Our nation's birthday is just around the corner, which could only mean one thing: Stars + Stripes, Round Two. Last year's inaugural fest on Martha's Vineyard was nothing short of amazing, with Chiddy Bang, The Knocks, French Horn Rebellion, and Savoir Adore lighting up the night and helping us raise over $30,000 for local charities. It was a massively rewarding event for everyone involved and we're thrilled to bring it back for the second year.
And this time, we're taking it to another level with one of our favorite bands in the world, as Grouplove top the bill with support from our very own firecrackers Alex Winston and St. Lucia, plus Brooklyn's own Sea Monsters getting things started early. It's a gathering of genuinely some our favorite people in the world and we'd be delighted for y'all to join us. And just like last year, all proceeds will go to the Martha's Vineyard YMCA, and more specifically, the incredible teen center and music program they've developed. Raging for a cause, guys.
It's all going down 9pm at Flatbread Company (formerly Nectars MV), with tickets now available to purchase HERE. And as a result of Stars + Stripes Part Deux and the July 4th holiday, Popshop NYC is taking a little vacation from Santos in July, but we'll be doing a special double-sized blowout for Popshop Brooklyn in its absence the next week. Stay tuned for more info.
Grouplove is one of those pure sunshine bands that just sweats positive vibes. We were pretty sure "Tongue Tied" - our all-time favorite by the group - was relatively untouchable, but that was before the illustrious Gigamesh flexed his production muscles and expertly chipped away at the indie rock shell, uncovering this latent disco diamond. With Christian Zucconi's lovestruck vocals at the core, this lost Jackson 5 gem is polished to pristine perfection with '80s synth washes and feverish guitar scratches. If you're around DC tomorrow, you don't want to miss Gigamesh live at our next All Things Gold blowout along side Summer Camp. It's all going down at U Street Music Hall, with a limited number of advance tix still available HERE.
Guillemots' most recent full length, Walk The River, was one of our most cherished releases of 2011, so we're especially wary of just anyone laying their hands on Fyfe Dangerfield's brilliant songwriting and production. But once we heard this deft re-imagining of "I Don't Feel Amazing Now" from UK electronic duo Mooli, our overprotective instincts quickly melted away. It gently unfolds with Fyfe's harmonies drifting in and out like a lazy pendulum - in a carefree Grouplove kind of way - over Mooli's summery bonfire synths and coconut beats. As soon as Fyfe's lovelorn croon enters the ring and the chorus starts to tug at your tender heartstrings, it doesn't take long before you realize that this is exactly the catharsis-spiked cocktail that you needed all along.
Our love for Grouplove truly knows no bounds, and we've had their debut full length Never Trust A Happy Song (released TODAY) stuck on repeat on the office stereo since they sent it through earlier this summer. Now, as a proper salute to the finest group of musicians on the left coast, we're throwing their official album release party Wednesday night after the band headline their biggest NYC play to date at Bowery Ballroom. Immediately after the show's conclusion, we'll be taking things back to our second home at Tammany Hall around the corner to indulge in a well-deserved celebration for the ages, complete with DJ sets from Xaphoon Jones, Captain Cuts and Grouplove themselves.
Furthermore, we'll also have the live debut of a brand new band by the name of Stay Gold, an oven fresh project from Kris Menace and Max Cooke, former mastermind behind the UK's late great GoodBooks and essential fixture in Ellie Goulding's touring band. Joining him on live drums will be everyone's favorite beatsmith, Xaphoon "You Crazy" Jones, before he swaps the sticks for the decks to close out the night on the ones and twos. And to top it all off, it's completely FREE. All you have to do is show up with your rageface on and a government issued ID saying you're 21+.
And in case all that wasn't exciting enough, to ring in the occasion we've got another very special exclusive from Xaphoon for you. Many of you may remember the "Colours" remix of Grouplove we premiered in June, but in an effort to come up with "something to scare people at festivals with", he went back into the lab and created a whole new beast of a bootleg edit "scrounged from the chasm-like depths of [his] hard drives". The result is the brand new MEGA EDIT of the mix that he's been tearing crowds in half with all summer long, complete with earth-shattering new bass surges in the chorus, dancehall snares and new vocal effects. Harder. Better. Monster. Stronger.
Grouplove are pretty much our favorite band in the game right now so we're gonna spend the next couple days following them around throwing afterparties for them just because. First up is DC (with NYC coming next week), and as soon as we shake off our Popshop hangovers Friday morning we're hopping in the whip and cruising down to our second home to catch Grouplove demolishing The Black Cat before doing it up big with All Things Go for a FREE All Things Gold afterparty at Napoleon. We'll have Grouplove and Captain Cuts on the decks all night, as well as our dude Lightwaves, and it will rule. Trust.
Our polygamous love affair with Grouplove and Foster the People is one of the worst kept secrets in music, so when the two LA heavyweights went head-to-head in the remix ring with each others' signature songs in tow, we had to step in and hold up the arms of both contenders because it's a win-win for the ages. Double winning.
First up is Grouplove and Captain Cuts, who kicked of 2011 with one of the greatest life-affirming standalone remixes known to man and come damn close to outdoing themselves for once and for all here, as they tag-team "Pumped Up Kicks" and whip the undisputed anthem of the summer into a monstrous club beast. What starts off as an innocuous uptempo pleasure cruise for Foster and co. turns deadly when the Captains unleash the perfect storm of seismic synths and dramatic piano stabs in the bridge, before blue skies and the summer's biggest singalong chorus returns to right the ship in the song's final minute. We honestly don't know how Captain Cuts do it, this right here is remix ART y'all.
Foster The People scratch Grouplove's back in return by redressing "Colours" in a slick waterproof number, as Christian Zucchoni's loopy vocals become brilliantly impervious to the dripping synth washes and full-moon transformation brought into play by Foster. This lofty reimagining swells with pride and bursts at the seams with icy confetti, ultimately leaving a permanent layer of stardust in its wake. These companion remixes are dark magic of the highest order, a two headed hydra of remix perfection coming together to give you the perfect remix double drop to kick your week off right.
So last week our main man Xaphoon Jones promised a new beat to his fans when he hit 20,000 followers, and now that he's eclipsed that milestone he's come to us to help him deliver the goods with an exclusive premier of his remix for Grouplove's "Colours". This track's already been remixed into oblivion and beyond by the homies Captain Cuts, but here Xaph's intertwined elements of their empire-toppling mix with the stems of the original, thrown them into the Xaphoon Jones pop magic machine and come out the other side with a barnstorming floor-filler that comes off like like Grouplove wildin' out down in Jamaica with Gyptian and Nicki Minaj. And trust us, that is a GREAT thing.
Xaphoon tore the fucking roof off of Tammany Hall at Popshop last Thursday with a DJ set for the ages, and he's back for round two next Tuesday at the Beyond Goldlaunch party, which conveniently also features Grouplove headlining live and the NYC debut of Captain Cuts alongside Xaph on the decks in what we can only hope will develop into a Neon Gold House Mafia DJ supergroup scenario. Tickets are only $5 (and did we mention there's free beer and vodka from 7-8pm too?) and are still available HERE, so get involved before it's too late. Trust us when we say this event will sell out.
It's been an exciting year of new ventures for us here at Neon Gold, but we're not about to stop now. First came Popshop, bringing you the best new pop music the world has to offer the first Thursday of every month in the heart of the LES. Then there was our publishing joint venture* with Warner/Chappell, which resulted in the signing of Alex Winston as our first foray into the pub world. And up next, we're very pleased to announce a brand new online magazine called Beyond Gold, coming later this month with a launch party June 14th at Tammany Hall, featuring Grouplove, 1, 2, 3, Captain Cuts and more. With a rotating staff of contributors, Beyond Gold will be bringing you the best the world has to offer in fashion, design, art, music, culture and more, an online lifestyle magazine weaving together everything we love that falls just beyond the realm of Neon Gold.
We'll have more on Beyond Gold as we get closer to the June 14th launch, but for now it's a brilliant excuse to throw an amazing launch party with our dear friends Grouplove and 1, 2, 3 playing live, plus The Knocks, Xaphoon Jones and the NYC debut of Captain Cuts - whose remix of "Colours" is still the best song (remix or otherwise) we've heard this year - on the decks. It's one of the best lineups we've ever had the pleasure of assembling for a show, and at the low low price of $5 you really have no business being anywhere else on the 14th. And as if the bands and price tag weren't appealing enough, we've also got Absolut and Bomb Lager on board providing complimentary vodka and beer for the first hour from 7-8pm. You down? Yeah, we thought so. Tickets are available HERE, but with so much bang for so little buck, you're gonna want to move fast on these. Set times and mp3s below, get involved New York.
07:00pm: The Knocks (DJ) // DOWNLOAD: "Pumped Up Kicks" (The Knocks Remix)
And then here's the video for Grouplove's brand new single "Itchin' On A Photograph", just because we haven't posted it yet and we love them more than we love ourselves.
*just to clarify, our publishing JV is also called Beyond Gold, and though the magazine and pub imprint aren't directly related, they're not entirely unrelated either. if anything it's just confusion for confusion's sake, smoke and mirrors y'all.
Suns out guns out and the Captain Cuts dudes are just in time, bringing the heat once again on yet another completely unfuckwithable remix. This time it's fellow Golden State dreamweavers Superhumanoids going under the knife, as the Captains light a fire beneath frontlady Sarah Chernoff's beautiful, lilting vocals - and in turn, a fire betwixt our loins - transposing them over club-swallowing beats and synth drops straight out of Dr. Luke's diamond-encrusted playbook. Intricate, poetic and downright massive, it's everything we've come to expect from the unstoppable production duo and more, so go on... get a little Captain in you.
We first introduced you to Grouplove (then known simply as Group) last March via the world premier of their triumphant anthem "Colours", which now 12 months on is set to become the band's debut single when it sees release via our sister label Chess Club next month. The original still sounds every bit as vital and refreshing now as it did when we debuted it last spring, but now breathing new life into it is the literally amazing Captain Cuts remix, another Neon Gold premier courtesy of the band's drummer/producer Ryan Rabin and his writing partner Ryan McMahon. Simply put, this is MASSIVE - all monumental bass surges, staccato piano stabs and frontman Christian Zucconi's frantic vocals running rampant across the mix as the original is transformed into an empire-toppling pop behemoth. The Captains even throw in a little stretch of epic dubstep wobble in the mix about halfway through that just comes out of nowhere to completely change the game and knock the listener for six. Seriously, we know the year is only seven days old and it's a bit early for Best of 2011 proclamations, but we'll be stunned if we hear a better remix in the next twelve months. Get involved.
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.
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.
