NEON GOLD PRESENTS: NEW SHAPES // CMJ 2012

Another year, another CMJ, and that means another star-studded double-decker New Shapes blowout at Santos Party House. If you were on the front lines with us last year, you experienced the US live debut of Gotye and oh so much more. And this year - as always - we're looking to go even bigger, as we team up with our UK brothers-in-arms, National Anthem and Chess Club, to bring you the show to end all shows Thursday night at Santos.

Upstairs, we have Brooklyn heartthrobs Lovelife, synth-noirists Citizens!, electro-superstars Strange Talk, UK stadium-indie rockers Morning Parade, and west coast supergroup extraordinaire JJAMZ. This all before headlining beauties Icona Pop shut it down in the coveted headline slot, an honor claimed by Gotye, Grouplove and Theophilus London in years past. Downstairs, we've got newborn ruffians Busy Living, Brit-crooner Gabriel Bruce, jungle-pop Aussies Jinja Safari, and west coast sunkids Pacific Air and Blondfire, before Sky Ferreira and Capital Cities closing the night out in style.

All this for the impossibly low price of $5 advance, $10 day of show, plus free entry for a limited number of CMJ badges (so arrive early!). Mark your calendars for 6pm sharp on October 18th and get your advance tickets HERE, this is one for the history books.

UPSTAIRS
07:30pm: Lovelife // DOWNLOAD: "Me After You"

08:30pm: Citizens! // DOWNLOAD: "True Romance"

09:30pm: Strange Talk // STREAM: "Cast Away"

10:30pm: Morning Parade // STREAM: "Headlights"

11:30pm: JJAMZ // STREAM: "Heartbeat"

12:30am: Icona Pop // STREAM: "I Love It"

DOWNSTAIRS

07:00pm: Busy Living // STREAM: "It's A War Out There"

08:00pm: Gabriel Bruce // STREAM: "Perfect Weather"

09:00pm: Jinja Safari // STREAM: "Peter Pan"

10:00pm: Pacific Air // STREAM: "Float"

11:00pm: Blondfire // STREAM: "Where the Kids Are"

12:00am: Sky Ferreira // STREAM: "Everything Is Embarrassing"

01:00am: Capital Cities // STREAM: "Safe and Sound"

YOU DON'T HAVE TO PUT ON THE RED LIGHT.

Strange Talk are yet another one of those Australian bands that just has the perfect pop formula down to a science. So when they said they had an exclusive cover of The Police classic "Roxanne" for us to drop, we had high hopes. High hopes that were quickly obliterated by the actual product, a massive, hands-in-the-air club rework that brings to mind all the best bits of Classixx' now legendary take on Phoenix's "Listzomania" and St. Lucia's "September". A love potion so real it should be illegal.

MP3: "Roxanne" - Strange Talk [exclusive]

SHOW ME WHAT YOU DESIRE.

Strange Talk are one of those bands who've literally been swimming in potential (and thus, hype) from their inception. Their sound and aesthetic were already incredibly polished on their debut Strange Talk EP we put out earlier this year and now comes "Sexual Lifestyle", a standalone one-off track to keep the masses at bay as they put the finishing touches on their forthcoming debut album. On the surface, it's like "Skeleton Boy" with a bit more flesh, a meatier bass line, and vocal chops that set hearts on fire like Friendly Fires daytripping down Electric Avenue. The chorus is when everything crashes - the tidal waves of swelling synths, the protagonist's bottled up frustration - and fully engulfs your senses. This unwavering refusal to settle for mediocrity is everything we've come to love about the Australian pop scene, and Strange Talk keep that tradition firmly intact here. Keep killing it, y'allstralia.

MP3: "Sexual Lifestyle" - Strange Talk

A MAN AMONGST THE PEOPLE.

This Strange Talk EP we dropped in May (available for sale here) has really been earning its stripes as the official soundtrack of our summer - we're spinning this record on the daily and it's still got legs for miles. Helping to prolong its shelf life though are a crop of brilliant remixes, which we've been dropping for you every few weeks since the release. Last month Lightwaves and Vanguard brought the heat in the first round of "Eskimo Boy" remixes, but here comes Draper ready to deliver the coup-de-gras knockout with one of the fiercest remixes of 2011. Speeding up the spiraling synth riff of the original, Draper strings the listener along with punchy percussion and swirling electronics before plunging them into a moment of crisis on the chorus with a MASSIVE drop into a wind tunnel of warped synths and chopped up vocals. BIG MOVES.

MP3: "Eskimo Boy" (Draper Remix) - Strange Talk [exclusive]

SO DARK AND LONELY.

We've been spitting the Strange Talk gospel for some time now, and after the release of their fantastic debut EP on Neon Gold earlier this month (available now from the Neon Gold Shop) it's time to keep the ball rolling with the unveiling of the music video and remix package for next single "Eskimo Boy". In addition to the video above we've got an exclusive double drop of oven fresh remixes of the single in a two for the price of one deal that's almost like we're paying you... or something.

The first of the two comes from Welsh up-and-comers Vanguard, hot off barnstorming remixes of Louis La Roche and Passion Pit, who continue their rapid ascent to electro stardom with a massive floor-filling club mix of the Strange Talk original. Then it's our main man Lightwaves' turn, who puts his "yeah, I'm pretty much DJing your dreams right now" spin on the track with a gradually building masterpiece that eventually erupts in a hands-in-the-lasers moment for the ages in the song's second half. He's been pretty much killing it on every remix he's touched thus far and this could be his finest work yet, drawing you in with shades of Daft Punk's "Digital Love" ("why don't you play the gaaaaame") before knocking you for six with the most epic keys breakdown since Russ Chimes changed the game with his "Starry Eyed" remix last year. WELL DONE SIR.

MP3: "Eskimo Boy" (Vanguard Remix) - Strange Talk [exclusive]
MP3: "Eskimo Boy" (Lightwaves Remix) - Strange Talk [exclusive]

GOLD025: STRANGE TALK

Well here we are 25 releases in on our biggest year to date, so we figured it was only right to celebrate hitting the quarter-century mark with our biggest release ever. We first introduced you to Strange Talk as the shining stars of the Class of 2011 here at Neon Gold High earlier this year, and now we're thrilled to be bringing their debut self-titled EP into the world next month as our first ever vinyl and CD release. Shit just got real all over again.

Many of you will already be familiar with the Australian foursome's lead single "Climbing Walls", but now it's time for a proper introduction with their debut EP proper Strange Talk. Coming off like the perfect hybrid of Friendly Fires and Phoenix with a bit of that Down Under electro touch thrown in for good measure, the Aussie four-piece are one of the most polished and exciting new acts we've heard in ages. Fully equipped with an arsenal of stadium-ready anthems, "Climbing Walls" is all shimmering synths, cascading bass surges and expert delay pedal use, while next single "Eskimo Boy" shines as the bands flagship anthem, churning synths and heavy basslines slowly building up to the kind of dancefloor-swallowing breakdown Neon Gold dreams are made of. Elsewhere, "Is It Real" and "We Can Pretend" beg to be blasted with the top down on the open roads of summer as producer Eliot James (Two Door Cinema Club, Bloc Party), earns his 2011 Music Producers' Guild Breakthrough Producer of the Year award with some of his finest work yet. Look no further, your summer has arrived.

MP3: "Climbing Walls" - Strange Talk

Coming May 2nd on limited edition 12" vinyl and CD, you can grab lead single "Climbing Walls" above and stream the EP in its entirety below. Preorder is available now from the BRAND NEW Neon Gold Shop* which we've been hard at work on for months and hope will make your Neon Gold shopping experience everything you'd ever hoped it could be and more. Limited to 1500 copies worldwide (500 vinyl, 1000 CD), this is basically our biggest release yet so, y'know, let's fucking celebrate.



*this is a brand new webstore so please don't hesitate to alert us to any bugs you encounter in the comments.

POPSHOP RADIO 004

Did we mention Popshop was coming up this Thursday? Well it is, and to ring it in we've got another Popshop Radio minimix from The Knocks featuring some seriously hot exclusives in the form of unreleased new remixes from Lightwaves and The Knocks themselves, both of whom take it to another level with shit-hot reworks of Strange Talk and Foster The People respectively. We've also got another amazing Popshop clip from our friends at Jackpot In The West, who've truly outdone themselves this time with their latest video recap of Popshop featuring Icona Pop and Oh Land. Check the video above, cop the minimix below and get ready for the glory on Thursday. Going to be a LARGE evening, friends.

1. "Pumped Up Kicks" (The Knocks Remix) - Foster The People
2. "Sister Wife" (Starslinger Remix) - Alex Winston
3. "Big Problem" - ANR
4. "Anna Sun" - Walk The Moon
5. "The Jackson Pit" - Xaphoon Jones
6. "Sparrow" - Savoir Adore
7. "Eskimo Boy" (Lightwaves Remix) - Strange Talk

KEEP TRYING TO RUN AWAY.

So now that we've all had some time to come down in the wake of New Years and get our heads about ourselves, we suppose it's time we introduce you to some of the exciting new acts we've got passing through our ranks in the year to come. First up in the Neon Gold Class of 2011 are Australia's Strange Talk, who's debut EP will see the light of day as our first full-fledged CD and vinyl release in the coming months.

Like the perfect hybrid of Friendly Fires and Phoenix with a bit of that Down Under electro touch thrown in for good measure, the Aussie four-piece are one of the most polished and exciting new acts we've heard in ages. Bursting onto the scene late last summer already fully equipped with an arsenal of stadium-ready anthems, the spectacular "Climbing Walls" is their first formal offering, all shimmering synths, cascading bass surges and expert delay pedal use. The kind of guitar band Neon Gold dreams are made of, Strange Talk look set to do big things in 2011 and we're pleased to report that "Climbing Walls" is only the very tip of the iceberg, so get acquainted below and watch this space closely for more in the months to come.

MP3: "Climbing Walls" - Strange Talk