GOLD024: ICONA POP

Last month we introduced you to our favorite new band, the lovely and talented ladies of Icona Pop. Next week they bring their amazing sounds to our stage at Popshop (tickets going fast here), and shortly thereafter we'll be bringing their dangerously amazing AA-side debut single "Manners"/"Top Rated" into the world on Neon Gold. It's easily one of the most special singles we've ever worked with, a truly spectacular double drop of Swedish pop majesty.

On the lead side is the triumphant "Manners", an anthemic call to arms for jilted lovers everywhere that has been owning our hearts and minds since the day it first graced our ears. It's absolutely immense... cascading drums and oscillating synths give the track it's backbone while the singalong "ba ba baaa" chorus will stick with you for months. Not to be outdone, "Top Rated" picks up where "Manners" left off with another round of synth-drenched ex-lover vitriol that might actually end up the bigger single of the two. For now though enjoy a free download of the new and improved single version of "Manners", available below.

MP3: "Manners" (Single Version) - Icona Pop [exclusive]

This amazing package comes featuring artwork from Slobodan Zivic and is out March 21st, available for preorder now from the Neon Gold Shop and our friends at Puregroove in the UK.

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POPSHOP RADIO 003

Another Popshop is upon us this Thursday, which means another round of Popshop Radio courtesy of The Knocks. This time we're back with even more oven fresh exclusives, including the world premier of Icona Pop's massive "Top Rated" and a brand new Starsmith single, a summery slice of French disco called "Lesson One" co-produced by Alan Braxe and the first Starsmith track featuring lead vox from the man himself. It's all available for download from the Soundcloud player below, so get your download on and make sure to get your tickets HERE so you don't get left out on the cold on what's sure to be a night to remember.

1. "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" - The Knocks
2. "Top Rated" - Icona Pop
3. "Need You Now" - Cut Copy
4. "Lesson One" - Starsmith
5. "Sun of a Gun" - Oh Land
6. "Cold Dust Girl" (Gemini Club Remix) - Hey Champ!
7. "I Follow Rivers" (The Magician Remix) - Lykke Li
8. "Friend Crush" - Friends
9. "Under Cover of Darkness" - The Strokes

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EVERYTHING WILL BE BETTER IN THE FALL.

London's Entrepreneurs is one of the more fascinating prospects kicking around the UK electro-indie scene at the moment, so it's with great pleasure that we bring you the world premier of the Tyler T. Williams-directed video for his latest single "Bubblegunk" in these here pages. It's pretty out there and downright disconcerting at times, but it's also kind of amazing... not unlike Entrepreneurs' tracks themselves. Juggling a brilliant pop sensibility with a completely off-the-wall production style, "Bubblegunk" puts Entrepreneurs in a sonic league of his own, his effortlessly cool Julian Casablancas-meets-James Murphy vocal delivery setting the pace for the track before the bridge finds him unleashing the kind of mammoth guitar solo that Eddie Van Halen would eat his grandma for. It's all out via Fear & Records on limited edition CD (complete with post-apocalyptic survival kit) April 4th and available from iTunes now, but you can grab a free piece of "Bubblegunk" below.

MP3: "Bubblegunk" - Entrepreneurs

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THESE DREAMS.

With one of the more genius live setups of any up-and-coming band we've seen and a debut EP that found it's way into our Top 25 Singles of last year, Oh Land has been dazzling us since she first slipped onto our radar in the twilight of 2010. Now, with her debut album out next month and an expanded live show set to debut at Popshop next week, she looks primed to take things to the next level in a big way. Catch her before she goes supernova at Popshop this Thursday (get yr tickets) along with Icona Pop, Starsmith and Friends, and get yourself ready with the phenomenal Twin Shadow remix of "White Nights" now.

MP3: "White Nights" (Twin Shadow Remix) - Oh Land

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COLOURS IN THE AIR.

We've been loving the sights and sounds of new Lucky Number hopefuls Friends for a minute now, so it's with great pleasure that we bring you this exclusive mp3 of their pristine debut single "Friend Crush" ahead of their Popshop debut next Thursday (tickets still available here). There's a rough charm about "Friend Crush" that's too endearing to ignore, breezy melodies and shimmering guitars coming together to perfectly complement the earnest innocence of frontwoman Samantha Urbini as she yearns for something just a little bit more. They're one of the most exciting new bands in Brooklyn, if only because their sound is so far removed from the Brooklyn we're used to - sonically this wouldn't be out of place in Lyyke Li's catalog with Bjorn Yttling at the production helm - and we can't wait to hear what they've got in store for us in the months to come.

MP3: "Friend Crush" - Friends [exclusive]

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POPSHOP003: OH LAND + ICONA POP + FRIENDS

Popshop 003. It's on. After selling out January and February we're back with a very special March lineup featuring some of the best up-and-coming talent from both sides of the Atlantic. But first a look back at February's Popshop, in which The Knocks and Penguin Prison had Tammany Hall going off unlike anything we've ever seen from a Manhattan crowd in a small LES venue, courtesy of our friends Jackpot In The West who were on the front lines once again documenting the mayhem first hand.

Moving on then to bold new frontiers with the March edition, we've got what just might be our most exciting lineup yet. Opening up the night is Brooklyn's hottest new band Friends - currently wrapping up a national tour with Darwin Deez supporting their brilliant debut single "Friend Crush" (stream below) - followed by our beloved Icona Pop's first ever show outside of their native Sweden and capped off by a headlining set from Denmark's inimitable Oh Land. And rounding out the lineup is a truly special DJ guest in the amazing Starsmith, the icing on the cake on what's already a very special lineup. As usual, it's popping off the first Thursday of the month - March 3rd - at Tammany Hall, with doors at 8pm and lasting until the early hours. $10 advance tickets available HERE, with $13 tickets available on the door if any remain. The first two Popshops sold out in advance though, so we'd recommend you to book now to ensure you don't get shut out. Set times and downloads/streams below:

09:00pm: Friends // STREAM: "Friend Crush"


10:00pm: Icona Pop // STREAM: "Manners" (Extended)

11:00pm: Oh Land // DOWNLOAD: "Sun of a Gun"

12:00am: Starsmith (DJ) // DOWNLOAD: "Give Me A Break" (Starsmith Remix)

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KEEP GOING KEEP GOING.

Alex Winston's upcoming Sister Wife mini-album is one of the best debuts you'll hear all year, and with singles "Locomotive" and "Sister Wife" already picking up serious steam on both sides of the pond, you can fully expect Winnie's star to continue it's rapid ascent in the months to come. Sister Wife is out March 19h via our friends at HeavyRoc, and to ring it in we've got an exclusive remix from the UK's Jaybird. Epic and atmospheric, Jaybird reinvents the original in a beautiful new context, all tangible cinematic drama and haunting pop noir. Get involved, this bird has some damn fine feathers.

MP3: "Locomotive" (Jaybird Remix) - Alex Winston [exclusive]

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I KNOW I HAD A MESSAGE AT THE START.

We've been hearing insane amounts of buzz out of the UK about Dry The River, so the fact that we failed to investigate for ourselves until this week is really not something we're proud of. Because fuck, these guys are GREAT. Sounding like the logical heirs to the Mumfords' arena-folk throne, their tracks bring to mind the perfect nexus of the Mumford & Sons and Arcade Fire at their most anthemic, and - if reports are to be believed - they've actually got the live show to back up such comparisons. Their debut offering comes in the form of "New Ceremony", which more than anything reminds us of what we've heard thus far off Mumford's second album, with a hint of more pop-based fare like Wolf Gang and Sam's Town-era Killers thrown in for good measure. Expect big things.

MP3: "New Ceremony" - Dry The River

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ALL I NEEDED TO FEEL.

We don't know too much about Essex's The Milk, just that they flawlessly combine the energy and kitsch of The Commitments, the swagger of Plan B and the infectious throwback soul of SugaRush Beat Company, and that we're very down with their new single "(All I Wanted Was) Danger". Vocalist Ricky Nunn comes off like a bizzaro world Tom Jones channeling Paloma Faith, and while they certainly have their influences down pat - paying homage to the greats from Stax and Trojan Records - they manage to find a way to make the sound their own. With the runaway success of Plan B and Cee Lo last year and Adele looking set to dominate the charts all year long in 2011, the UK looks to be on the cusp of a soulful pop renaissance (that said... it always kind of is, isn't it?), and it will be interesting to see whether or not The Milk spill over into the mainstream in the months to come.

MP3: "(All I Wanted Was) Danger" - The Milk

And yes, we regret that pun. We regret it a lot.

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BREAKING MY BODY.

Icona Pop just might be our favorite new band. Like the perfect combination of Passion Pit and Robyn, the Swedish duo of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Neheh Jawo have been owning our hearts and minds since first gracing our radar last summer. Making their debut on the most recent Kitsune compilation with the INCREDIBLE "Manners" - honestly one of our absolute favorite songs of the past few years - they're back with a second helping of their charming Swedish pop in the form of "Still Don't Know", an effervescent joyride of buoyant percussion and off the wall synths. It doesn't quite top "Manners" (see above) - although let's be real, that's a tall order - but between this and a few other tracks the band have passed our way, we're extremely excited to be working with these girls in 2011. Watch this space...

MP3: "Still Don't Know" - Icona Pop

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