THE SEA FEELS NOTHING LIKE A HOME.

We've been loving Mr. Little Jeans' debut album since she first sent us a secret preview of it late last year, and now she returns to publicly unveil our favorite track from it, "Oh Sailor", as her new single. A billowing youth anthem in waiting, Monica's wistful vocals drift in and out of your dreams, walking a delicate line between the whispered beauty of Lykke Li and the skyscraping uplift of The Naked & Famous' Alisa Xayalith. And when the ocean-sized chorus engulfs you with ageless harmonies from the Silverlake Conservatory Of Music Youth Chorale, it's like nothing else you've ever experienced in 2013. Truly perfect.

POPSHOP WEST 002: ST. LUCIA

If you made it out to the blue velvet rope-cutting of our inaugural Popshop West, you'll remember how stacked and star-studded that cast was, as everyone from Ryan Adams to Natasha Bedingfield hit the stage for special guest appearances and sent our wild west launch party down as one for the ages. And so now the time has come for us to return to the golden coast for another round of Popshop magic at The Echo, and this time with our very own boy wonder St. Lucia in tow as he makes his west coast debut next week.

Then supporting St. L we've got recent LA transplant and esteemed Neon Gold alumnus Mr. Little Jeans, as well as fast-rising hometown heroes Beat Club kicking off the festivities early on. It's all going down July 24th, with doors at 8pm sharp and $10 advance tickets going f-a-s-t and available HERE. This one's already close to selling out without us even starting the push on our end, so get involved before it's too late.

STREAM: "Before the Dive" - St. Lucia

STREAM: "Runaway" - Mr. Little Jeans

STREAM: "Something Better" - Beat Club

ALL THINGS GOLD 012: GIGAMESH + FOXES

Our DC joint venture, All Things Gold, has been up and running like a charm, so we're very excited about our next one. This time, it's half American and half British for 100% pop glory. On the DJ front, we've got Gigamesh, master of all things summer, and London legends, Punks Jump Up, laying down the law. On the live front, we have UK princess of pop herself, Foxes, and Neon Gold alum Mr. Little Jeans providing all the lady love you'll ever need.

It's all going down tomorrow at U Street Music Hall from 9pm onwards, with tickets still available HERE. We've booked an entire Neon Gold bloc of live magic this week from Thursday to Saturday so if you can't make it to DC for the festivities, worry not. Mr. Little Jeans is opening for Alex Winston at Santos on Friday and Foxes will be playing our Popshop BK on Saturday. Come out, come out, wherever you are, your weekend just started.

STREAM: "Tongue Tied (Gigamesh Remix)" - Grouplove

STREAM:"Mr. Overtime" - Punks Jump Up

STREAM: "Let Go For Tonight" - Foxes

STREAM: "The Suburbs" - Mr. Little Jeans

POPSHOP BK 002: MNDR + FOXES

Our inaugural Popshop Brooklyn launch was nothing short of a raging success last month, and now we're back for round two. While our Manhattan chapter is on holiday, we've filled our second Popshop BK to the brim with some of the latest and greatest of the US and UK empires, taking over the early AND late Saturday night Brooklyn Bowl slots to make up for Popshop NYC's brief sabbatical last week.

Headlining we've got the inimitable MNDR, reclaiming her Popshop throne after shutting it down at the very first Popshop ever back in 2011, alongside our very own leading ladies, Foxes and Mr. Little Jeans. Rounding things out on the live section we've got HITS fresh off a sold out live debut at the Mercury Lounge, before Punks Jump Up and Starsmith take over the decks and keep things going into the early hours. It's all going down THIS Saturday at Brooklyn Bowl on July 14th, with doors at 8pm and $10 tickets available HERE.

STREAM: "#1 In Heaven" - MNDR

STREAM: "Warrior" - Foxes

STREAM: "Runaway" - Mr. Little Jeans

STREAM: "Madness" - HITS

NEON GOLD PRESENTS: ALEX WINSTON

Hot on the heels of her triumphant return to the US at her sold out Knitting Factory show in April, we're bringing Alex Winston over the bridge to Manhattan for her next NYC play next month. Returning to our second home at Santos Party House for this one, we're bringing you a rare, guilt-free Friday night out with what's sure to be another Winston performance to remember.

We're also thrilled to bring you a stacked support lineup for this one, as we bring Mr. Little Jeans over for her long-awaited NYC live debut in the main support slot, and round things out with a powerhouse opening set from London-via-Brooklyn newcomers Lovelife getting things started early. Winston's last New York headline sold out hard and fast, and with a very limited number of $7 early bird tickets available before they jump to $10 advance and $13 day of show, you'd be wise to lock your tix up HERE now. It's also a rare 18+ event for us, so any and all young folks tired of watching from the sidelines would do well to seize the opportunity and get involved. It's all going down Friday the 13th of July at 7pm sharp, and yeah, it's going to be scary good.

DOWNLOAD: "Guts" (The Sound of Arrows Remix) - Alex Winston


DOWNLOAD: "Rescue Song" - Mr. Little Jeans

MOVING PAST THE FEELING.

Mr. Little Jeans has been laying low for a minute as she writes and records her debut album, but this week she checked in with a seriously special treat for y'all. It's no secret that homegirl's skilled in the delicate art of the cover song, but she's truly outdone herself with this haunting rendition of Arcade Fire's "The Suburbs". Taking the original by the horns and reworking it into a whole new beast that's entirely her own, the pint-sized Norwegian wonder drops a truly masterful interpretation of a track that we'd have previously told you was pretty much untouchable in its original form. Gone is the vaudevillian piano that defined the original; in its place, industrial synth dirges and percussive electronic beats flow like molasses, as eerie synthetic strings drift in and out of the mix and Mr. Lil's whispered vocals hang like heaven over everything, an ominous specter warning of the dark tensions that lie beyond the white picket fence. The perfect update to the Arcade Fire original, it's dark, haunting and a little bit amazing.

MP3: "The Suburbs" - Mr. Little Jeans

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]

MY HEART IS HEAVY.

Having gradually come up through the UK live circuit over the last few years and cut her teeth at London's legendary Communion club nights, Kyla La Grange looks primed to make the jump to the next level in 2011, with debut single "Walk Through Walls" set to become her introduction to the masses in early March. Aesthetically, she's not miles away from our own Mr. Little Jeans, her powerful, ethereal vocals taking center stage on the track over booming drums and rousing guitars. La Grange's voice swoops and soars over the mix, culminating in an uplifting call to arms of "get up! get up! get up!" in the chorus that's equal parts urgent and visceral, firmly establishing "Walls" as a bona fide anthem-in-waiting for the wistful indie set.

MP3: "Walk Through Walls" - Kyla La Grange

NEON GOLD PRESENTS: THE SOUND OF 2011

List season, y'allll. The BBC published their annual Sound of... list last week and now it's time for us to follow suit with our very own annual list. We're going to stick with the whole Sound of... route in terms of criteria - artists can't have had a Top 20 single or album to date, can't be a solo project from an established artist or someone who's already achieved fame by other means (sorry Willow), etc - and what follows are our 15 picks for superstardom in the new year.

We've got a habit of being a bit far-sighted with our lists in the past - many of the acts on last year's list still are yet to release their debut albums and thus a few will make repeat appearances this year, but all in all we like to think we've got a pretty decent track record with these things. After overshooting our mark in years past with bands that failed to get an album out in the following calendar year, we'll be focusing this list on bands that will definitely have albums hitting the streets in the next calendar year, with another list of fresh up-and-comers set to make their first foray into the limelight in 2011 to follow at the beginning of the year. But for now, let's get down to the business with our very own Sound of 2011 presentation.


JESSIE J // You can't fuck with Jessie J. With an absolutely killer voice, swagger for miles and the writing chops to match (homegirl wrote "Party In The USA"), not to mention fans in Justin Timberlake and Dr. Luke, she's already blowing up (debut single "Do It Like A Dude" is currently at #29 in the UK charts) and is about as close as you can get to a lock for superstardom in 2011 on both sides of the Atlantic.

STREAM: "Do It Like A Dude" (Labrinth Remix) - Jessie J



STARSMITH // With Calvin Harris' recent announcement that he's retiring from the limelight of pop stardom to focus on his DJ and production work, the door's been opened for a new producer-cum-popstar to take the throne. And who better than Starsmith, who in the last 18 months alone has definitively established himself as the best pop producer in the UK under 25, with principle songwriting and production credits on four #1 albums in 2010 alone. Though massive, his debut single "Give Me A Break" (released on Neon Gold last month) is but the tip of the iceberg, as 2011 finds Starsmith set to release a debut album of more straightforward (yet still entirely banging) pop and vocal tracks featuring his own vocals as well as contributions from Alphabeat's Stine Bramsen, Daley, Ellie Goulding and many more.

STREAM: "Give Me A Break" (Starsmith Remix) - Starsmith



CLARE MAGUIRE // We've been preaching the gospel of Clare Maguire for nearly two years now, but 2010 saw her finally make the first steps towards her superstar destiny on debut single "Ain't Nobody", and with her debut album slated for early 2011 and featuring such surefire megahits as "Last Dance" and "Sword & Shield", the girl with the golden voice looks set to at long last fulfill the promise that's made her the talk of the industry since 2008.

STREAM: "Ain't Nobody" (Breakage Remix) - Clare Maguire



BROTHER // First things first: Brother are not the future of music. They're pretty fucking great at what they do though, and with their naturally controversial disposition, big hooks and fuck-off swagger, they'll make headlines as one of the most polarizing bands of 2011 but could ultimately outsell every single artist on this list. With their signature by-the-people-for-the-people "gritpop" sound and a music industry desperate for the return of big guitar bands to Britain, Brother are destined to make a lot of noise in 2011, whether you like it or not.

STREAM: "Darling Buds of May" - Brother



THE NAKED & FAMOUS // Up against The Vaccines to nab the token indie spot on the BBC's shortlist, our Neon Gold darlings look set to follow in the footsteps of their Down Under contemporaries The Temper Trap as an absolutely massive 2011 looks albeit inevitable for the Kiwi five-piece. Nevermind the fact that their album's already out in New Zealand and Australia (and thus already making its rounds on the internet), when you've got an chart-toppling single like "Young Blood" - not to mention brilliant ace-in-the-hole set up singles like "Punching In A Dream" and "All of This" - in your repertoire, big things are bound to happen. Expect to see this lot EVERYWHERE next summer.

STREAM: "Young Blood" - The Naked & Famous



ALEX WINSTON // We love Alex Winston like one of our own, and it's with ear-to-ear smiles that we've watched her absolutely smashing the game to bits over the second half of 2010. A refreshing departure from the at times painfully now cred-pop ladies of recent times, her style refuses to welcome lazy comparisons as she establishes her own niche in the current landscape of pop music. She's got less than ten live shows under her belt to this point, but anyone lucky enough to see her perform can attest to how special she is as an artist and performer. Homegirl is an absolute superstar, and while her best tracks remain unheard - expect that to change with her debut mini-album on the way next month - you can rest assured she'll be making serious waves in the new year.

STREAM: "Choice Notes" (Labyrinth Ear Remix) - Alex Winston



PENGUIN PRISON // Our flagship artist and the coolest thing to come out of the NYC pop scene in a long minute, Penguin Prison is set to turn serious heads when his debut full-length arrives in the first half of 2011. With three Neon Gold singles already under his belt (including the amazing "Golden Train" out this week), he's no stranger to the carousel of hype that defines this industry, but with massive singles "Don't Fuck With My Money" and "Multi-Millionaire" still awaiting deployment in the new year, you should trust us when we say you ain't heard nothing yet.

STREAM: "Golden Train" (The Royal Palms Remix) - Penguin Prison



JAI PAUL // Standing out from every single other artist on this list, Jai Paul is the UK's next great hope for an alternative male pop star. Your quintessential XL artist (with whom he signed earlier this year), he sounds like nothing else around at the moment, blending a broad spectrum of styles and genres with athletic ease. It's still early days with debut track "BTSTU" his only real offering to speak of, but with XL at the helm and their nigh-on immaculate track record of late, we can easily see Jai Paul coming out of left field to make considerable noise in 2011.

STREAM: "BTSU" - Jai Paul



JAMIE WOON // With dubstep creeping further and further into the mainstream with each passing year (see Skream's gamechanging remix of La Roux in 2009 and Katy B and Magnetic Man's chart success in 2010), the nexus of 2010 and 2011 sees a new movement emerging from the genre with Woon (and fellow crooner James Blake) turning heads with their soulful electronic, "post-dubstep" sound. It's Blake who's the industry darling at the moment , but it's Woon who gets the nod from us here - his Burial-produced lead single "Night Air" stands out as one of the sexiest tracks of 2010 and has us champing at the bit to here more from the Polydor-signed up and comer.

STREAM: "Night Air" - Jamie Woon



MNDR // Already finding main stream success via her feature on Mark Ronson's Top 10 hit "Bang Bang Bang", the seeds have already planted for MNDR (née Amanda Warner) to do big things in 2011. With her phenomenal debut release E.P.E. and it's triumphant singles "Fade To Black" and "I Go Away" already garnering her a burgeoning fan base and rampant critical acclaim, she's got starpower for miles (just check her brilliant one-woman live show for proof) and some serious anthems - "Sparrow", as performed with The Business Intl. as her backing band on the Ronson tour, is an absolute belter - waiting in the wings, it's time to welcome the new heir to the cred-pop (*cringe*) throne.

STREAM: "I Go Away" - MNDR



GROUPLOVE //I mean, have you SEEN this band live? They absolutely crushed as the breakout band of CMJ, with one of the most thoroughly entertaining and invigorating live performances we've seen in a long minute, and with their debut single "Colours" arriving on Chess Club in February and an album following on Atlantic/Canvasback later in 2011, we can't wait to see what these kids have in store for us next year.

STREAM: "Gold Coast" - GROUPLOVE



MR. LITTLE JEANS // Mr. Little Jeans is kind of a wildcard. Photographs of her are few and far between, she's yet to play live outside of Scandinavia, and there's no shortage of confusion surrounding the fact that this Mister is really a Miss, but we're yet to hear a single song from her we haven't absolutely loved and if she can keep up the gold standard of songwriting and hold her own in the live realm we can see things really taking off for the Danish chanteuse in 2011.

STREAM: "Rescue Song" (The Naked & Famous Remix) - Mr. Little Jeans



MORNING PARADE // Like Delphic if last year's list darlings hadn't gone so full-on electronic and weren't so mind-numbingly dull, Morning Parade fuse electronic elements with a classic Britpop sound on their epic, arena-ready anthems. Sky-scraping melodies, flitting electronics and ocean-sized guitar riffs converge on lead single "Under The Stars"and "In The Name", like a distinctly 2011 take on the "new British invasion" sound of the mid-2000s, and with what's apparently one of the best live shows in the game, we expect Morning Parade to rock a lot of faces off in the months to come.

STREAM: "Under The Stars" - Morning Parade


YADI // Jessie J and Clare Maguire are the talk of the industry as 2011 creeps over the horizon, but next year's new wave of female pop icons can hardly be considered complete without Yadi in the mix. With the vocal prowess of La Roux and all the swagger and power of Marina & The Diamonds - not to mention solid gold hits like "Guillotine" and "Gold" already in her arsenal - Yadi is one of the most exciting prospects for superstardom in the years to come. With the ink still drying on her major label deal, it's still quite early days for Yadi and she may end up more likely to top hotly-tipped lists for 2012 than to get an album out next year, but either way she's one to keep an eye on in the new year. Expect BIG things.

STREAM: "Guillotine" - Yadi



CLOCK OPERA // Having rapidly become one of our favorite bands since we put on their first London show back in 2009, Clock Opera will at long last release their debut album into the world in 2011. We've heard a good deal of it and can say with confidence that it will undoubtedly be one of the best records to come out next year, a beautiful compilation of haunting torchsongs and cinematic epics that has is sure to awe and inspire listeners in equal measures. They're hardly the stuff Radio 1 dreams are made of, but keep an eye on Clock Opera as a Mercury Prize darkhorse next year.

STREAM: "Once And For All" - Clock Opera


And while that concludes our Sound of 2011 longlist, we've got a few more contenders we expect to see making waves in 2011 that are more than worthy of your attention below.


The Knocks // The Vaccines // Wolf Gang // James Blake // 1, 2, 3 // Fenech-Soler // Cults // Sunday Girl // Spark // Mona // Theophilus London // Jakwob // Dom

GOLD022: MR. LITTLE JEANS

Mr. Little Jeans was one of our most cherished additions to the Neon Gold roster in 2010, so it's with great pleasure that we announce her hotly-anticipated sophomore single on our little label this month. A significant departure from the roaring guitars of debut single "Angel", "Rescue Song" is her most intimate track yet, all soft tones and wintry comforts as the Norwegian chanteuse draws the listener to safety with her gentle, honey-throated vocals. It's been the definitive fan favorite from day one - an early version of the song soundtracked HP's Create Amazing ad campaign last year - and it's the perfect track to bundle up with by the fire as the winter months arrive and the first snowfall drifts silently by the window. On the flipside is "Valentine", another heartfelt slowburner that rides a percussive gallop through a thick fog of dreary industrial synths towards one of the strongest choruses of the young singer's career. The two tracks compliment each other brilliantly, coming together in perfect harmony as the quintessential double A-side single on what's yet another reason why Mr. Little Jeans should be all over your radar are as one of the most hotly-tipped artists for 2011.

MP3: "Rescue Song" - Mr. Little Jeans [exclusive]

And as if the single itself wasn't exciting enough, there's also a phenomenal remix package coming together around the release. We premiered the epic Royal Palms remix on the blog last month, and still to come are amazing reworks from The Naked & Famous and RAC, so be sure to watch this space. The whole affair is limited to 300 copies and is released on the 29th of November, complete with another round of perfect cover artwork from our beloved FRAU GRAU and available for preorder now from the Neon Gold Shop and Puregroove. Get some!

RENDEZVOUS.

Back in the game in full force now, we've got for you the first taste of our upcoming single with the dazzling Mr. Little Jeans, out next month on Neon Gold. A significant departure from the roaring guitars of debut single "Angel", "Rescue Song" is her most intimate track yet, all soft tones and wintry comforts as the Norwegian chanteuse draws the listener to safety with her gentle, honey-throated vocals. Not content to let listeners relax in the wistful breeze of the original, The Royal Palms arrive on the scene to rework the track into a slow-burning disco epic on what's quickly becoming one of our favorite remixes of the year. The opening stanza is all steady drums and triumphant synth builds that kind of make you feel invincible - like listening to hip-hop by yourself or that last shot of tequila - until they throw a serious curveball at you 3 minutes in when the track drops (literally drops) into a massive four to the floor club monster, flashing lights and howling synthesizers running wild across the mix.

MP3: "Rescue Song" (The Royal Palms Remix) - Mr. Little Jeans [exclusive]

GOT ME TIGHTER IN MY MR. LITTLE JEANS.

These days everyone wants to be a single lady, and we're certainly not going to be the ones to tell Mr. Little Jeans she can't get in on the action. So to celebrate the release of her Angel EP last week (quickly flying off the shelves at the Neon Gold Shop and Puregroove), we're putting our hands up and giving away her lovely take on the Beyonce anthem for free download below. We liked it enough to put a ring on it, and hopefully you will too.

MP3: "Single Ladies" - Mr. Little Jeans

GOLD016: MR. LITTLE JEANS

Our love for Mr. Little Jeans knows no bounds, so it's with great pleasure that we announce her debut single, the three-track Angel EP, out on Neon Gold next month. We already introduced you to the brilliance that is the EP's title track last month, but today we've got AA-side "Faking Gold" for your ears, another rollicking Yeah Yeah Yeahs-esque masterstroke from the pint-sized pop sensation. With it's soaring chorus, infinite hooks and droning electronic bassline, it's cut from the same cloth as it's A-side sister "Angel", and the two converge to form one of the fiercest one-two punches you'll hear on a record this year.

MP3: "Faking Gold" - Mr. Little Jeans [exclusive]

As if the A-sides weren't enough, rounding out the package is a cover of Beyonce's ladies night anthem "Single Ladies", a more subdued affair that offers a glimpse of the softer side of the Ms. they call Mr. On the remix side of things, we've got winning interpretations from the RAC, Luxury Living and Passion Pit spin-off Bo Flex, which we'll be scattering like sonic ashes across the blog sea in the weeks to come. With another brilliant round of artwork from our girl FRAUGRAU (who's work on this release might be her best yet), the EP is limited to 300 copies and drops June 7th, available exclusively from the Neon Gold Shop stateside and our friends at Puregroove in the UK. Preorder is available now, so get involved.

MUST BE DREAMING.

Mr. Little Jeans has been kicking around the blogs for a long minute now, but we’ve had her triumphant single “Angel” in regular rotation for months and still can’t get enough. Nevermind the fact that this Mr. is actually a Ms., she's one of the best new talents we've heard in an age and we're thrilled to introduce her as the latest addition to the Neon Gold team. Effortlessly coalescing the vocal stylings of everyone from Karen O to Lily Allen and Lykke Li, mademoiselle Little Jeans' has emerged as one of our favorite new vocalists in the game and the perfect candidate to carry on the legacy of former Neon Gold leading ladies Marina Diamond and Ellie Goulding. "Angel" is one of the biggest tracks we've heard this year and has all the makings of a bona fide underground smash, a true ladies night anthem in waiting. We'll be bringing it into the world on Neon Gold late next month as our next release, so take some time to familiarize yourself with its brilliance below.

MP3: "Angel" - Mr. Little Jeans