KEEP FROM THE BEGGARS OF BONES.

Boy & Bear formed barely two years ago but have wasted no time making waves in their native Australia and abroad, releasing their debut With The Emperor Antarctica EP with our friends at Chess Club last year. From the same school of larger-than-life folk as Chess Club alumni Mumford & Sons and Local Natives, B&B impress with a massively developed sound drawing from the pastoral harmonies of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the Appalachian folk of Fleet Foxes. “Mexican Mavis” was the immense highlight of Emperor Antarctica and swiftly championed by iTunes as its Single of the Week last December, acting as the spell-binding focal point of its parent EP. Unsurprisingly, 2010 was an insane whirlwind of success for the group leading them to sell out their debut headlining tour of Australia before supporting the likes of Angus & Julia Stone as well as Laura Marling on both her Australian and UK tour, and since our beloved Mumford lads made ‘banjo’ a by-word for ‘platinum’, the industry heat around Boy & Bear has reached volcanic temperatures.

So we're pretty thrilled to have them booked to play our little (huge) New Shapes day party next Saturday before they fly off to record their debut album with Joe Chiccorelli (The Shins, My Morning Jacket, The White Stripes). Trust me when we say that you do not want to miss them live because those rich, textured harmonies and rustic, indelible melodies are just that much sweeter in the flesh. They take to the Acoustic Stage at 3:45pm, in between sure-to-be immense sets from Brother (3:20pm) and Grouplove (4:00pm) inside on the Electric Stage.

MP3: "Mexican Mavis" - Boy & Bear

And so with that reveal the picture of the full lineup becomes a bit clearer... here's the score thus far:

ELECTRIC STAGE
5:00pm: _______
4:00: Grouplove
3:20: Brother
2:40: Wolf Gang
2:00: _______
1:20: _______
12:40: _______
12:00: The Naked & Famous
11:20: _______

ACOUSTIC STAGE
4:40 Penguin Prison
3:45 Boy & Bear
3:05: _______
2:25: _______
1:45: _______
1:05: _______
12:25: _______
11:45: _______

Together with our New Shapes partners in crime Communion, Chess Club, Plugged In PR and MCT Management, we'll be bringing you more line up announcements throughout the rest of the weekend before the full lineup is revealed and RSVP opens on Monday. Stay close.

TOO MUCH NOISE IN MY HEAD.

This went up with our official SXSW showcase announcement earlier this week, but it's so brilliant it really deserves it's own feature. Elof is one of the hottest up-and-coming producers in Sweden at the moment, having already worked wonders with Erik Hassle, Niki & The Dove and Icona Pop (have you heard his production on "Top Rated"? It's INSANE.) and his remix work doesn't disappoint either. Penguin Prison's "The Worse It Gets" was already a masterstroke of dark, brooding pop at it's most paranoid, but the Elof remix is even more destabilizing, dramatic piano chords and ominous bass laid bare over a sonic tapestry literally falling apart at the seams as we listen.

While Elof continues to tear it up across the pond in Sweden, Penguin will be down at SXSW next week, where he'll be playing our official showcase with his full band set up on Wednesday night, before going unplugged to headline the Acoustic Stage at our unofficial New Shapes day party at 4:40pm on Saturday. Enjoy the black magic of Elof's Penguin remix below, and keep checking back throughout the weekend as we continue to leak the lineup of our Saturday New Shapes party (which will be FREE to all with RSVP) before the full announcement on Monday.

MP3: "The Worse It Gets" (Elof Remix) - Penguin Prison [exclusive]

THE COLD COMING THROUGH THE WALLS.

Our favorite plucky New Zealanders have done it again. This time The Naked & Famous take on Mr. Little Jeans' "Rescue Song" for a remix that is so beautifully understated it's almost too much for us to handle - the Neon Gold alumni network is working in the most magical of ways right now and let's just say we don't hate it. With a soft swinging beat, this remix has big moments reminiscent of the electropop holy grail, "Heartbeats," but the steady, fierce fluidity of Mr. Little Jeans' angelic vocals take everything to a whole new level. "Rescue Song" already had a pretty phenomenal remix package around it when we dropped it on Neon Gold last November, but The Naked & Famous have taken us to a happier, sexier place on this remix and we love them for it.

Look out for the band to absolutely own SXSW next week, where you can catch them live at a number of shows around town, including our unofficial day party Saturday at Klub Krucial at 12pm. We'll be leaking the lineup for the show all weekend before pulling back the curtain and unveiling the full lineup and all event details on Monday, so watch this space!

MP3: "Rescue Song" (The Naked & Famous Remix) - Mr. Little Jeans [exclusive]

DANCE ALL MY FEARS AWAY.

Australian heavy hitters The Holidays are brought to you by the same team who discovered The Temper Trap, and now it's time to be forever indebted to them once more. In these gloomy winter times their unrelenting tropical vibes will have you kicking back on that imaginary beach in your mind in no time. Don't be alarmed if, when listening to their single "Moonlight Hours," you're fully transported to a real life psychedelic-pop version of "Under The Sea" - only instead of a Jamaican lobster on lead vox it's some melodic Aussie bros - although we think that crab jamming on those seashell bongos might still be in the mix there somewhere.

They've made a major splash in their homeland and now have their sights set on the US and beyond, as they make their way over to The America for SXSW and their debut stateside shows this week. If you're ready to get yr sunshine on then come down and see them at Public Assembly this Sunday, where they'll be pushing their wares - alongside Kyla La Grange, High Highs and many more - at a very special pre-SXSW Communion show we're helping out with. Plus, Neon Gold Beat Company will be killing it on the decks well until the moonlight hours and tickets are only $5, so you've really got no excuse not to come on down and dance all your fears away.

MP3: "Moonlight Hours" - The Holidays

NEON GOLD SXSW 2011.

Going to Austin next week? Then you're gonna want to make sure you keep your schedule clear on Wednesday, cause it's all going down at Bat Bar for our official Neon Gold showcase. Little Red. Walk The Moon. Alex Winston. Clock Opera. Penguin Prison. The one and only Ellie Goulding. We've got them all under one amazing roof on the first night of SX, the perfect way to kickstart your SXSW 2011 experience. As it's an official showcase it's badges and wristbands only (we don't make the rules y'all), but we've got a special day party on the Saturday for those of you keeping it real at SX this year without an official badge. Look for an announcement on that by week's end, but for now behold the lineup for our official night below and mark your calendars. You won't want to miss this.

08:00pm: Little Red // MP3: "Rock It" ('96 Bulls Remix)

09:00pm: Walk The Moon // MP3: "Anna Sun"

10:00pm: Alex Winston // MP3: "Sister Wife"

11:00pm: Clock Opera // MP3: "A Piece of String"

12:00am: Ellie Goulding // MP3: "Under The Sheets" (Baby Monster Remix)

01:00am: Penguin Prison // MP3: "The Worse It Gets" (Elof Remix)

HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE LOVED BY NO ONE.

Wolf Gang are some of our nearest and dearest Neon Gold alumni and the lovely Kyla La Grange is one of our favorite tips for 2011, so we were thrilled to find them joining forces on this acoustic version of Wolf Gang's latest single, "Dancing With The Devil". The vocal interplay between Wolf Gang frontman Max McElligott and La Grange is perfect, and the track is yet another step in the right direction towards what we fully expect to be one of the year's finest full-length debuts when Wolf Gang's album drops this summer. Both Wolf Gang and Kyla will be playing SXSW this year, with the latter making a stop off in NYC beforehand at Communion's special pre-SXSW show this Sunday and Wolf Gang taking the stage at our unofficial day party blowout on the Saturday in Austin. More details on our day party to come by week's end, but for now feast your ears and eyes on an exclusive video of Max and Kyla's "Dancing With The Devil" duet above and The Shoes' official remix (featuring the brilliant Cocknbullkid) of the single below.

MP3: "Dancing With The Devil" (Shoes Mix ft. Cocknbullkid & Mz. Bratt) - Wolf Gang

WASH OUT THE RAIN.

We know next to nothing about Black Light Dinner Party, other than that they hail from Boston and are coming correct with more of the fresh electronic pop sounds we've come to expect from the Northeast in recent years thanks to bands like Passion Pit and Dom. You can hear shades of both in their sound, with emotive vocals reminiscent of Miike Snow and a top notch production sound - West Coast beats rolling along with frosty NYC synths and lush Parisian melodies - that truly establishes them as a band to watch this year.

MP3: "Older Together" - Black Light Dinner Party [exclusive]

I JUST HOPED YOU THOUGHT IT ANYWAY.

Guillemots' new album Walk The River (coming April 18th) is one of the absolute best records to grace our ears in 2011, and the band have been kind enough to share the title track ahead of its release for free on their website. It's the album's lead track and sets the tone for the record perfectly - all dark, brooding Chris Isaak vibes from frontman Fyfe Dangerfield and some of the band's best songwriting yet, including a middle eight in the song's second half that's one of the most beautiful and magical moments in the band's illustrious history. Seriously special stuff and just another reminded of why Guillemots are one of the best bands to emerge from the UK in the last decade.

MP3: "Walk The River" - Guillemots

GOLD024: ICONA POP

Last month we introduced you to our favorite new band, the lovely and talented ladies of Icona Pop. Next week they bring their amazing sounds to our stage at Popshop (tickets going fast here), and shortly thereafter we'll be bringing their dangerously amazing AA-side debut single "Manners"/"Top Rated" into the world on Neon Gold. It's easily one of the most special singles we've ever worked with, a truly spectacular double drop of Swedish pop majesty.

On the lead side is the triumphant "Manners", an anthemic call to arms for jilted lovers everywhere that has been owning our hearts and minds since the day it first graced our ears. It's absolutely immense... cascading drums and oscillating synths give the track it's backbone while the singalong "ba ba baaa" chorus will stick with you for months. Not to be outdone, "Top Rated" picks up where "Manners" left off with another round of synth-drenched ex-lover vitriol that might actually end up the bigger single of the two. For now though enjoy a free download of the new and improved single version of "Manners", available below.

MP3: "Manners" (Single Version) - Icona Pop [exclusive]

This amazing package comes featuring artwork from Slobodan Zivic and is out March 21st, available for preorder now from the Neon Gold Shop and our friends at Puregroove in the UK.