in the months to come, and those at The Great Escape next week would be amiss not to check her out at the Gold Dust showcase Thursday night. She's also going into the studio with our dudes The Knocks upon her return from the UK and, as anyone whose heard their recent output knows, that can only mean good things. Watch this space.

MP3: "Diet Mtn Dew" (Demo) - Lana Del Rey [exclusive]