CMJ 2010 // NEW SHAPES 2.0

It's that time again, as we make our way towards mid-October and the collective gaze of the music industry falls upon CMJ and all the beautiful chaos that comes with it. Last year we brought you the first annual New Shapes party, which saw everyone from Theophilus London and Darwin Deez to Chief and Local Natives grace the stage at Santos Party House. This year we're going even bigger with it, moving to the wide open spaces of Brooklyn and the multiple stages of Public Assembly, and it's finally time to bring the curtain back on what's easily the biggest event we've ever been a part of.

Chess Club are once again our partners in promotional crime for this event, and we've also teamed up with the UK's Plugged In PR to help us bring you one of the best and brightest line ups on offer at CMJ this year. It's all going down at Public Assembly on Thursday the 21st of October, from 3pm to 3am, with two stages and over 20 amazing new bands playing over the course of the evening. Below you'll find the full line up and schedule for the night, complete with mp3s so you can sample the artists on the menu for the evening. Tickets are currently on sale via the event page HERE, and at only $12 a pop that's a hell of a bang for your buck so you'd do well to move quickly and reserve your ticket today. And as this is an official CMJ event, we will also be opening the door to a limited number of CMJ badge holders, but as space is limited you'd be wise to arrive early to ensure entry.

NEON GOLD ROOM
04:00pm: The Good Natured (London) // MP3: "Your Body Is A Machine"
05:00pm: Body Language (Brooklyn) // MP3: "Huffy Ten Speed"
06:00pm: Samuel (Manhattan) // MP3: "I Heart NY" (Remix ft. Joell Ortiz)
07:00pm: Spark (London) // MP3: "Shut Out The Moon" (Monsieur Adi Remix)
08:00pm: Emil & Friends (Brooklyn) // MP3: "Sleepyhead"
09:00pm: Brahms (Brooklyn) // MP3: "Subtext Is Deadly"
10:00pm: Fenech-Soler (London) // MP3: "Lies"
11:00pm: The Sound of Arrows (Stockholm) // MP3: "M.A.G.I.C."
12:00am: Penguin Prison (Harlem) // MP3: "Worse It Gets" (Starsmith Remix)
01:00am: The Knocks (Manhattan) // MP3: "Make It Better"

CHESS CLUB ROOM
03:30pm: Santah (Chicago) // MP3: "No Other Women"
04:30pm: Savoir Adore (Brooklyn) // MP3: "Bodies"
05:30pm: Alex Winston (Detroit) // MP3: "Medicine"
06:30pm: Ava Luna (Brooklyn) // MP3: "Clips"
07:30pm: Oberhofer (Brooklyn) // MP3: "Away Frm U"
08:30pm: Devin Therriault (Brooklyn) // MP3: "I Don't Think I"
09:30pm: 1, 2, 3 (Pittsburgh) // MP3: "Confetti"
10:30pm: Grouplove (Los Angeles) // MP3: "Colours"
11:30pm: The Postelles (Manhattan) // MP3: "123 Stop"

Once again tickets are $12 (BARGAIN) and available online HERE. There's also a Facebook event page up over here, and you can stay up to date on all further updates via our official Neon Gold Records twitter feed here, which to be honest you should have probably already been following anyway.

THIS IS GOING TO BE BIG.

Correction: this is going to be bigger than big. We've teamed up with Chess Club and GreenShoelace.com to put on what we hope to be one of the biggest parties of CMJ next week when we take over Santo's Party House (our favorite NYC venue) from 3pm-10pm Friday the 23rd. Two stages, 11 bands, drink specials galore, fresh DJ's, there's quite literally nothing more you could really ask for. Be there. Advance tickets are available now for $10, or cop yours for $12 on the door. Shit is about to get REALLY real.

UPSTAIRS
5:00pm: Alessi's Ark // MP3: "Simple Man"
6:00pm: Chief // MP3: "Mighty Proud"
7:00pm: Yes Giantess // MP3: "Tuff N Stuff"
8:00pm: Local Natives // MP3: "Airplanes"
9:00pm: Theophilus London // MP3: "Sandcastles" (Black x Blue)

DOWNSTAIRS
3:30pm: (The) Tony Castles // MP3: "Pirates"
4:30pm: Darwin Deez // MP3: "Bad Day" [expired]
5:30pm: Evan Voytas // MP3: "Getting Higher"
6:30pm: Body Language // MP3: "Huffy Ten Speed"
7:30pm: Baby Monster // MP3: "Curses"
8:30pm: Boy Crisis // MP3: "Dressed To Digress" (Demo)

Presale tickets are available HERE. Don't sleep, we're expecting a serious turn out for this one.

GOLD 008: LITTLE RED

With our Gotye 7" now in the shops and awaiting your purchase, it's time to look ahead to our next release. We're staying in Australia for this one, this time to bring the debut international single from Melbourne's Little Red into the world for all to cherish. Without a doubt the hottest new band in Oz, Little Red self-released their debut LP Listen To Little Red to rapturous critical acclaim down under and now have their sights set on the rest of the world. With this release we're teaming up with our friends at the UK's brilliant Lucky Number Music label to bring you Little Red's breezy doo wop anthems "Coca Cola" and "It's Alright" on another fresh double A-side release, a last gasp of summery guitar pop before autumn sets in and it's time to get back to real life.

Coming off like the best unsolicited advert for Coke ever, "Coca Cola" is an ode to fizzy summertime refreshment, bouncing along on a chorus of "my one and only advice / is cold Coca Cola and ice". "It's Alright" shines on the AA-side and has proven to be every bit the hit as its flipside counterpart, already garnering early radio support from the likes of XFM and BBC 6Music, where it's currently their handpicked single of the week. This record is pretty much the most fun you can have this side of Chuck E. Cheese, so drop down and get your preorder on before it's too late. As usual, the Neon Gold Shop and Puregroove are your friends.

MP3: "Coca Cola" - Little Red [exclusive]

COME ON DO IT AGAIN.

Our latest single on Neon Gold comes courtesy of Australia's favourite son Gotye and hits shops this week, and to celebrate the occasion we're here to drop the hotly anticipated Passion Pit remix of the stellar A-side, "Learnalilgivinanlovin". Keeping the throwback guitar and drums of the original intact, Passion Pit take the blueprint laid down by Gotye and dress it up in all manner of synth riffs and washes in keeping with their signature electronic aesthetic. If you haven't already gotten your preorder on from the Neon Gold Shop or Puregroove, you better get a-steppin' as a record this special doesn't tend to sit around on the shelves for long. And fear not Australia, we've got your back and are working to get this bad boy in your record shops as soon as possible.

MP3: "Learnalilgivinanlovin" (Passion Pit Remix) - Gotye [exclusive]

ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES.

The Sound of Arrows are a new breed of pop superstars. With a 100% D.I.Y. aesthetic to their craft, they write and produce their own tracks, handle all of their own design work and even craft their own music videos, and they do all of it pretty fucking masterfully. Popjustice put it rather well in describing the Swedish duo as "one of those bands who'd surprise precisely nobody by coming out with an international Number One pop single" after they unleashed their flagship anthem "M.A.G.I.C." on the world last January, and now they're primed to release their US/UK debut on Neon Gold this autumn. More details on that to come, but for now feast your eyes and ears on "M.A.G.I.C." and it's dazzling accompanying promo video above.

MP3: "M.A.G.I.C." - The Sound of Arrows

GOLD 007: GOTYE

As previously professed, Gotye is one of our favorite artists of all time and one of the reasons we're even messing about in this whole music biz thing in the first place. Thus, we're deeply honored to be releasing a very special, very limited edition 7" run of his smash hit "Learnalilgivinanlovin" that will step out as his first ever physical release in the US. The track's already been released in other territories but still has nowhere near the exposure it deserves, so sweetening the deal for our international customers is a brilliant remix from Passion Pit, whose debut 7" single "Sleepyhead"/"Better Things" was the first record ever to brandish the Neon Gold logo on its sleeve. And like our first ever release, this record also features gorgeous artwork from the brilliant FRAUGRAU, Germany's best kept secret when it comes to stunningly unique design work.

"Learnalilgivinanlovin" exudes a vibrant versatility and comes together like a classic Motown hit produced with Phil Spector's widescreen sunshine visors on, an ebullient blend of racing drums, triumphant horns, and the sweetest soul falsetto you've never heard. A huge summer anthem in his adopted home of Australia, it grooves along on a timeless instrumental with a breezy melody that's the perfect soundtrack to the classic urban summer we've been dreaming of, where kids while away hot afternoons chasing the ice cream truck down the street and dancing around in the cool relief of fire hydrant showers. It's not too late to give up hope on that elusive summer dream, and you can preorder the single from the Neon Gold Shop or Puregroove before it's August 17th release. Limited to only 300 copies worldwide, act now before it's too late.

MP3: "Learnalilgivinanlovin" - Gotye

GOLD 006: YOUR TWENTIES

We first championed Your Twenties back in January in our hot tips for 2009 feature and now six months on we're thrilled to be bringing their sophomore single into the world on Neon Gold. Having cut his teeth in the London indie scene as the bassist and keyboardist in Metronomy, frontman Gabriel Stebbing has recently left to focus on the Twenties full time, and the results have been nothing short of brilliant. Debut single "Caught Wheel" dropped last fall to rapturous praise and quickly flew off the shelves and "Billionaires" - their next offering and first on Neon Gold - looks primed to do the same. Produced by the legendary Stephen Street (Blur, The Smiths), "Billionaires" soars on the wings of sunny ooh-ooh-oohs and big, driving guitars and sounds like the perfect soundtrack to a classic American summer. Your Twenties have discovered the formula for the feelgood anthem of the year and this is it.

MP3: "Billionaires" - Your Twenties

This perfect slice of breezy indie pop will be coming at you on 7" vinyl July 27th and is available for preorder now from the Neon Gold Shop and London's Puregroove Records. Limited to 500 copies and featuring some of the best artwork we've had yet done by the band themselves, this is a hot ticket and should look mighty fine on the mantle where you no doubt proudly display all your other Neon Gold releases. We're pretty sure this is the perfect summer single and we hope you'll agree.

GOLD 005: WOLF GANG

And so the relentless onslaught of summer releases continues. Not unlike previous Neon Gold all-stars Passion Pit and Yes Giantess, the story of Wolf Gang began with Max McElligott penning massive pop anthems in the solitary confines of his bedroom. Having since formed a band around him, he's now set to take his craft to the world stage, and "Pieces of You" is the debut single before they no doubt become a global pop machine in the months to come. Fusing everything from the grooves of David Byrne to the widescreen soundscapes of Arcade Fire and the timeless pop of Smokey Robinson, "Pieces" is a pastiche of influences plucked from bygone eras and beautifully reimagined in a modern context. With a chorus that descends from the heavens and just erupts like an avalanche of sound and emotion, it's one of our favorite tracks of the year and we're thrilled to be bringing it into the world on Neon Gold.

MP3: "Pieces of You" - Wolf Gang

On the flipside, "The Kill" hits a more ominous and foreboding note, as hospital synths swoon and swirl across the mix and McElligott - who also designed the artwork for the record - sings with a dark urgency reflective of the current global crisis at hand. And as you've probably come to expect by now, we've got a shit ton of hot remixes coming through from the liks of Yes Giantess, We Have Band and Disco Bloodbath, plus many more. Preorder is available now from the Neon Gold Shop for US customers or from Puregroove for our International customers. As per usual, only 500 copies available worldwide so don't sleep.

GOLD 004: MARINA & THE DIAMONDS

We're a bit late on announcing this due to finals/moving/The Great Escape, but we're over the moon to be announcing our next release with Marina & The Diamonds. The Crown Jewels EP is perhaps our most exciting release yet, three more tracks of spine-tingling beauty from the UK's new queen of pop, and it kicks off a summer full of hot new releases from the Neon Gold ranks. Fan favorite "I Am Not A Robot" picks up where the dramatic grandeur of debut single "Obsessions" left off and it's the lead track here, while a brand new version of "Seventeen" takes a step in a bigger, brighter pop direction for the young superstar-in-waiting and is available below for exclusive free download. Support comes in the form of sterling B-side "Simplify" on the 7", while the digital package will feature an amazing remix from Ellie Goulding beatmaker Starsmith.

MP3: "Seventeen" - Marina & The Diamonds [exclusive]

The whole package is out June 1st and US customers can preorder the record from the Neon Gold Shop, while international customers should hit up our exclusive UK retail partners Puregroove as per usual. In other Marina news, we've recently set up a blog for her and it's heartwarming to see the little blogger she's become. Using it as a platform to treat her fans to exclusive goodies and unleash her musings on everything from Lady GaGa's to boobs and dentistry, it's pretty much her favorite thing in the world and is infinitely more entertaining than any other musician blogs we've ever read. We were with her last night when she logged on to find 27 new comments on her latest post and she loudly screamed "I LOVE THIS SHIT!". Adorable.

NEON GOLD TAKEOVER AT THE GREAT ESCAPE.

Lock up your daughters and put the drinks on ice, Neon Gold is coming to the UK. Next week sees us shipping off to London for the summer where we'll be keeping it real DJing club nights, throwing parties and continuing to release records by some of our favorite new bands. We're really stepping up our game in the months to come with just under ten releases lined up between now and autumn and a monthly club night in the works in London, and it all kicks off next week in Brighton at the annual Great Escape festival. The Great Escape has been one of the highlights of the summer for us in recent years, so we're honored to be throwing the afterparty at the Ocean Rooms late night on Saturday. Neon Gold rising stars Wolf Gang (making their live debut) and Yes Giantess will be doing their thing live with DJ support from Ellie Goulding beatmaker Starsmith, London superstars Chess Club and of course our very own Neon Gold Beat Company. Let's rage.

MP3: "Tuff N Stuff" - Yes Giantess

We suppose this is also as good a time as any to introduce you to our new favorite band and forthcoming release, Wolf Gang. Wolf Gang is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Max McElligott, who's gone and crafted some of the most timeless pop gems you'll hear in this or any other year and is easily one of the most gifted talents we've ever had the pleasure of working with. Proudly wearing a love for pop greats like Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads on their sleeve, the demos put forth are some of the most promising we've ever heard, their rough charm and classic pop feel converging to make them some of the most exciting tracks we've heard this year. The single we'll be releasing in late June remains under wraps for now, but go ahead and introduce yourself with "Nightflying" and see why the sky is truly the limit for this London newcomer.

MP3: "Nightflying" (Demo) - Wolf Gang

// Cristiana Crouceiro //

DREAMT IT DRY.

To be perfectly honest, we don't love "The Reeling", the lead single off of Passion Pit's forthcoming Manners, but that's really only because we've been spoiled by the rest of the tracks compiled on their amazing debut full length. The recently unveiled video, on the other hand, is most definitely something to write home about. Perhaps the finest music video we've seen all year, the clip was directed by the Humble collective and filmed at the Delancey, also known as the LES home to our infamous (not really) Neon Gold parties. The video finds the band flanked by girls way too hot for them to feasibly be hanging out with and immersed in a world of distressed, animated paper as Michael belts out the chorus of his most vulnerable anthem from behind a mask of paper mache and torn up gig flyers. Deep, bro.

Regardless of your stance on "The Reeling" you should probably go ahead and start getting extremely excited about the otherworldly pleasures in store for you on their debut LP, out on Frenchkiss Records and Columbia UK next month. Let's just put it this way, if "Little Secrets" doesn't light up the airwaves as this summer's "Electric Feel", then frankly we don't know what will. Here's a hot-shit remix the dudes dropped for touring pals Ra Ra Riot to ease the wait.

MP3: "Ghost Under Rocks" (Passion Pit Mix) - Ra Ra Riot

// Humble //

THIS ALREADY HAPPENED. SORRY.

So our second Neon Gold party went down at The Delancey on Friday and we kind of forgot to tell you about it. We had an absurdly busy week hence the epic fail in the promotion department, but the place was filled to max capacity and both performers killed it so it was a moot point really. Apologies to any NYC-based readers who would have been down to attend though, we won't let you down again. Our bad.

To recap though, Brooklyn's finest and frequent Theophilus London collaborators Body Language rocked shit with their soulful mix of party hits and babymakin' jams. An epic cover of Kraftwerk's "Computer Love" and brand new jam "Holiday" killed it, but it was set opener and live favorite "Huffy Ten Speed" that brilliantly set the tone for the whole night.

MP3: "Huffy Ten Speed" - Body Language [exclusive]

Giantess were back for another round at Neon Gold, this time as the main event and they didn't disappoint as A&Rs in attendance from both sides of the Atlantic nodded approvingly and kids up front lost their shit. There were a few sound issues, but it's still early days (this was only their sixth ever show) and there's always bound to be a few complications when a band's live set up involves more wires, electronics and computers than an IBM commercial. Future single tracks "Tuff 'n Stuff" and "You Were Young" slayed as usual, as did new standout "Endless Highway". As one commenter pointed out last week, Giantess are driving the bus to the stars and you better get a seat while you still can.

MP3: "You Were Young" - Giantess [exclusive]

Incriminating photographic evidence here courtesy of all around bad ass and official afterparty host Scott Marceau. In other news, the second installment of our hot tips for '09 series drops Wednesday. Stick around.

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

GOLD002: MARINA & THE DIAMONDS

We revealed last month our imminent collaboration with the amazing Marina & The Diamonds, and while some unforeseen delays have forced us to push back the release until the new year, we're thrilled to announce that Marina's debut single will at long last find it's way into the hands of the masses via Neon Gold this coming Valentine's Day. To make the wait more bearable, we've got the wonderful music video - beautifully directed on a non-existent budget by Tim Brown - above and are making the finished version of the track available for FREE download below. The demo remains one of our favorite tracks of the year, but the single version sports immense new production from Liam Howe that elevates the original to new heights of pop perfection. This is widescreen technicolor pop bliss that's sure to make Marina one of the most talked about new talents of 2009. Enjoy.

MP3: "Obsessions" - Marina & The Diamonds ((exclusive))


"Obsessions" is Marina's dramatic masterwork and the spotlight track here, but the single's another double A-side release with the equally impressive left field pop smash that is "Mowgli's Road" turning up the intensity on the flipside. While "Obsessions" might tempt hasty comparisons to other British starlets currently gigging around the UK, "Mowgli's Road" (available for streaming on our myspace) could quite easily be a standalone single in its own right, an unquestionably original breath of fresh air that puts Marina in a league of her own among her likeminded contemporaries. The two tracks combine to form an incredibly bold statement intent for such a young talent and establish Marina as a force to be reckoned with in the new year.

Limited to 500 copies worldwide (250 for the US and 250 for the UK/Europe) and featuring original artwork from the NYC's brilliant Mogollon collective, the record's currently available for preorder from the Neon Gold Shop (US customers) and Puregroove (international customers). Oh and did we mention the first 50 preorders will receive SIGNED copies? Because they will. Yeah, get on this. Grab the free mp3 above and sit tight for more details on the release, as there's plenty more excitement to come on this one, including remixes from Giantess, Little Boots and more.

// Tim Brown //

THAT RULED.

Thanks to everyone who came out Thursday for our first Neon Gold party, we all had an amazing time. It was only Giantess' second gig ever and they totally rocked shit, and Theophilus was absolutely jaw dropping. Body Language and Etan kept bodies moving all night and the Delancey provided the perfect backdrop for all the madness - that jungle on the roof deck rules. To celebrate, here are a few more insane cuts from Theo in the form of "Star Scream" and "Leader of the New School", the back-to-back highlights of dude's incredible JAM! mixtape. Featuring more incredible production from Machinedrum, JAM! is the hottest shit since Wale announced his imminent takeover with 100 Miles & Running in '07. Dude is a fucking superstar just waiting to blow up, download the whole mixtape here.

MP3: "Star Scream" - Theophilus London
MP3: "Leader of the New School" - Theophilus London

Look for Neon Gold to start throwing down on a monthly basis in '09. This is only the beginning.

NEON DIAMONDS.

She is Marina. You are the Diamonds. "We've Got Obsessions" comes on one side and "Mowgli's Road" the other. Together these elements make up the principle ingredients of Neon Gold's second record, currently being readied in a North London studio for release in mid-December. We've been championing Marina to anyone who'll listen all year long, so we're understandably thrilled to have the honor of formally bringing her debut single into the world next month, when it will see a limited release on both sides of the Atlantic with our seal proudly stamped upon it. It seems others are catching on as well, as recent gigs across London (including a support slot for Little Boots on Halloween) have been drawing good press from all directions.

"Obsessions" endures as one of our favorite songs of 2008, all dramatic sparseness, haunting vocals and vulnerable beauty, like the best song Kate Bush never wrote or a week of sleepless nights that's head and shoulders above any other singer-songwriter fare we've heard this year. The new and improved single version, on the other hand, is a whole new kind of phenomenal, splashed in technicolor and reborn as a widescreen pop masterpiece that manages to outdo the original in nearly every regard, a feat we weren't sure was possible until we heard it for ourselves. We'll share that in good time once production maestro Liam Howe (he of Sneaker Pimps fame) has sprinkled his last bit of studio magic across it, but you'd do well to download the stunning original in the meantime. Trust us.

MP3: "We've Got Obsessions" (Demo) - Marina & The Diamonds

NEON GOLD PRESENTS: NEON GOLDEN 001.

We're throwing a fucking party. Theophilus London is the future of rap (seriously). Giantess are like Chromeo only sexier. They both know how to show you a good time and they're both playing our first Neon Gold party Thursday November 13th at the Delancey. $8 at the door or $5 if you RSVP to neongoldmusic@gmail.com (put 'RSVP' in the subject line). Cheap drinks and DJ sets from Etan (Ninjatune/Basstown), Body Language (NormRex) and Neon Gold's own freshprints. See you there?

Giantess are the next great hope for Boston-based electronic pop, following in the footsteps of Passion Pit with an even more synthed-out pop sound. Produced by the Pit's own Ayad Al-Adhamy on his Bo Flex Music imprint, they debuted their live show last month in Boston and we're thrilled to be putting on their first ever NYC gig. "Tuff 'n Stuff" is their best work to date, leading you in with a deceptively plaintive intro before dropkicking you in the jaw with some of the most immense synths you'll hear this side of Ratatat. Only a demo at this point, you can only imagine how immense this'll sound once Ayad's gone and properly seduced it with his worldly ways and tender studio touch.

MP3: "Tuff 'n Stuff" - Giantess

Now, a few more words on Theophilus London because this dude is just unreal. No word on just how he slipped under everyone's radar at CMJ, but works for us - we'll be doing a single with him in the new year and it's gonna be huger than huge. Williamsburg sensibility with a massive mainstream appeal, untouchable swagger on stage and big league flow, we wouldn't fault you for calling Theophilus the future of rap (because, uh, we're pretty sure he is). Much more to come on the superstar-in-waiting, but for now feast your ears on "Sandcastles". It's a serious contender for jam of the year status, Theo's fierce verse perfectly complimenting some next level production from fellow NormRex ringleader Machinedrum.

MP3: "Sandcastles" (ft. Theophilus London) - Machinedrum

BURNING SOLID BURNING THIN.

Back in the city and ready for CMJ 2008, the hiatus is over. In our absence we missed the opportunity to break the oven fresh video for “Sleepyhead”, created on a criminally small budget by the stupidly talented folks over at the Wilderness Inc. Practically shot and painstakingly put together with photographs and real objects (read: not on a computer), we think it’s one of the best videos of the year and is wholly deserving of your attention and praise. View above or go here to download the video for repeat viewings.

The guys are in town for CMJ this week, and they’re playing all kinds of shows over the next few days. We’ll be at most of their sets, but we’re especially pumped for their co-headlining gig with Little Boots Thursday night at the NME party. See you there:

10|21 /// Brooklyn Vegan Showcase [Music Hall of Williamsburg, 10 PM]
10|23 /// Fader Party [Fader Fort NYC, 4:30 PM]
10|23 /// The Annex Club [NME Party, 9:30 PM]
10|24 /// Planetary Group Party [Pianos, 4 PM]
10|25 /// After The Jump Party [The Yard, 6 PM]

US copies of the Sleepyhead 7” are nearly sold out, but there are still plenty of copies available at Puregroove in London, and there will be a few copies for sale at Other Music in NYC soon. The record is also now available for purchase in Japan from the following retailers: ARCH Records, Flake Records, Jet Set Records and Tokyo's vaunted Elevator Records store.

Finally, we’re all well familiar with “Sleepyhead” by now, and there’s been much speculation as to the source of that unplaceable vocal sample that gives the track its addicting backbone. No, it’s not some lost 80’s pop gem or a Kanye-inspired chipmunk soul thing, rather it’s lovingly lifted from a traditional Irish folk song called “Óró Mo Bháidín”, sung in Gaelic by Mary O’Hara in the 60’s. Seriously. So yeah, you already thought it was a brilliant tune, but realizing that one of the year’s most unstoppable pop behemoths was born from a simple harp-and-vocal track sung in fucking Gaelic truly boggles the mind. Yep.

MP3: “Oro Mo Bahaidan” – Mary O’Hara

// The Wilderness //

WAKE UP.

Passion Pit's debut EP, Chunk of Change, is released today through Frenchkiss and even though it's not us who's putting it out we couldn't be more pumped about it. It's easily the finest debut we've heard this year, six tracks of unrelenting euphoria and one of the best extended players we've ever heard. Buy it here for the unbeatable price of $7 if you've got any sense in you.

To celebrate, we've got an oven fresh remix of "Sleepyhead" courtesy of Brooklyn's Landau Orchestra, who's main man Matt Young is currently holed up with the Passion Pit bros producing their as-yet-untitled debut album, due for release early next year. Landau's "Wake Up" Mix adds an ice cold snap, crackle and pop to the immense original, turning up the sleepy and bringing the twinkles in spades. Get at it below, or conversely, check out Panda Toes' very own frat-ready dance edit here.

MP3: "Sleepyhead" (Landau's Wake Up Mix) - Passion Pit

// Ryan Fitzgerald //

GOLD001: PASSION PIT

Welcome. We are a boutique record label in New York City and we release 7” vinyl singles by bands we think need to be heard. Beyond that we promote club nights, DJ parties, scout for record labels, rock college radio and I guess we blog too. Here we'll keep you posted on all things Neon Gold, as well as do our best to bring your attention to other people - some friends, some not - making music that excites us. First matter of business is obviously this record we've got coming out next week by your new favorite band, Passion Pit. It's a double A-side vinyl single featuring "Sleepyhead" and "Better Things", two of the strongest tracks to hit the airwaves all year with everyone from the NME to Radio One already hailing them as the second coming. Thus, we're pretty thrilled to be bringing their first ever proper release into the world on September 8th. Our friends over at Transparent Magazine described the synth-heavy technicolor glory of "Sleepyhead" as "an enchanted forest fire that's coming to burn your town to cinders", and we think that suits it pretty well. Not to be outdone, "Better Things" shines on side two, all shouty group vocals and infectious dance beats, like the Jackson 5 covering MGMT or maybe the other way around. We're feeling generous, so here's a free download of "Sleepyhead" to whet your appetites.

MP3: "Sleepyhead" - Passion Pit

Available on pre-order now from the Neon Gold Shop, the 7" features some seriously excellent artwork from Germany's FRAUGRAU and is strictly limited to 1000 copies, 500 for the US and 500 for the UK. UK and International customers can get the record directly from our friends at Puregroove, who we're excited to have on board as the exclusive overseas dealer for all things Neon Gold. And while we're shouting out collaborators we just need to express an unspeakable amount of gratitude to Michael Wenzel, who handled all the web development for Neon Gold's entire online presence. Dude rocks shit coding for MTV Networks and other next-level projects and still programmed everything for us for free simply for the love of the music.

Among other things to keep on your radar is our official website (mainly because it's nice to look at) and our Facebook page for anyone who wants to make sure they're 1000% on top of their shit when it comes to all things Neon Gold. Oh and be our friend on MySpace, we're just kicking it with Tom right now and it's getting a little awkward. And last but not least, if you really love us you can consider donating at this link (or by pressing the button on the right sidebar). The entire Neon Gold team (all two of us) are still scraping by as college students hemorrhaging rent money and this record label shit ain't cheap, so throw us some dollars if you're feeling lucrative and want to help us continue to bring you good music in the years to come (and if you're like us and too broke to help anyone out but yourself it's okay, we completely understand).

So yeah, cheers all around. Here's to better things and we hope you enjoy the ride every bit as much as we're planning to.