HARD TO IMAGINE.

There's something about Sweden's Little Majorette that's deceptively brilliant. Frontwoman Zoe Durrant's voice is unthreateningly whisper-soft, sometimes infantilized even, bringing to mind fellow Scandinavian heartbreakers, Flunk. We first fell for Durrant in her previous project Havana Guns - whose debut single "She Always Goes Down" briefly won over our hearts and minds before their breakup back in 2006 - but with Little Majorette she's back and better than ever, joined by musicians Petter Winnberg and Nils Tornqvist, who also moonlight as musicians in Miike Snow's touring band.

In "Never Be The Same", Durrant's vocals provide the perfect distraction from the suspicious piano chords ominously crescendoing under the dark electronic shadow of the song's intro, anxiety building as the synths crawl closer and you brace yourself for the jump scare around the corner that never comes. That is, until the massive gang vocal chorus drops and an avalanche of Miike Snow-sized synths from the coldest Arctic winter fall from the sky above. Then just as you think the coast is clear, they unleash one of the most chillingly amazing keys riffs we've ever heard, almost classical in its design as it spirals up, up and away into the cold night air as the song reaches its twilight. And just like that, Little Majorette burst onto the scene out of nowhere with one of our favorite singles of the year. Shock and awe.

MP3: "Never Be The Same" - Little Majorette

POPSHOP009: THE KNOCKS + WYNTER GORDON.

Worried your Labor Day weekend plans will get in the way of Popshop this week? Well worry no more, as we're pushing things back a week to September 8th so as to maximize rage potential and make sure no one misses out. Trust us though, the wait is more than worth it, as this one may well be our biggest lineup ever.

Fresh off a party rocking set at All Things Gold 002 last week in DC are our partners in crime The Knocks returning as headliners, and those who attended their first headline show at Popshop 002 last February will remember it as one of the craziest nights we've ever put on. Then bringing the heat in the main support slot is superpop vixen Wynter Gordon, whose omnipresent smash single "Dirty Talk" has had her living at the top of the charts so long she should be paying rent. Rounding out the lineup is NYC's own hometown hero and firstborn son of the HeavyRoc family Samuel, as well as London via Tel-Aviv electro types Tiger Love, hot on the heels of international dates supporting Mark Ronson & The Business Intl. And as if that live lineup wasn't massive enough, we've got a once-in-a-lifetime, I-was-there-when Goldsmith reunion on the decks, as our superstar alumni Ellie Goulding and Starsmith get together on the ones and twos in the headline DJ slot.

As is Popshop family tradition, we'll be providing an Absolut Vodka OPEN BAR from 8pm- 9pm and a FREE KEG of Heineken at 2am for our nearest and dearest who decide to rage with us well into the early morning. Changing up our ticket approach this time, the first 50 people to order online can cop $10 early bird tickets, after which all remaining tickets will be $13 in advance and $15 on the door. Tickets are available online from the Popshop site HERE, so move fast to cop that price break and don't sleep on this one, this will be another sell out.

09:00pm: Samuel // DOWNLOAD: "Champagne Kisses"

10:00pm: Tiger Love // DOWNLOAD: "Under Control"

11:00pm: Wynter Gordon // STREAM: "Dirty Talk" (Laidback Luke Remix)

12:00am: The Knocks // DOWNLOAD: "Sunshine"

01:00am: Goldsmith // DOWNLOAD: "Black & Gold"

SLICE OFF THE HATERS.

Brite Futures, the artists formerly known as Natalie Portman's Shaved Head, explode back onto the scene with a V For Vendetta against your average everyday pop hit as they prepare for the release of their forthcoming second album. Seconds into "Baby Rain", there's a double thunderclap and in comes a synchronized synth and bass riff reminiscent of The Virgins or Starfucker as the song goes from 0 to 60 in five seconds flat. It doesn't stop there, as the vocals swoop in on harmonized falsetto jetpacks and the track takes flight on a collision course with the stars. Shortly thereafter the chorus drowns you in liquid sugar, the breakdown soaks it all up, and the track fully blossoms into something that will stay implanted in your head for weeks to come. Don't say we didn't warn you.

MP3: "Baby Rain" - Brite Futures

MIRROR ON THE SHELF.

St. Lucia's phenomenal debut EP has been on repeat here at Neon Gold HQ since it flew domestically across the interwebs and into our inbox last week, with current single "All Eyes On You" still going very strong on our songs of the summer playlist as we bring you the exclusive premier of its music video above. So you can only imagine our excitement when a remix from the as-of-late untouchable '96 Bulls of that very track sidled up alongside said EP in our inbox.

Fortunately, Australia's own Jordan and Pippen don't disappoint, holding court by doing the source material the utmost justice in a glass-shattering alley oop of a remix that goes harder in the paint than Dennis Rodman on steroids. Furthermore, it's the perfect track to whet your appetite for St. Lucia's international live debut this Thursday in DC alongside The Knocks and ANR at All Things Gold 002 (for which tickets still flowing here), of which me may or may not have caught a very secret - and very awesome - sneak preview of last week. Get excited.

MP3: "All Eyes On You" ('96 Bulls Remix) - St. Lucia [exclusive]

GOLD027: ANR

ANR is truly Miami's finest. They're like a buddy cop duo whose lethal weapon is their interminable arsenal of experimental pop hooks, and we're honored to welcome them to the force on their next single out later this month. Take Exhibit A-side: "It's Around You". The radio filter intro foreshadows the immortal feeling you get when the synths surges drop nearly a minute in and the track engulfs you in a shimmering galaxy of anthemic choral shouts and pop majesty. Each humming pulse is like lightning in a bottle until drum layers and vocal layers are added and the chorus ultimately crashes into beautiful oblivion. It's strangely uplifting despite the minor chords and elegiac harmonies, perhaps thanks to the soft xylophone drops and a masterfully orchestrated brass section. As the moody trombones are counterbalanced by the kind of adulatory trumpets Mark Ronson would be proud of, ANR are guilty of squashing your conscience and unleashing your id.

And if that wasn't enough, we give you the Exhibit AA-side on the flip: "Blood on Blood", mixed by none other than the inimitable Ben Allen, fresh out of the studio with Reptar and Walk The Moon. A seemingly harmless piano progression lulls you into a false sense of security and maintains its composure until the chorus just loses it altogether with groaning electronic switches and a massive vocal melody, a manic force to be reckoned with. Then there's that classical piano break in the bridge that takes you completely by surprise, but it serves as a meticulously planned stopgap that even bloodhounds couldn't sniff out. As soon as it picks up where it left off, the beat is back with an eye-for-an-eye vengeance. It's all very cinematic and would make for an incredible epilogue to their brilliant "Big Problem" video (easily one of the year's best). ANR have absolutely killed it on our next release and if that makes us accomplices, then so be it. We're not ones to talk a big game (note: we are), but if you let it into your heart we promise this will be one of your favorite singles of 2011. Preorder is available now from the Neon Gold Shop, and you'll be able to experience in all its glory for yourself when it drops August 29th.

MP3: "It's Around You" - ANR

LIVING BY THE MINUTE.

Swedish prodigy Tove Styrke was already going to be your new crush, but now with an extreme makeover from fellow countrymen Familjen, she's even more irresistible. The Familjen revision starts simply enough with an infectious piano progression padded by anxious handclaps that quickly time-warps into an alternate dimension. Like a pixie Robyn, Styrke's voice flo-oh-oats by on the wings of Familjen's buoyant, fairytale instrumental as dragons circle high above breathing heavy synth plumes. But like Calvin Harris's "Feel So Close" rolling face on uncut ecstasy, Familjen's mix scales great heights in a single bound, the beat acting as a safety net for the vocals to fall back on before everything goes trampoline for the chorus and the post-chorus. Sure, this track may have quietly come out in late 2010, but you better believe it still sounds every bit as glorious in the carefree summer of 2011.

MP3: "Million Pieces" (Familjen Remix) - Tove Styrke

ALL THINGS GOLD 002: THE KNOCKS + ANR

With the launch of All Things Gold a raging success last month (500+ tix sold, whoa) as Penguin Prison, RAC and Reptar tore the roof off a sold out (and then some) U Street Music Hall, we're back with yet another stacked lineup to shake DC to its very core. For starters, we've got our resident partystarters The Knocks headlining what will be their first US gig in a minute with a revamped live show and some brand new hits for your ears. Then we've got stellar support from Miami's finest (and the latest addition to the Neon Gold family) ANR and the magnificent St. Lucia making his highly anticipated live debut. And as if that wasn't enough, Lightwaves and Captain Cuts will be watching the throne in between sets, presiding over the dancefloor on the ones and twos all night long. Doors are at 9pm and Heineken drink specials will be popping off left and right, and for the low low price of $10 advance tickets (or $13 on the door), don't just make plans to make plans - make plans, make moves and make memories. Advance tickets available HERE, last time sold out in advance (and sold out hard) so don't get shut out in the sweltering DC heat two months in a row. Set times and streaming mp3s below, you know the drill.

9:30pm: St. Lucia // DOWNLOAD: "All Eyes On You"
10:30pm: ANR // DOWNLOAD: "Big Problem"
11:30pm: The Knocks // DOWNLOAD: "Dancing With The DJ"

12:30am: Captain Cuts // DOWNLOAD: "Girls On Girls" (Captain Cuts Remix)

CROSSED THE LINE AT NIGHT.

Finding their niche somewhere between the star-crossed dual vocals of Stars and the massive hooks and pop production of Sky Ferreira, DWNTWN's debut single "Transition" comes off like a radio-friendly pop smash masquerading as an accessible indie floor-filler. Beginning innocently enough, eerie droplets fall from the upper octave onto the dashboard as the female vocal shifts gears, adds a male passenger and goes from 0-100 in 8 seconds flat. Shining a light on that tragic post-relationship grey area, the single debunks all conventions of what is and isn't chart-worthy and vies for the stars and nothing less.

The blunt jungle beats and cross-hatching sonic flourishes absorb the brunt of the heartbreak lodged deep in the verses. While DWNTWN lacks vowels, the track achieves supersonic consonance, marrying a Top 40 prechorus reminiscent of Sky's "ONE" with an ethereal chorus flaunting ice cold synths that sound as if they crash landed from the uncharted planet of M83. It's a big track, and with the incomparable DJ Skeet Skeet (y'all heard his new Foster The People remix? FUEGO.) helming the ship on the management side of things, you can expect to hear a lot more out of these two in the months to come. Get familiar.

MP3: "Transition" - DWNTWN [exclusive]

MAYBE WE SHOULD MAKE THE TIME.

UPDATE: Magistrates were one of the first bands we ever wrote about back in September 2008, and we were gutted to hear of their breakup a year later in 2009. Now it sounds like they've returned, playing their first shows in nearly two years, starting with their triumphant re-entry into society August 25th at London's The Queen of Hoxton. Three years on their original demos sound every bit as vital and refreshing as they did in 2008, especially their first (and only) single "Make This Work". Not bad for a bedroom demo. Enjoy the track and our original post on the band below.

Our love for Magistrates runs way deep, and it's been that way ever since their completely untouchable three-track demo found it's way into these hands last January. Six months have come and gone since then, and Magistrates have still got stars in our eyes and a fire burning betwixt our loins, even moreso since their debut single "Make This Work" started tearing up Radio 1 this summer. Presented untouched and unchanged from it's original bedroom-recorded demo form, it's a sexy falsetto-heavy pop jam that makes you wish Prince fronted Klaxons more often. Thanks once again to Abeano and XL for the hook up, how we love them so.

MP3: "Make This Work" - Magistrates