The Griswolds are the latest export from Australia about to make waves on international shores. Their euphoric slice of indie pop brings to mind the youthful exuberance of Vampire Weekend with the nonchalant cool of The Strokes and percussive intensity of Friendly Fires, and while they're not doing anything earth-shatteringly original, the total package is just undeniable. Their latest single "Heart Of A Lion" tastes like candy-striped Ozzie courage and has all the makings of a houseparty summer anthem. From the irresistibly hooky verse to the endlessly ebullient chorus, it swells with pride, while "Mississippi" bursts at the seams with heartfelt sing-a-long grandeur. The Griswolds' debut EP is out next week and it's a corker from start to finish -- this won't be the last you hear of this lot. MP3:"Heart Of A Lion" - The Griswolds MP3:"Mississippi" - The Griswolds
We first name-checked Manchester's Swiss Lips
back in December, and they've since gone and wrangled themselves a major label deal in their native UK. To mark this grand occasion, we're premiering this fiery AutoKratz remix of debut single "Danz". While the original sounded like Friendly Fires
in a volatile volcano of crackling synths, AutoKratz takes it windsurfing on technicolor seas past smooth-sailing falsettos and
breathless harmonies, all with the kaleidoscopic magnitude of an ecstasy-fueled timewarp back to the 80's.
It's been a minute since we last heard from Manchester's The Kill Van Kulls, but they've been hard at work further honing their epic noir-pop for their debut EP, Songs For Sinners, announced last month alongside new single "Impossible Man" (video above). Good news for all though, the new material is just a hair's breadth from achieving new wave perfection, cementing the four-piece as a band to keep an eye on for 2012 and beyond.
Although our favorite cut from the EP, "Shame & Pride," may sound like Keira Knightley's next Oscar-baiting film on paper, it's actually the soundtrack to an emotional rollercoaster of reckless hedonism that we can fully get on board with. With the swagger of Friendly Fires and a glint of M83 in their starry eyes, The Kullers command a Bowie-in-space bassline and an immensely atmospheric guitar riff that will firmly entrench itself in your consciousness in no time at all.
We knew there was something special about Polarsets when we put out "Morning" back in the halcyon days of August. That now seems like forever ago in the harsh grips of winter, but the Newcastle trio waste no time taking us back to those simpler times here, injecting Mausi's everlasting summer anthem "Sol" with that full-frontal Friendly Fires-in-Ibiza vibe that they pull off so effortlessly. All we wanted was to thaw out a bit and just like that, they answered our prayers with this thorough remedy, a familiar mirage of the tropics underscored by Mausi's sunbeat vocals and Polarsets' trademark man-of-steel drums. It all adds up to the second release from our DC bros' All Things Go on their brand new vinyl imprint ATG Records (a blog starting a record label? unheard of!) and when the results are this good, you better believe this won't be the last time we get our family tree mixed up with theirs.
Strange Talk are one of those bands who've literally been swimming in potential (and thus, hype) from their inception. Their sound and aesthetic were already incredibly polished on their debut Strange Talk EP we put out earlier this year and now comes "Sexual Lifestyle", a standalone one-off track to keep the masses at bay as they put the finishing touches on their forthcoming debut album. On the surface, it's like "Skeleton Boy" with a bit more flesh, a meatier bass line, and vocal chops that set hearts on fire like Friendly Fires daytripping down Electric Avenue. The chorus is when everything crashes - the tidal waves of swelling synths, the protagonist's bottled up frustration - and fully engulfs your senses. This unwavering refusal to settle for mediocrity is everything we've come to love about the Australian pop scene, and Strange Talk keep that tradition firmly intact here. Keep killing it, y'allstralia.
Well here we are 25 releases in on our biggest year to date, so we figured it was only right to celebrate hitting the quarter-century mark with our biggest release ever. We first introduced you to Strange Talk as the shining stars of the Class of 2011 here at Neon Gold High earlier this year, and now we're thrilled to be bringing their debut self-titled EP into the world next month as our first ever vinyl and CD release. Shit just got real all over again.
Many of you will already be familiar with the Australian foursome's lead single "Climbing Walls", but now it's time for a proper introduction with their debut EP proper Strange Talk. Coming off like the perfect hybrid of Friendly Fires and Phoenix with a bit of that Down Under electro touch thrown in for good measure, the Aussie four-piece are one of the most polished and exciting new acts we've heard in ages. Fully equipped with an arsenal of stadium-ready anthems, "Climbing Walls" is all shimmering synths, cascading bass surges and expert delay pedal use, while next single "Eskimo Boy" shines as the bands flagship anthem, churning synths and heavy basslines slowly building up to the kind of dancefloor-swallowing breakdown Neon Gold dreams are made of. Elsewhere, "Is It Real" and "We Can Pretend" beg to be blasted with the top down on the open roads of summer as producer Eliot James (Two Door Cinema Club, Bloc Party), earns his 2011 Music Producers' Guild Breakthrough Producer of the Year award with some of his finest work yet. Look no further, your summer has arrived.
Coming May 2nd on limited edition 12" vinyl and CD, you can grab lead single "Climbing Walls" above and stream the EP in its entirety below. Preorder is available now from the BRAND NEW Neon Gold Shop* which we've been hard at work on for months and hope will make your Neon Gold shopping experience everything you'd ever hoped it could be and more. Limited to 1500 copies worldwide (500 vinyl, 1000 CD), this is basically our biggest release yet so, y'know, let's fucking celebrate.
*this is a brand new webstore so please don't hesitate to alert us to any bugs you encounter in the comments.
So now that we've all had some time to come down in the wake of New Years and get our heads about ourselves, we suppose it's time we introduce you to some of the exciting new acts we've got passing through our ranks in the year to come. First up in the Neon Gold Class of 2011 are Australia's Strange Talk, who's debut EP will see the light of day as our first full-fledged CD and vinyl release in the coming months.
Like the perfect hybrid of Friendly Fires and Phoenix with a bit of that Down Under electro touch thrown in for good measure, the Aussie four-piece are one of the most polished and exciting new acts we've heard in ages. Bursting onto the scene late last summer already fully equipped with an arsenal of stadium-ready anthems, the spectacular "Climbing Walls" is their first formal offering, all shimmering synths, cascading bass surges and expert delay pedal use. The kind of guitar band Neon Gold dreams are made of, Strange Talk look set to do big things in 2011 and we're pleased to report that "Climbing Walls" is only the very tip of the iceberg, so get acquainted below and watch this space closely for more in the months to come.
Little is known about Monarchy, but they emerge onto the scene with an absolute killer debut track, masterful art direction and an air of mystery about them that's quickly making them the talk of the town. There's been rampant speculation as to the identity of the musicians involved, but the only rumor I can confirm or deny with any certainty is that sadly it's not Starsmith and I at the helm of this disco starship.
Their debut offering "Gold In The Fire" comes off like the halfway point between the cosmic soul of Magistrates and an even more disco-centric Friendly Fires, a beautifully-crafted slice of polished dance pop that's already causing quiteastir on the blogs. Keep an eye on this space for more info as it breaks, but for now get your download on below and lose yourself in the mysterious pop brilliance of this exciting new London outfit.
CMJ is behind us, but the hangover’s only just begun. Friendly Fires topped our list of bands to see at this year’s extravaganza, but between scouting obligations, Passion Pit blowing up all over the place and the sheer number of bands on offer they somehow fell by the wayside. A shame, as the Aeroplane remix of “Paris” has had them in heavy rotation more than ever around these parts. Au Revoir Simone helped out on the chorus of the original, but the roles are reversed here as they take the lead, the honeyed vocals setting the mood over churning basslines and sprightly synths that propel the song forward in that signature Aeroplane style. Transcendent stuff and just another reason the Belgian duo are some of the most lusted after remixers in the game right now.
Earlier this month we waxed lovingly about Friendly Fires' debut album and called "Jump In The Pool" the most blissful dancefloor-filler you've ever heard or something like that, and now the lovely people at Beggars have been kind enough to toss us the MP3 for posting. Paul Epworth's lone production credit on the band's eponymous debut, "Jump" is all swirling atmospheric beauty and ethereal synths, like dance rock's own Aurora Borealis or being the last one up at sunrise with your friends all passed out around you.
Speaking of all things XL, Abeano has got an exclusive first listen to Vampire Weekend's first track since dropping jaws on their own self-titled debut last January. "Ottoman" trades in the West African bounce of the album for the pristine touch of production legend Mark Mothersbaugh, with whom they recorded the track at studios in Los Angeles and England earlier this year.
You can be forgiven if you were like us and too busy preparing for the return of Gossip Girl yesterday to even get near a computer, but don't miss the inaugural post below for all your Passion Pit 7" needs. Moving on though to a band we'd kill to work with but instead must settle on merely hyping, Friendly Fires just dropped their debut album across the pond and it's seriously, seriously excellent. Think Justin Timberlake fronting the Rapture, and as if it's even remotely unclear, that's a really really good thing. No strangers to the scene at this point, they've already done the whole rise-to-prominence-on-the-strength-of-a-flurry-of-promising-early-singles thing and just released their self-titled debut LP to the unwashed masses via XL yesterday. "Paris" and "Photobooth" have been burning up the airwaves for months now, but Friendly Fires has plenty more guilty pleasures for you to get your swerve on to. "Jump In The Pool" is the album's Paul Epworth produced lead single and sounds like a hungover sunrise or the most blissful dancefloor-filler you've ever heard, but "Lovesick" is a fucking jam in it's own right, all criminally smooth basslines and off-the-wall percussion. Thanks to our friends at Abeano and XL Recordings, you can get a taste of the album below, and yeah, you're gonna want to cop this at your earliest convenience. One of the debuts of the year, hands down.
The Griswolds are the latest export from Australia about to make waves on international shores. Their euphoric slice of indie pop brings to mind the youthful exuberance of Vampire Weekend with the nonchalant cool of The Strokes and percussive intensity of Friendly Fires, and while they're not doing anything earth-shatteringly original, the total package is just undeniable. Their latest single "Heart Of A Lion" tastes like candy-striped Ozzie courage and has all the makings of a houseparty summer anthem. From the irresistibly hooky verse to the endlessly ebullient chorus, it swells with pride, while "Mississippi" bursts at the seams with heartfelt sing-a-long grandeur. The Griswolds' debut EP is out next week and it's a corker from start to finish -- this won't be the last you hear of this lot.
