POPSHOP RADIO 006

It's a beautiful day, a short work week, and there's a motherfucking Popshop going down Thursday night at Tammany Hall - does life get any better than this? It does when you remember that not only do we have an amazing lineup of acts - shouts to Keepaway, Body Language, Computer Magic, Living Days and Xaphoon Jones - putting it down on our stage this month, but we also have OPEN BAR Absolut from 8-9pm plus Heineken throwing in a free keg of beer for a free brews free-for-all from 2-3am, just to make absolutely sure we all make as many poor life choices as possible.

To celebrate this most triumphant occasion, The Knocks are back once again with another Popshop radio minimix, a summery blast of kid-tested, Popshop-approved hits to make the unbearable wait to Thursday night just a little bit easier. Tracklist and stream/download below, don't forget to cop your advance tickets HERE. With so much free alcohol on offer you'll be able to drink away that $10 price tag in no time at all, so get your tickets now before it's too late.

1. "Trip" - Vacationer
2. "When You've Got Music" (ft. The Knocks) - Chiddy Bang
3. "Social Studies" (Plastic Plates Remix) - Body Language
4. "Electronic Fences" - Computer Magic
5. "Bad Things" - Cults
6. "Family Of The Son" - Keepaway
7. "The Old House Is Gone" - St Lucia
8. "Go Oblivion" - Living Days
9. "The Suburbs" - Mr. Little Jeans

WHEN THE BEAT IS ALRIGHT.

Last summer we released The Knocks' "Make It Better" with a super retro "original version" called "When You've Got Music" on the B-side, as if it was the vocal they sampled on "Make It Better" even though it was written after the fact. It was a kind of a genius reverse sample of sorts, and it became the inspiration for this year's Same Old Songs EP, but now things have come full circle as our dude Xaphoon Jones samples "When You've Got Music" on the first cut from Chiddy Bang's upcoming Peanut Butter & Swelly mixtape. It's business as usual for Xaph, murdering it on the beat as always, but Chiddy himself is in rare form here as he absolutely bodies the verses with one of his best showings in ages.

MP3: "When You've Got Music" (ft. The Knocks) - Chiddy Bang

MOVING PAST THE FEELING.

Mr. Little Jeans has been laying low for a minute as she writes and records her debut album, but this week she checked in with a seriously special treat for y'all. It's no secret that homegirl's skilled in the delicate art of the cover song, but she's truly outdone herself with this haunting rendition of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs". Taking the original by the horns and reworking it into a whole new beast that's entirely her own, the pint-sized Norwegian wonder drops a truly masterful interpretation of a track that we'd have previously told you was pretty much untouchable in its original form. Gone is the vaudevillian piano that defined the original; in its place, industrial synth dirges and percussive electronic beats flow like molasses, as eerie synthetic strings drift in and out of the mix and Mr. Lil's whispered vocals hang like heaven over everything, an ominous specter warning of the dark tensions that lie beyond the white picket fence. The perfect update to the Arcade Fire original, it's dark, haunting and a little bit amazing.

MP3: "The Suburbs" - Mr. Little Jeans

POPSHOP006: KEEPAWAY + BODY LANGUAGE

Can't stop, won't stop, never get enough. This whole Popshop thing has been going pretty damn well, but still we just can't keep ourselves from sweetening the deal each month. So not only are we expanding the lineup to four bands, we've also got an amazing open bar deal for complimentary Absolut from 8pm-9pm. If you're like us you'll have drunk your way through your ticket price's worth of free dranx by the time that's even halfway done, so come out early and get your drink on Thursday June 2nd for the next installment of our beloved club night.

Then kicking things off at 9pm we've got Brooklyn's Living Days (who we introduced you to yesterday), followed by SXSW hype magnet and electro darling Computer Magic, our favorite Bk partystarters Body Language and the absolutely incredible Keepaway headlining, who just might be the best new live band in the city. Then keeping you dancing from 1am til late will be world renowned Chiddy Bang beatmaker and all around legend Xaphoon Jones killing it on the decks until the early hours. Advance tickets available HERE, set times and mp3s below:

09:00pm: Living Days // DOWNLOAD: "Go Oblivion"

10:00pm: Computer Magic // DOWNLOAD: "Electronic Fences"

11:00pm: Body Language // STREAM: "Falling Out"

12:00am: Keepaway // DOWNLOAD: "Yellow Wings"

01:00am: Xaphoon Jones (DJ) // DOWNLOAD: "The Jackson Pit"

NICE COLLISION.

Hey, you there, get ready for your 80's new wave dreams to come true. No, not the John Cusack boombox fantasy again, this one comes in the form of Brooklyn's own Living Days. Imagine The Cars' Ric Ocasek fronting The Human League - a veritable 'who's who' of 80's heavy hitters - but with a a distinct 2011 twist and fronted by Stephonik Youth, arguably one of the most sonically unique ladies in the game. Living Days' "Go Oblivion!" plays like the 80's montage music to the greatest day ever, during which someone's probably learning to surf, dance, master karate, getting a "cool/popular" makeover or quite possibly all of the above. Just put this one on and see if you can physically restrain yourself from fist pumping (a la Judd Nelson/John Bender), especially when that "yeah! yeah! yeah!" breakdown drops at the bridge. 10 bucks says you can't.

MP3: "Go Oblivion!" - Living Days

AND THE MOON WAS SHINING.

Teachers is a new project from Ben Bronfman, formerly of The Exit and last heard from laying down that amazing vocal on "Dinosaur On The Ark", the highlight of the debut mixtape from The Very Best that dropped a few years back. He's also married to M.I.A. so yeah, chances are you've heard of him one way or another. But none of that matters when you lend an ear to his latest outpouring with Teachers (formerly Bermuda), which arrives in the form of debut single "GOLD", a tribal, booming epic that's as huge and ambitious as anything you'll hear from a new band all year. Brewer's got a pretty flawless track record with his past projects so it the immense quality of his new output should really come as no surprise, but this is truly massive - call it shock-and-awe pop, and consider us fully on board.

MP3: "GOLD" - TEACHERS

SO DARK AND LONELY.

We've been spitting the Strange Talk gospel for some time now, and after the release of their fantastic debut EP on Neon Gold earlier this month (available now from the Neon Gold Shop) it's time to keep the ball rolling with the unveiling of the music video and remix package for next single "Eskimo Boy". In addition to the video above we've got an exclusive double drop of oven fresh remixes of the single in a two for the price of one deal that's almost like we're paying you... or something.

The first of the two comes from Welsh up-and-comers Vanguard, hot off barnstorming remixes of Louis La Roche and Passion Pit, who continue their rapid ascent to electro stardom with a massive floor-filling club mix of the Strange Talk original. Then it's our main man Lightwaves' turn, who puts his "yeah, I'm pretty much DJing your dreams right now" spin on the track with a gradually building masterpiece that eventually erupts in a hands-in-the-lasers moment for the ages in the song's second half. He's been pretty much killing it on every remix he's touched thus far and this could be his finest work yet, drawing you in with shades of Daft Punk's "Digital Love" ("why don't you play the gaaaaame") before knocking you for six with the most epic keys breakdown since Russ Chimes changed the game with his "Starry Eyed" remix last year. WELL DONE SIR.

MP3: "Eskimo Boy" (Vanguard Remix) - Strange Talk [exclusive]
MP3: "Eskimo Boy" (Lightwaves Remix) - Strange Talk [exclusive]

KEEP YOUR HEART CLOSE TO MINE.

Now that Alex Winston is wrapping up her debut album and well on her way to super stardom (see below), one might wonder what The Knocks have in store for us next over at their HeavyRoc Music studios. Well wonder no more, as it's time to introduce you to the latest addition to the HeavyRoc family, St. Lucia. Arriving just in time for the endlessly bleak winter of NYC to give way to the long light of summer, St. Lucia is the sound of childhood holidays and faded photographs of faraway places.

Inspired by his homeland of South Africa, his journey through the UK and eventual relocation to Brooklyn, St. Lucia's debut offering "This Old House Is Gone" plays like a lucid dream that you never want to wake up from, drifting by on an ethereal chord progression that recalls The Shins' "Sleeping Lessons" as viewed through the kaleidoscopic lens of Animal Collective's "Did You See The Words". A winning mix of heavily layered percussive elements, technicolor synth flourishes and tropical electro vibes, it's a little bit of Australia in our own backyard, coming off like The Temper Trap as produced by Cut Copy with shades of Empire of the Sun thrown in for good measure. So basically, dreams DO come true. Expect big things.

MP3: "The Old House Is Gone" - St. Lucia [exclusive]

STUCK WITH YOU.

With her second video in the mix, our girl Alex Winston does not disappoint. Directed by That Go (Brooklyn production duo Stefan Moore and Noel Paul), the video for "Sister Wife" sort of plays out like one of those Stefon sketches from SNL's Weekend Update... "this club has EVERYTHING: creepy old ladies in nightgowns, toilet bread, bed pythons and a puppet cat that spews blood..." But in all seriousness this video's amazing - all shadowy atmospherics and an eerie sense of controlled chaos, as Winnie has a bizarre yet visually astounding house party in a haunted mansion. It's basically perfect, marrying (polygamy style of course) all aspects of the song together as the video wraps the playful violence and sweet darkness of the track into one awesomely weird package.

Speaking of playful, violent, sweet 'n dark (that's how I take my coffee by the way) - Ladyhawke is back! This time around she's lending her grungy electro touch to a stellar "Sister Wife" remix, and this one's on seriously heavy rotation people. Building off the vibe of Star Slinger's Mormons In The Hood remix from a while back, Ladyhawke elaborates with SERIOUS attitude, all "oh know she didn't!" hand claps and "get the fuck out" synths. Together, the video and remix are just another step towards world domination for Ms. Winston as she preps her hotly-anticipated debut album for release this autumn. It's a great day for sister wives everywhere.

MP3: "Sister Wife" (Ladyhawke Remix) - Alex Winston

NEON GOLD AT THE GREAT ESCAPE.

So Monday night was a fucking blast, but if you missed out on the fun worry not, as we'll be going harder, better, faster, stronger Friday night in Brighton at our official Great Escape showcase with Walk The Moon, Post War Years and Wolf Gang at The Loft in central Brighton. Together with our bros-in-arms Chess Club, we'll be bringing you three of the best bands the festival has to offer late night from 11pm to 3am, plus DJ sets from our beloved ANR running things on the decks the first half of the night and the brilliant and beautiful Icona Pop girls killing it into the early hours. Set times and streams ahoy, see y'all in Brighton.

11:30pm: Walk The Moon // STREAM: "Lisa Baby"

12:30am: Post War Years // STREAM: "The Whole World On Its Head"

01:30am: Wolf Gang // STREAM: "The King and All of His Men" (LP Version)

FEELING DEBONAIR.

Just touched down in Londontown and it feels oh so good to be back, and what better way to celebrate than throwing down big style at our Notting Hill Arts Club showcase tonight? We come bearing future superstars as Walk The Moon make their UK debut on our Neon Gold stage tonight, but we're every bit as excited to see Newcastle three-piece Polarsets make their London debut in the main support slot. They first graced our radar late last year with their massive hooks and blissed-out electronic pop sound and have since rapidly become one of our absolute favorite new bands in the UK. It's a beautiful lineup, a beautiful day and with tickets at the low low price of only £6, you're not gonna want to miss this.

Back to Polarsets for a minute though, they're the stuff Neon Gold dreams are made of and just absolutely tick alllll the boxes - cowbells for days, layers upon layers of shimmering electronics, meaty bass lines, golden vocals (highly) reminiscent of Two Door's Alex Trimble... you do the math. Someone better sound the alarm because we're on a straight up party anthem high alert over here.

MP3: "Leave Argentina" - Polarsets

TEARING LOVE APART.

Icona Pop's "Manners" has seen some remixing in its day but none quite like this. Moody British new wave types The Kill Van Kulls give it a go and reinvent it in an entirely new light, stripping away the layers of textured electronics that defined original and replacing them with organic keys and moments of reverb drenched, borderline Jeff Buckley-esque guitar riffs. The result is a beyond beautiful, a sophisticated and ambient remix that sounds like a long lost Cocteau Twins or even Portishead B-side - to put it simply, this one's a headphones track, y'all. The KVK crew turn the electro power ballad into a more introspective affair and reveal the amazing versatility of the track - this song is just a gift that keeps on giving. Seriously, we could not love this remix more.

The Kill Van Kulls are currently prepping their new single "Lost & Found" for release later this month (catch the video above) and will take to the stage at our next Neon Gold UK event Monday supporting Walk The Moon and Polarsets, so get out early as these guys are definitely ones to watch.

MP3: "Manners" (The Kill Van Kulls Remix) - Icona Pop

POPSHOP RADIO 005 + PLAN B AFTERPARTY

Oh word, Popshop's tomorrow? And it's Cinco de Mayo? You're damn right it is. And now we're taking things one step further and throwing the official Plan B afterparty into the mix (updated flyer above), as if Popshop 005 (tickets HERE) wasn't already shaping up to be the best night of your life. Entry will be free after midnight, so anyone hitting up the Plan B show at Music Hall of Williamsburg should cruise on over to Tammany late night for Futurecop! live at 12 followed by The Knocks DJing from 1 until close. To prep yourself for the occasion, we've got the latest installment in the Popshop mini-documentary series from our friends at Jackpot In The West, chronicling Walk The Moon's tour de force performance at Popshop last month.


And as per usual, we've also got an exclusive new minimix from The Knocks as well, featuring a selection of tracks from the allstars of Popshop 005 (including an exclusive new track from The Knocks) among other fresh new jams. Soundcloud's been deading our uploads all day so we'll have to forgo the player this week and just hook it up with a direct download, but we think you'll survive somehow. And who knows, maybe there's a hint in the tracklisting as to who the top secret live guest will be? Just saying. Maybe. We don't know.

1. "Eskimo Boy" - Strange Talk

2. "Ivy League Circus" - Gordon Voidwell

3. "Houseboat Babies" - Reptar

4. "Rich Doors" - New Villager

5. "Wait and See" - Holy Ghost!

6. "It's The Same Old Song" (The Knocks Remix) - The Four Tops

7. "NASA" - Futurecop

MP3: POPSHOP RADIO 005 (Mixed by The Knocks)

Tickets for tomorrow night still available HERE but going fast, don't sleep!

THE NAKED & FAMOUS HIT PIANOS.

The Naked & Famous have long since graduated from the nurturing stables of Neon Gold to the ranks of the major label elite, and as they return to NYC to grace the wide open spaces of Terminal 5 with Foals and Freelance Whales this Wednesday, we're thrilled to announce they're keeping it really real with a second play later that night at Pianos. Set time is midnight, there will be no advance tickets, and it's going to rule. It's not often you get to hear stadium-ready anthems in a 100 cap venue, so come out and join us - we'll be the ones down front losing our shit.

MP3: "Young Blood" (The Sound of Arrows Remix) - The Naked & Famous