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.
When you think of sprightly indie pop gems, Brussels usually doesn't rush to mind as an A&R goldmine. But all that's in the past. After close to two years of recording and mastering, Great Mountain Fire have dropped their debut album and with it, the shiniest debut single we've heard in a minute in "Late Lights". Like a plot device, the unassuming whistle flutters innocently about, distracting you from an epic bassline that you're about to get real familiar with over the next three minutes. Without hesitation, Great Mountain Fire let loose with a vocal attack from frontman Thomas de Hemptinne that quickly brings to mind that of another Thomas of the same native tongue. His delivery accents the track with an ethereal serenade that often breaks character to go falsetto over masterful instrumentation that, with each listen, only further reminds us of It's Never Been Like That-era Phoenix.
As soon as the second verse and pre-chorus wraps and warms you up, respectively, the chorus unfurls its magnificent wings and takes off, armed to the teeth with a choppy guitar riff and a conniving, unrelenting bassline. Then it's that charming flute whistle that returns to the scene like a welcome pick-me-up and you're airborne, with each passing line delivered like a match striking over and over until, at last, it catches on and the band lives up to their name. Great Mountain FUEGO.
MP3: "Late Lights" - Great Mountain Fire [exclusive]
Like an invitation you weren’t expecting to get, Atlas Genius knocks on your door and creeps into your peripheries in stealth mode. Fair warning: “Trojans” will invade your head, all dressed up in a clever disguise of earnest vocals riding a hooky riff that easily approaches Phoenix-esque levels of infectiousness. And then there’s that driving bassline gliding over a frenetic bridge with athletic ease, the kind of thing cruise control dreams are made of. It pulls up outside your window, blasting from a fully functional boombox, shouldered by some dude in a trenchcoat holding the weight of the world. It won’t leave. And then you realize you never want it to. If you need protection from generic brand “party indie”, try this one on for size.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
