WAITING FOR A RIDE IN THE DARK.

“Midnight City” starts with an air raid and ends with an all-out deep space assault - what initially sounds like an intergalactic SOS is just the primer for an epic sendoff by the song's conclusion. Cue drum hits straight out of Phil Collin’s playbook and synth surges ripped from the clutches of our very own Neon Gold dreamcatcher, the kind of brilliant sonic flourishes that would make Mille or Sound of Arrows green with envy. Missing in action for a solid three years, M83 prove they weren't dead, just gearing up to bring the sexy back in a big way, as their signature ethereal vocal harmonies bring chills to the spine and play nice with that brazen sax sound that seems to have become the de rigeur in Big Pop Music in summer 2011. It’s a true return to form for the French stargazers, as we giddily await the October 18th release of their forthcoming fifth album, titled Hurry Up, We're Dreaming, which conveniently enough sums up our feelings exactly as we lose ourselves in the ether of "Midnight City".

MP3: "Midnight City" - M83

THE NAKED & FAMOUS HIT PIANOS.

The Naked & Famous have long since graduated from the nurturing stables of Neon Gold to the ranks of the major label elite, and as they return to NYC to grace the wide open spaces of Terminal 5 with Foals and Freelance Whales this Wednesday, we're thrilled to announce they're keeping it really real with a second play later that night at Pianos. Set time is midnight, there will be no advance tickets, and it's going to rule. It's not often you get to hear stadium-ready anthems in a 100 cap venue, so come out and join us - we'll be the ones down front losing our shit.

MP3: "Young Blood" (The Sound of Arrows Remix) - The Naked & Famous

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.

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

YOU'VE MADE A HOLE IN MY HEART.

After a little holiday hiatus we're back and stronger than ever. 2009 was nothing short of amazing for us thanks to your support, and we hope you'll stay on board with us in 2010 as we take things to the next level. Look for us to graduate to full-length albums and broaden our horizons to include limited edition clothing releases, as well as keeping things moving on the 7" and 12" front with a batch of exciting new single releases from the likes of Monarchy, Penguin Prison, Yes Giantess and so much more.

Further info on all of that in the months to come, but for now we turn our eyes to two of the brightest prospects for pop music in 2010, our beloved Sound of Arrows and everyone's favorite guilty pleasure Alphabeat. Having jumped the sinking ship that is EMI, Alphabeat have found a new home on Universal and look set to build on the runaway success of their Gold-selling debut album. The Sound of Arrows roll into the new year on a swelling wave of hype (including Single of the Year honors from Popjustice) and a fully-loaded arsenal of pop smashes, and high expectations as the next great hope for Swedish pop. Their remix of Alphabeat's upcoming single "Hole In My Heart" (which is a little bit amazing in its own right) is a holy matrimony of Scandinavian pop bliss, as the duo take the massive original and somehow make it even more immense, all spiraling electronics and pulsing synths converging to establish The Sound of Arrows as one of the brightest new talents in the remix game. Thanks to Discodust for the tip.

MP3: "Hole In My Heart" (The Sound of Arrows Remix) - Alphabeat

I CAN MAKE RIGHT NOW ALRIGHT.

Having killed it on official Neon Gold remixes for The Sound of Arrows and Mille, London's Fear of Tigers is quickly becoming one of our favorite new electronic talents around, and now he's bringing forth more of the same hard-hitting, euphoric electro we've come to love him for on his debut album, Cossus Snufsigalonica.

Heavy on the samples and showcasing more of the next-level synth work that's become his trademark, the Tokyo-born, London-bred producer turns in a pretty stunning compilation of tracks on Cossus. Tracks like "I Can Make The Pain Disappear" and "What Did I Do?" fuck you up with big samples - especially that Robin Thicke one in "Disappear" - and even bigger synths, while instrumentals like "Study Hard Drugs School" showcase his knack for expressive electronic soundscapes and hooky pop melodies. Best of all, he's giving the whole album away for free, so enjoy a taster below or head over to Discodust where you can download the album from the free host of your choice. We're definitely trying to work with this dude in the future and will be unveiling his massive "Crysteena" remix next month, so keep an eye on this space if you like what you hear below.

MP3: "I Can Make The Pain Disappear" - Fear of Tigers

WASHED UP ON THE SHORE.

The Sound of Arrows are quickly becoming one of our favorite bands in the world. They just do everything so masterfully - production, remixes, music videos, art direction, you name it... They're true auteurs of pop music. While we anxiously await new material from the Swedish duo, we've found ourselves reveling in some of their less-appreciated earlier work. "A Very Sad Song", taken from their 2008 Danger! EP, is one of their most beautiful tracks to date, their widescreen 80's pop production taking a backseat to the stirring emotion of Stefan Storm's songwriting. These guys' talent really knows no bounds.

MP3: "A Very Sad Song" - The Sound of Arrows

SO NERVOUS.

As promised, we've got the first installment of the wonderful remixes of our upcoming single with Penguin Prison here for you today, this one from the amazing and beautiful Sound of Arrows. Not unlike the Baby Monster remix we posted earlier this week, the Sound of Arrows take "Animal Animal" and do a brilliant job of reinterpreting the original and casting it in a dramatic new light. Dressing it up in all manner of Boards of Canada-esque atmospherics and a swirling 80's melodrama, the remix is a significant departure from the bubbly effervescence of the Penguin Prison original, but succeeds in accessing a whole new realm of emotion on the track.

MP3: "Animal Animal" (The Sound of Arrows Remix) - Penguin Prison [exclusive]

GOLD 011: PENGUIN PRISON

We've shown our main man Penguin Prison no shortage of love in these pages over the past few months, and now it's time to bring his masterful debut single into the world on Neon Gold. Another stellar double A-side release, we already unveiled the sterling lead track "Animal Animal" in September, and now we've got the equally brilliant AA-side "A Funny Thing" for your downloading pleasure. "Animal Animal" shined in the late summer sun as a bubbly cut of carefree pop effervescence, but "Funny Thing" doesn't waste any time giving you the business, all driving, churning synths and a huge chorus that stands out as his finest pop moment yet. Big stuff, people.

MP3: "A Funny Thing" - Penguin Prison [expired]

It's been amazing to see the reception Penguin's already gotten on UK radio, with fervent support coming from Radio 1, XFM and NME Radio for both tracks. The single's out November 23rd and comes sporting another beautiful round of cover artwork from the lovely and amazing FRAU GRAU, and will be available as usual from the Neon Gold Shop in the US and at Puregroove for our international customers. With remixes for both tracks coming in from The Sound of Arrows, Monarchy, Jakwob and more, this is sure to be an immensely popular release, so drop down and get your order on before it's too late.

NOTHING CAN STOP US.

The Sound of Arrows are pop geniuses. We've said it before and we'll say it again, in regards not only to their music, but the otherworldly aesthetic they've so thoroughly mastered in their art direction and music videos as well. The original video for "Into The Clouds" was already one of the year's best, but they've already gone and outdone themselves with its follow up, an absolutely brilliant video for the sublime Fear of Tigers remix that shines on the single's B-side.

Culled from footage from 1985's Explorers (starring a young Ethan Hawke) and 1986's The Boy Who Could Fly, the video is the perfect visual companion to the synth fireworks Fear of Tigers sets off throughout the track and the Hollywood ending that climaxes around the video's two and a half minute mark is one of the best things we've ever seen in a music video, period. Just another reason why Sound of Arrows are truly one of the most special bands in the world right now. The Into The Clouds 12" is available now from the Neon Gold Shop (US) and Puregroove (UK) and is going fast, so don't sleep.

MP3: "Into The Clouds" (Fear of Tigers Remix) - The Sound of Arrows [exclusive]

GOLD 009: THE SOUND OF ARROWS

Twelve months ago to the day we bundled up a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed 7” record by a band called Passion Pit and brought it into the world for all to enjoy. That magical slice of blissed-out dance pop has long since sold out and today marks the one year birthday of Neon Gold Records, and what better way to celebrate then by a very special ninth release on Neon Gold by the pop wizards that are Swedish pop duo The Sound of Arrows. We posted their most recent Sweden-only release “M.A.G.I.C.” last month to rapturous response, and now we’re ready to bring their international debut “Into The Clouds” to the masses as our first ever 12” release.

That’s not say we’ll be abandoning the 7” format that’s been so good to us thus far, but every so often a record comes along featuring sleeve art so beautiful it really deserves the widescreen 12” treatment. That’s absolutely the case here, as Oskar and Stephan have put together some of the most breathtaking artwork ever to adorn a Neon Gold release, accompanied by a magnificent video (below) in the same vein that they've (of course) directed and animated themselves.

Backed by an ambient instrumental edit of the title track “…And Beyond” and remixes from the likes of Fear of Tigers and Gold Dust, this is a very special release for us and we can't wait for it to hit shops September 28th. Preorder is available now from your usual outlets, Puregroove in the UK and the Neon Gold Shop in the US.

MP3: “Into The Clouds” – The Sound of Arrows [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