NEON GOLD UPCOMING PT. II

We've got an absurd amount of Neon Gold events on in the weeks to come, but if you've only got room in your life for one night of Neon Gold raging, this should absolutely be it. In what we hope to establish as a monthly occurence in the months to come, Neon Gold Presents makes its proper London debut at Notting Hill Arts Club next Tuesday 21st July.

Starring our very own superstar-in-waiting Marina & The Diamonds playing live with support from hotly tipped experimental pop whiz Clock Opera, the live portion of the night alone is enough to warrant the negligible £4 entry fee. We’ve also got a sterling DJ lineup beyond the live stage though, highlighted by sets from Frankmusik, Russ Chimes and Starsmith, who together ride high as the three kings of London's electronic pop scene. With only £4 entry and this likely your last chance to catch Marina and co. in such an intimate setting, this is truly a can’t miss event. BE THERE.

Marina needs no introduction by this point, but Clock Opera is a brand new name on the scene and an extremely special talent in his own right. With his own unique "chop pop" approach to composing sample based pop masterpieces, he sounds like nothing we've ever heard before. "Once And For All" is his debut track and statement of intent, a swirling opus of chopped up samples and shimmering instrumentals that steadily builds before exploding into a climax of pulsing, emotive energy. Rumor has it the live show is something of a spectacle and you better believe we're over the moon to have him supporting Marina at Neon Gold Presents next week. Yes mate.

MP3: "Once And For All" - Clock Opera

BLACK + GOULDING.

Whilst in London for a spell last month we spent some time with teen pop sensation Ellie Goulding, who wasted no time passing along her latest output, a cover of Sam Sparro's #1 hit "Black & Gold" that finds her teaming up with 20 year old Frankmusik protege Starsmith on production duties. The duo has taken to calling themselves Goldsmith for the time being, and you should go ahead and start readying yourselves now for the torrent of pop brilliance these two will be unleashing on you in the months to come.

In the first installment of our hot tips for '09 feature we hinted at some as-yet-unheard amazing new material Ms. Goulding had waiting in the wings and we were referring to "Starry Eyed" (another Starsmith collab), which has since been aired for teasing purposes on YouTube here. We're not even kidding a little bit when we say it's the best song we've heard all year, so keep your eyes on this space for when we're given the go ahead to share it's perfection with the world. In the meantime, here's the duo's ice cold take on "Black & Gold" for all your bliss pop needs.

MP3: "Black & Gold" - Goldsmith

// You Don't Matter //

REASONS NOT TO END IT ALL IN 2009 PT. I

We've been talking up our hot tips for '09 for a minute now, but we decided it was high time we took action and threw together a proper list. Here are some bands you're going to give a fuck about over the next 12 months.

You can't stop Giantess, you can only hope to contain them. Say what you will about them being an electro boy band or "a less fit version of MGMT", but these dudes can fucking play. "Tuff 'n Stuff" is one of the biggest songs we've ever heard and we're over the moon to be officially dropping it on Neon Gold next month. Enjoy it now before it takes the world by storm.

MP3: "Tuff 'n Stuff" - Giantess

We don't know much about these New Villager dudes, other than that they split their time between Brooklyn and San Francisco and are crafting some of the most refreshing beats we've heard this side of 2009. Their fresh to death debut single "Rich Doors" is out this month on Two Syllable Records and is one of the most exciting things to grace our hi-fi in a minute, bursting at the seams with anthemic energy and just the right amount of good-trip psychadelia.

MP3: "Rich Doors" - New Villager

If one thing's for certain it's that 2009 is the year of the female pop star. Between Little Boots, Marina, Florence & The Machine and now La Roux, '09 is shaping up to be a legendary one for girl pop enthusiasts worldwide. We were all ready to peg La Roux as a future also-ran, but then "I'm Not Your Toy" off her sparsely-circulated sampler rolled up on 18" rims and let us know it had every intention of being one of the best pop songs we've ever heard. That future smash is being kept under wraps by the powers that be for the time being, but "Fascination" sounds like a 21st century electro touch up of "Sweet Child of Mine" and that's pretty damn okay by us.

MP3: "Fascination" - La Roux

We wrote about Two Door Cinema Club's fresh faced brand of upbeat-as-fuck indie and their self-released EP a little ways back, but it's their amazing debut single proper "Something Good Can Work" that hasn't left our speakers since coming across our radar last November. We'd previously been asked to keep the lid on things, but this shit just can't be contained. Sure to go down as one of the finest debuts of 2009.

MP3: "Something Good Can Work" - Two Door Cinema Club

Rounding out this first installment of our finest bets for the new year is Ellie Goulding, who's shaping up to be the darkhorse to outshine everyone else in the crowded race for female pop supremacy in '09. Not since Marina Diamond pirouetted out of our dreams and into our stereo have we been this excited about girls and pop music, and Ellie just might give our Neon Gold homegirl a run for her money in the months to come. If the Frankmusik-produced "Wish I Stayed" wasn't enough to get you all hot and bothered, then try "Guns + Horses" on for size and see if it doesn't rock your world a little bit. Then take a deep breath, hear us when we tell you we've heard some of the newer material coming out of the Ellie Goulding camp and that these tracks are barely the tip of the iceberg, and then start believing in Ellie as the new what's next.

MP3: "Guns + Horses" - Ellie Goulding

NYC, I LOVE YOU BUT YOU'RE BRINGING US DOWN.

It's damn hard to be home after what might have been the best string of nights of our respective lives, as Neon Gold's first proper invasion of London since launching things back in September was one to fucking remember. The nights were late, the British girls cute and the drinks plenty, and it'll be a few days before either of us feel like functioning human beings again. Easing the recovery process is Ellie Goulding, a lovely girl we met over there who's just about the most promising thing we've heard in ages, and this is coming from kids who generally aren't crazy about girls with guitars. At just 21 she's a phenomenal talent - a songwriter beyond her years with a wonderfully unique voice that's equal parts vulnerable and hopeful, quiet and powerful. There are few unsigned artists of her caliber kicking around at the moment and tracks like the Frankmusik collaboration that follows have her distancing herself from the pack at a rapid pace. "Wish I Stayed" is electro for the introspective set and you better believe we can't wait to hear more. Expect big things in '09.

MP3: "Wish I Stayed" (ft. Frankmusik) - Ellie Goulding ((exclusive))

FRANKMUSIK + BOYS NOIZE.

Scouting for one of London's preeminent music lawyers two summers ago, I was in office the day Frankmusik's demo EP arrived from Brighton and witnessed firsthand the ensuing outburst of hyperbole regarding showstealer "When You're Around", on which our young pop hero takes The Stranglers' early-80's classic "Golden Brown" and gives it a 21st century electro makeover. Chopping up the song's timeless harpsichord riff and upping the BPM, Frankmusik reworks 1981 chart-topper into a dancefloor burner and his best track to date. The original remains under wraps until its inevitable single release, but here's a faithful Boys Noize remix of the track, oven fresh and straight out of the studio.

MP3: "When You're Around" (Boys Noize Mix) - Frankmusik