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"

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.

DON'T SETTLE FOR LESS.

Our girl Alex Winston has been cartwheeling around our heads in stereophonic technicolor all summer with her debut single "Choice Notes" (out now on HeavyRoc Music), but it's thunderstealing AA-side "Medicine" that's slowly but surely been creeping up on us as our sleeper favorite from Detroit's finest new export. It's quintessential Winston, her ethereal vocals drifting across a melange of acoustic guitars and The Knocks' punchy drums before giving way to an anthemic climax of group vocals featuring none other than HeavyRoc's favorite son Samuel getting involved on BVs. In a weird way it's kind of the feelgood hit of the summer, so don't get left out.

MP3: "Medicine" - Alex Winston

NIGHTS LIKE THIS.

We were out of the game for a minute there at Lollapalooza, and during our absence our boy Samuel released his debut video for "I Heart NY", and while we're kind of late to the party we've still got to show it some love because it's kind of really fucking great. It's a creative treatment executed flawlessly and shot beautifully by director Austin Peters, in which our hero cruises through his hometown on the back of a garbage truck driven by our dudes The Knocks, who wrote and produced the track with Samuel. And since we already dropped the mp3 of "I Heart NY" on the blog last month you can get at another burner from Sam's forthcoming debut album Trains To Wanderland called "Champagne Kisses" below. Gets you ready for the weekend and then some.

MP3: "Champagne Kisses" - Samuel

REFUSE TO BE FORGOTTEN.

So our dudes Samuel and The Knocks did a cover of that Drake single a little while back, and while we don't really have time to write about it since it's Friday night and we're trying to hit the streets, you should know that it is quite literally Very Good and you can get at the mp3 below. Cool? Cool.

MP3: "Find Your Love" - Samuel [exclusive]

DOWN HERE IT'S OUR TIME.

Last year our main man B-Roc (of The Knocks fame) dropped his debut mix on the world, aptly titled The Transplant. It ruled and all (and you can and probably should still check it out here), but now that he's back with the next installment, The Transplant II, that original effort seems like nothing more than a prelude to the greatness of its amazing sequel. He's been hard at work on it since we were on tour with him and Samuel on the west coast last month, and believe us the effort paid off. This is easily our favorite mix of all time, replete with Neon Gold classics both old and new. From beloved alumni like Marina & The Diamonds, Ellie Goulding and The Sound of Arrows, to the new class of Neon Gold all stars like Dom, The Naked & Famous and The Knocks themselves (all singles we haven't even announced yet but will be coming your way on 7" later this summer), this shit is off the chains. 40+ minutes of absolute bliss, you better believe this is worth your time.


MP3: The Transplant II - The Knocks

GOLDEN SUMMERS.

Samuel is one of our number one dudes in NYC (and we just returned from rage managing his West Coast tour), so it's with great pleasure that we unveil his debut single "I Heart NY". I guess it's trendy to rhyme about NYC ever since Jay and Alicia started banging on about bright lights and concrete jungles, but this was our original NYC anthem, the demo racking up a serious play count in our iTunes since we first met the Heavyroc crew 18 months ago. The Knocks are at the helm here once again (under the expert direction of Grammy-nominated veteran Greg Wells), stringing a playful keys riff through a maze of big brass blasts and singalong group vocals, resulting in a breezy summer anthem for the city that never sleeps and a brilliant first single for Samuel as he readies his debut album for release later this year.

MP3: "I Heart NY" - Samuel [exclusive]

NEON GOLD AT SXSW 2010.

The time has come. We've mentioned it here and there over the past few weeks, but now it's time to formally bring back the curtain on our official showcase at SXSW 2010. Over the last few months we've pieced together a dream line up, plucking our favorite young talent from both sides of the Atlantic. We've got our go-to partystarters Yes Giantess crushing it in the late night slot, our main man Samuel getting things going early on, one of our favorite musicians of all time in Guillemots frontman Fyfe Dangerfield, and the one and only Marina & The Diamonds (hot on the heels of her NYC debut with us) headlining the night and rounding out what we expect to be one of the premier lineups of the week. Shit is going down Thursday night at Lamberts (401 W 2nd Street) from 10pm until late, official SXSW badge required for entry. Running times as follows:

10:00pm: Fyfe Dangerfield // MP3: "When You Walk In The Room"
11:00pm: Samuel // MP3: "Fader"
12:00am: Marina & The Diamonds // MP3: "Hollywood" (Gonzales Version)
01:00am: Yes Giantess // MP3: "The Ruins"

The venue is not large and will reach its capacity, so come early if you want a piece of the action.

BURNS THE BONES.

"Fader" was one of our absolute favorite jams of '09 when it arrived via the Temper Trap's stellar debut album Conditions last year, so we were all kinds of excited when The Knocks told us they were working on a remix of it with our boy Samuel helming the ship on lead vox. The result is possibly our favorite offering yet from the Heavy Roc Music camp, all slowburning synth grooves and interstellar production flourishes that project the original in a whole new light. Samuel's got a big couple of months ahead of him with his debut single proper "I Heart NY" on its way soon (stream it here now) and his debut album Trains To Wanderland following later this spring, not to mention a spot on our official SXSW showcase (more on that later this week), so don't be surprised when you're hearing his name on the regular in a few months' time. Dude's got what it takes to go the distance, and with The Knocks at the wheel you better believe this party bus is headed straight for the stars.

MP3: "Fader" (The Knocks Remix ft. Samuel) - The Temper Trap [exclusive]

TEARING ME UP.

60's influenced girls with guitars are hardly our usual speed here at Neon Gold, but we'd be lying if we told you we haven't been completely hooked on Alex Winston's "Animal Baby" since she first breezed across our radar a few weeks back. Hailing from Detroit, the Motor City native just moved to the concrete jungle where dreams are made of to work on her debut album with our dudes The Knocks, who are fresh off killing it in the studio with our dear friends Samuel and Ellie Goulding. But yeah, Alex got here like yesterday and already has major label A&R's beating down her door, so cop "Animal Baby" below and definitely keep an eye out for this one.

MP3: "Animal Baby" - Alex Winston

REASONS NOT TO END IT ALL IN 2009 PT. II

Much thanks to The FADER's Pete Macia, who was able to retrieve this post from his bloglines and allow us to get it back online after the DMCA eradicated it's presence on the internet due to apparent copyright infringement issues. We strive to attain permission for everything we post where possible so we're still not sure what the offending track(s) was, but we suspect it might have been the Hockey or Delphic tracks given their recent major label deals. Without further ado:

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.

We're not exactly sticking our neck out here given the maelstrom of buzz that's surrounded Passion Pit to this point, but we got the album into the office last week and we'd just like to warn you of the ways in which this thing is going to rock the music-consuming public with it's brilliance this spring. There a few things left to be finalized on the LP so we're not at liberty to say much, but we can tell you it will be called Manners and it's just about everything we could have hoped for and more. Careful listeners will discern a few new tracks in the background of Fader TV's behind the scenes look at the making of the record here, and you better believe producer Chris Zane's hype-smashing proclamations about the record lest the truth dropkick you in the jaw when it drops in spring. New material is understandably on lockdown for the time being, so for now here's a next-level reworking of "Sleepyhead" courtesy of our NYC boys The Knocks.

MP3: "Sleepyhead" (The Knocks Remix) - Passion Pit

Speaking of The Knocks, dudes run HeavyRoc studios in Chinatown, where they've spent the last year readying NYC pop sensation Samuel for the big time. Having successfully produced and managed the young pop star-in-waiting to a contract with newly-revived Columbia imprint StarTime (home to Passion Pit, Peter Bjorn & John, et. al), they're currently in the studio readying his debut album. Taste the first fruits of their labor below in the form of debut single "Say Goodbye", which features saccharine backing vocals from Frances' Julia Tepper and guitar work from The Virgins' Wade Oates.

MP3: "Say Goodbye" - Samuel

Theophilus London hardly needs any introduction given the way we've been extolling him as the second coming and all, but he's here just so we can say "we told you so... and then reminded you a couple of more times" when he's selling out arenas like a week from now. "Sandcastles" was born to destroy the charts.

MP3: "Sandcastles (Black x Blue)" - Theophilus London

Switching coasts for a minute, let's talk about Portland indie phenoms Hockey, whose LCD Soundsystem meets The Rapture and Julian Casablanca sound has them primed for big things in the new year. With the headlining slot on Passion Pit's NME sponsored UK tour and a debut album, Mind Chaos, overflowing with commercially viable singles, expect British audiences to embrace Hockey as the next great American indie band of '09.

MP3: "Too Fake" - Hockey [link removed]

We were huge fans of short-lived Mancunian collective Snowfight In The City Centre and their epic debut single "No Light Left", so news of their demise in 2007 was crushing. Fortunately, from their ashes has risen Delphic, an even more promising outfit with a mechanical precision and electronic brilliance in keeping with Manchester's rich musical lineage. With massive industry attention, a full European tour supporting Bloc Party on the horizon and some massive tracks (see: "Doubt") already under their belt, look for Delphic to succesfully realize all the potential Snowfight failed to capitalize on in the months to come.

MP3: "Doubt" - Delphic [link removed]

Previously: Reasons Not To End It All In 2009 Pt. I