Tag Archives: Neon Indian

Alex Frankel Still Got It

Alex Frankel (Holy Ghost!) released his Still Got It EP with two remixes by France’s Breakbot (La Fiesta Remix and Club des Vedettes Remix), a Choices Remix and the instrumental version of the single. Earlier Alex Frankel shared the video for “Still Got It”, an anthem for embracing the next step whatever it may be, all out now on CASUAL / Ed Banger. Alex celebrates everybody’s return to the dancefloor with a wildly fun video that finds him dancing outside some of France’s iconic dance clubs and reveling in front of party flyers. The photos of French club exteriors featured in the video were pulled from Prost’s book After Party. He teamed up with motion designer Dixsaut to turn them into the dance party on the streets the video invites us to join.

“Still Got It” is a glimpse into Alex’s world as he works towards a full length in 2022.

“Still Got It” finds joy in resilience and celebrates the personal spark each of us has that fortifies our optimism even in hardship. It’s a quick glance back while dancing into the future that invites everyone, “Let’s have a toast to staying young as we get old”. The song plays with some of the hallmarks of classic 80s pop and reimagines them for this moment, with a wave of euphoria that keeps rising as it builds from just Alex’s voice to a choral arrangement performed by the East Coast Inspirational Singers choir. 

The Breakbot remix of “Still Got It” (Breakbot Club des Vedettes Remix) was shared by Adult Swim Singles as part of their 2021 program, and puts a playful and synthy spin on the single. The rework, by French electronic mainstay Breakbot, is especially fitting as the original single marked Alex’s initial release for Ed Banger, rendering him the first American signee to the legendary European label. Listen to it here. Alex also shared a celebratory new DJ mix last week on Magnetic Magazine to kick off the summer with his blend of house, funk and disco. 

Alex says of the songs origins, “I played the demo for Thibaut ( Breakbot) one night at Bernie’s Restaurant while we were outside on a smoke break  (back when, you know… people still ate dinner out) and on the spot he demanded we go try it on the audience at his gig that night. The response was great and after that, I knew I had to finish it. I called the East Coast Inspirational Singers, my favorite gospel group in NYC and they came by to help me get it there.”

Alex Frankel first emerged as one half of beloved NYC duo Holy Ghost! whose hybrid of synth pop, disco, and a range of electronic music made them an international dancefloor and festival staple. Along with their own albums and EPs for DFA and West End, the group have been in demand remixers sought out by their peers like LCD Soundsystem, Phoenix, and Cut Copy. Alex has also done remixes for US Girls, Naeem, Neon Indian and Moby.

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New Music From Holy Ghost!

Photo: Harry McNally

Crafting each sound from scratch with unapologetic, exacting precision, Holy Ghost!’s penchant for in-the-studio perfectionism has delivered hit after hit to the dancefloor. This analog approach to “electronic” music heavily informs the band’s third album Work coming June 21, 2019 on West End Records.

Available for pre-order todayWork features the brand new song “Escape From Los Angeles”(out today) plus previously released songs Anxious” and “Epton On Broadway (Part I & Part II)”. It follows the group’s two previous albums, 2013’s Dynamics and 2011’s eponymous debut (both via DFA) and isfirst full-length LP to come out on the iconic West End Records label in more than 30-years!

A return to the heady ethos that drove Holy Ghost!’s earliest releases, Work sees New York City natives Alex Frankel and Nick Millhiser revisit the freedom from expectations that suffused their 2011 self-titled debut full-length. It was a situation that stemmed partly from circumstances: They dismantled their basement Brooklyn studio and moved to a small room that a few musician friends were renting above a doctor’s office (incidentally the same address where they mixed Holy Ghost!). Due to space limitations, they pared their extensive gear collection down to just two synths, a Yamaha CS80 and a Mini Moog. “Not necessarily the bare necessities, but what would make for the most interesting limited palette,” says Millhiser. “David Bowie didn’t have every fucking synthesizer on earth to make Low. He had two. And that’s one of my favorite synth records of all time.”

The 12-song collection features the buoyant but bittersweet, “Do This” which interweaves ambient chatter from a studio session with a Nile Rodgers-esque guitar, “Nicky Buckingham’s” Fleetwood Mac-inspired riffs and swelling strings are eerily danceable, whereas “Heaven Knows What” – the band’s slowest track to date – showcases an emotional depth and range only hinted at in past releases. Featuring the talents of musical peers including Sinkane’s Ahmed Gallab, Juan Maclean and LCD Soundsystem’s Nancy Whang, Rob Moose (Bon Iver, Paul Simon, David Bowie) and Alex Epton (Neon Indian, David Byrne), Work transcends its physical constraints to capture a spectrum of vibes that remain true to Holy Ghost!’s reverence for the art and craft of dance music.

Work Tracklist:

Epton on Broadway Part I

Epton on Broadway Part II

Anxious

Heaven Knows What

Nicky Buckingham

Do This

One For Pete

My Happy House

Heaven Forbid

Soon

Slow Burn

Escape From Los Angeles

 

Upcoming Holy Ghost! Live Shows:

04-26 San Francisco, CA – The Independent

04-27 Los Angeles, CA – Globe Theatre

05-03 Washington, DC – U Street Music Hall

05-09 Guadalajara, México – Corona Capital at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez

06-21 New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom (Album Release Show)

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Check ‘Em Out: FAIRCHILD

noname

FAIRCHILD will digitally release their debut Burning Feet EP worldwide on Friday April 25th through Canvas Sounds. Produced & mixed by Catherine Marks (Foals, Howling Bells, Wolf Alice), the EP will also feature a KNDR remix of “Dancer”. In anticipation of the release, the band have just put out a new music video for the title track “Burning Feet” directed by their drummer James Haigh.

Although being their debut EP, the band have been around since 2005. Going through several line-up & name changes before re-launching themselves as FAIRCHILD at the beginning of 2013. During this time, they have toured through Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, China and supported the likes of Neon Indian, Kids of 88, Parachute Youth, Red Riders, Parades, Cassette Kids, Canyons, Pigeon, Battleships, The Khanz, Cub Sport & Northeast Party House.

“Similarities to Two Door Cinema Club and Swim Deep” – It’s All Indie

“The contemporary indie pop references are there for modern listeners to lap up – the African guitar riffs, the disco rhythms and the singalong choruses all mark Burning Feet, Dancer and Figure It Out as songs that the kids will absolutely love.” – TODAYonline

“DIY indie pop band from Oz that music lovers in the United States need to hear because we think they’re pretty amazing” – Indie Rock Cafe

“Sounds like Foals, Bloc Party, The Temper Trap” – Indie Shuffle

“Filled with layers of catchy melodies and vibrant polyphonic textures, this tune will take you back to Summer-holiday music festival; think Last Dinosaurs meets Neon Indian. Songwriting aside, the production value of this track is flawless.” – adamNOTeve

Upcoming Shows

Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast (Gold Coast Suns AFL Match) – April 12th

The Loft, Gold Coast (Oneway Street Unofficial AFTER Party) – April 26th

Baltic Avenue, Toronto (Canadian Music Week) – May 6th

Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (Canadian Music Week) – May 10th

Cake Shop, New York – May 12th

Rendezvous, Seattle – May 14th

Silverlake Lounge, Los Angeles – May 16th

Hard Rock Cafe, Singapore – May 22nd

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Mom + Pop’s Boombox: Vol. 1

Lucius

NYC’s Lucius will release their debut full-length album in North America with NYC tastemaker label Mom+Pop. Today, the label unveiled Mom+Pop’s Boombox: Vol 1, a compilation featuring tracks from its roster of acts including Lucius’ “Until We Get There demo” which earned great deal of praise after recently airing on FOX’s New Girl.With emotionally charged, upbeat, 60s inspired songs and a sincere crowd connection, the quintet has solidified its reputation as a must-see live band. Their summer tour includes stops at several festivals including Bonnaroo, Solid Sound Festival, Boston Calling + support dates with Tegan and Sara, The Head and the Heart and more.

Earlier this spring, the label launched Boombox, a monthly subscription service via Drip.fm, offering both digital downloads and deliveries of limited-edition 7”s. The 13-track sampler features Mom+Pop mainstays such as Andrew Bird and Polica as well as Hunters, Flume and the also recently signed Jagwar Ma.

mompop
The compilation is streaming in full now on Mom+Pop’s SoundCloud

Tracklist:
01 Jagwar Ma – The Throw
02 Polica – Tiff
03 Flume – Holdin On
04 Neon Indian – Hex Girlfriend (Twin Shadow Remix)
05 Hunters – Brat Mouth
06 FIDLAR – Max Can’t Surf
07 Wavves – Demon To Lean On
08 Kid Astray – The Mess
09 Mikhael Paskalev – Jive Babe
10 Beat Club – Something Better
11 Animal Kingdom – Get Away With It
12 Smith Westerns – Varsity
13 Andrew Bird – The Crown Salesman
14 Lucius – Until We Get There

Lucius Tour Dates

6/13: Pittsburgh, PA @ Three Rivers Arts Festival (FREE)
6/14: New Albany, IN @ Bicentennial Park (FREE)
6/15: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo (New Music Lounge / 5.20 – 6.10pm)
6/16: Manchester, TN @ Bonnaroo (Sonic Stage / 1:45-2:15pm)
6/17: Charlotte, NC @ Stage Door Theater at Blumenthal PAC
6/19: Baltimore, MD @ The Metro Gallery
6/20: Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater %
6/22: North Adams, MA @ Solid Sound Festival
6/26: Lewiston, NY @ Artpark *
7/10: Haddon Heights, NJ @ Sundown Music Series
7/26: Boston, MA @ The Wang Theatre 
7/27: Portland, ME @ State Theatre +
7/31: Toronto, ON @ Edgefest
8/1: Rochester, NY @ Party In The Park #
8/7: New Haven, CT @ Bar (FREE)
8/9: Newmarket, NH @ Stone Church
8/10: Bangor, ME @ Kahbang Fest
8/16: Lyons, CO @ Rocky Mountain Folks Festival
8/22: Grand Rapids, MI @ Founders Brewery (FREE)
8/23: Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
8/28: Los Angeles, CA @ The Echo ^
8/29: San Francisco, CA @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall
9/7: Boston, MA @ Boston Calling

+ supporting Tegan and Sara
% co-headlining with Hey Marseilles
* supporting Dispatch
# supporting The Head and the Heart
Touché supports

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The Flaming Lips Exclusive Album for Record Store Day

In between one-off shows scattered around the world in the past several months The Flaming Lips have still found time to record a series of unique and experimental sessions for an album featuring a diverse cross-section of heavy friends from every corner of the musical cosmos. The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends includes vocal and musical assistance from such disparate playmates as Yoko Ono, Nick Cave, Chris Martin of Coldplay, Bon Iver, Ke$ha and many more.

Some of these tracks have already appeared on previously released, extremely limited edition color vinyl 12″ EPs released in past months, which sold out as soon as they became available. Most of the tracks on the album are being released here for the first time and will surprise even the most ardent LIPS fans.

The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends will be pressed on two high-quality, multi-color vinyl discs housed in separate custom art jackets and poly bagged together. No two discs will look exactly alike. This double album will be very limited and released exclusively for RECORD STORE DAY. Once it’s gone, it will not be repressed again making THE FLAMING LIPS AND HEADY FWENDS the most anticipated RSD release this year.

Track-listing for The Flaming Lips and Heady Fwends is as follows:

Side 1:

Side 2:

  • Supermoon Made Me Want To Pee (featuring Prefuse 73)
  • Children Of The Moon (featuring Tame Impala)
  • That Ain’t My Trip (featuring Jim James of My Morning Jacket)
  • You, Man?  Human?  (featuring Nick Cave)

Side 3:

  • I’m Working At NASA On Acid (featuring Lightning Bolt)
  • Do It! (featuring Yoko Ono)
  • Is David Bowie Dying? (featuring Neon Indian)

Side 4:

  • The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (featuring Erykah Badu)
  • Thunder Drops (featuring New Fumes)
  • I Don’t Want You To Die (featuring Chris Martin of Coldplay)

About Records Store Day:

Record Store Day is managed by the Music Monitor Network and is organized in partnership with the Alliance of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and celebrates the culture of independent record stores by playing host to in-store events/performances, signings and special product releases on a global scale on Saturday, April 21st, 2012.

For more about National Record Store Day, please visit www.recordstoreday.com

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New Video: ANR – “It’s Around You”

Click image to check out the video on RollingStone.com

Miami duo ANR just released their full-length Stay Kids (Deluxe Edition) on 10k Islands and Rolling Stone has premiered the video for the soulful, hurricane-inspired ballad “It’s Around You.”

Stay Kids is a rhythmically propulsive, psychedelic trip that was inspired largely by recent floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and other environmental disasters.  Much of the album’s lyrics meditate on how such ‘natural’ disasters affect individuals and humanity at large.  However, sonically-speaking the album is by no means morose.  Instead, the synth-heavy and often danceable material feels triumphant.  Each song is a journey through carefully sculpted, dreamy pop soundscapes with frequent, unexpected and exciting detours.

Though the band consists of merely two members – Brian Robertson (Keys, Vocals) and Michael-John Hanock (Vocals, Drums) –they create a powerful sound filled with layered melodies and bountiful hooks.  It has landed them shows with bands like Animal Collective, Neon Indian, No Age, and Fucked Up.

Hancock elaborates on the inspiration behind and creation of “It’s Around You”:

“This started out real simple, with just the vocal loop and thoughts of how it’s been six years since a major hurricane hit South Florida. The idea of the song, and the chorus in particular, is to sonically, and even lyrically connect with the traditional half time modern R&B crowd participation song style, but to have the actual concept of the song relating to evacuation procedures during a natural disaster. The chorus is telling people how to use their hands, feet, and voices to signal a helicopter from the roof of a house or building. What’s “around you” in this case is water and debris. Our friend Jillian Mayer directed the video and has come up with a lot of cool ways of illustrating the meaning of the song, while visually keeping it up-beat, like Brian did with the production of the song.”

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Free Download: Strange Talk – “Climbing Walls” (Van She Tech Remix)

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, Strange Talk are one of the most polished and exciting new acts to emerge. Fully equipped with an arsenal of stadium-ready anthems, “Climbing Walls” is all shimmering synths, cascading bass surges 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.

Next is a trip to play at New York’s CMJ Music Festival, after Strange Talk have been flexing their musical muscle as a live act, opening for the likes of The Rapture, Neon Indian, Marina and The Diamonds and Art vs Science.

Strange Talk
Strange Talk EP
(Neon Gold, out now)

1. Climbing Walls
2. Eskimo Boy
3. Is It Real?
4. We Can Pretend

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Free Download: ANR – “New Armor”

“the driving beats of TV On The Radio blended with the psychedelic sweetness of Passion Pit” MTV.com

Miami’s psychedelic synth-pop duo ANR released the brand new track “New Armor.”  The song is the latest example of the group’s constant evolution as well as their prolific songwriting.  It begins with a lone acoustic guitar before falsetto vocals and lush, sparkling keyboards join the mix.  ANR’s reverb-laden vocals are anthemic and continue in the introspective, earnest direction of the previously released tracks from Stay Kids Deluxe Edition, their forthcoming album out September 13th on 10k Islands.

ANR consists of merely two members – Brian Robertson (Keys, Vocals) and Michael-John Hanock (Vocals, Drums) – but they create a powerful sound filled with layered melodies and bountiful hooks.  It has already earned the duo praise from RCRD LBL, The Fader, MTV.com, and Nylon, among others, and have landed them shows with bands like Animal Collective, Neon Indian, No Age, and Fucked Up.  The band kicks off their North American tour later this month.

Listen/download: ANR – “New Armor”

North American Tour Dates:

08/25:  Washington, DC @ U Street Music Hall
08/29:  Philadelphia, PA  @ Kung-Fu Necktie
08/30: New York, NY  @ Milk Studios
08/31:  New York, NY  @ Mercury Lounge
09/01:  Boston, MA  @ Brighton Music Hall
09/02:  Montreal, QC  @ Casa Del Popolo
09/03:  Toronto, ONT  @ The Drake
09/05: Detroit, MI  @ Lager House
09/06: Grand Rapids, MI  @ Pyramid Scheme
09/07: Chicago, IL  @ Empty Bottle
09/09: Urbana, IL  @ Canopy Club
09/10: Minneapolis, MN  @ 7th Street Entry
09/12:  Seattle, WA  @ Crocodile Lounge
09/13:  Portland, OR  @ Doug Fir
09/15: San Francisco, CA  @ Bottom Of The Hill
09/16: Fresno, CA  @ Audie’s Olympic
09/17: Los Angeles, CA  @ The Satellite
09/20: San Diego, CA  @ Soda Bar

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Check ‘Em Out: Strange Talk

The Australian band Strange Talk has been climbing the Hype Machine charts lately with “Climbing Walls”. They now released a video for their other signature track “Eskimo Boy” of their Strange Talk EP, which was released on Neon Gold on May 2nd.

The video for “Eskimo Boy” was first premiered by UK’s Dazed & Confused.

Download: “Climbing Walls”

Download: “Eskimo Boy” (Lightwaves Remix)

Download: “Eskimo Boy” (Vanguard Remix)

The last few months have seen Strange Talk flex their musical muscle as a live act, honing their show opening for the likes of The Rapture, Neon Indian and Marina and The Diamonds. 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, Strange Talk are one of the most polished and exciting new acts to emerge. 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.

The Strange Talk EP is available for HERE from the Neon Gold website.

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Newest Love: Strange Talk (+ free download!)

Click image to listen to Strange Talk's EP

The latest band that gets the hot Neon Gold label treatment is Australia’s Strange Talk, who will be releasing their Strange Talk EP on May 2nd. This EP marks Neon Gold’s first ever vinyl and CD release (to this point there have only been vinyl Neon Gold releases). The last few months have seen Strange Talk flex their musical muscle as a live act, honing their show opening for the likes of The Rapture, Neon Indian and Marina and The Diamonds.

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, Strange Talk are one of the most polished and exciting new acts to emerge. 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.

The Strange Talk EP is available for preorder from the Neon Gold website now for delivery on or around May 2nd.

Download: Strange Talk – “Climbing Walls”

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