BLUE FLOWERS HITS NYC.

We've mentioned Blue Flowers - the legenedary West London club night turned singles labe - before in these pages, and we're over the moon to announce our upcoming collaboration with them as they seek to launch the Blue Flowers brand in NYC. The original night quickly became West London's premier club night and saw everyone from Jamie T and Noah & The Whale to Adele and Laura Marling cutting their teeth on its hallowed stage, and now the NYC night promises to showcase the best new talent from both sides of the Atlantic. Launching June 20th with Neon Gold favorites The Maccabees headlining and support from Miike Snow and Hatcham Social, their new venture is already off to a hugely promising start. Not only has Music Hall of Williamsburg, New York's best large-scale venue, signed on to host the proceedings, but we'll also be rocking the Neon Gold room downstairs all night long with an elite crop of DJ's dropping the jams until 3 AM. Olmec and Body Language will be getting things started early, with Friends With Benefits and Shuttle (formerly Etan) keeping things moving until the early hours. Get ready NYC.

MP3: "The Reeling" (Miike Snow Remix) - Passion Pit

DEAR FRIEND OF MINE.

The Maccabees sophomore effort strolled into the spotlight this week and quickly reminded us of all the reasons we first fell in love with them when they erupted onto the scene with 2006's Colour It In. Wall of Arms is an impressive next step, unveiling a more mature songwriting approach while retaining all the urgent energy that made their debut so wonderful. Arcade Fire producer Markus Gravs manned the boards this time around, a curious choice on paper that works out to makes perfect sense upon pressing play. Lead single "Love You Better" steadily builds towards a rousing conclusion of epic percussion and brass arrangements that might be the band's finest moment yet, while "No Kind Words" is the band's darkest offering to date, its ominous beat and eerie vocals creating a generally haunting atmosphere never before seen from the Brighton quartet. The accompanying video, above, is one of the year's best as well, and the whole package should be regarded as nothing less than one of the most inspiring comebacks of the year.

MP3: "No Kind Words" - The Maccabees

// Ruth Render //