The girls in the Neon office like to play the same songs over and over and over. We do this so we can learn a few words and sing along tunelessly, imagining we are exquisite sirens. The boys hate it. Here are our top 3 songs for fellow wailers to play over and over and over and over and over …..
Art Bitch by Charli XCX and new track Machines Listen to Machines Listen to Art Bitch on Last.fm
The band have a haunting English sound with outstanding vocals. Our favourite track is ‘We Still Got The Taste Dancing On Our Tongues’ – check it out on the player below.
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Neon recommends the new album ‘Gold + Green’ from Architeq AKA Sam Annand, due for release on the 26th of October via TIRK Recordings.
‘Gold + Green’ is a complete electronic album in the sense that it is a good listen from start to finish without allowing dull repetition to sink in. The album moves between dub, soulful vocals, electro sounds and jazz instruments in a smooth but trippy style.
We have hosted opening track ‘Twilight’ below to give you a taste of the album. If you like this you can find more information about this release on their MySpace Page and on the Tirk Recordings Website.
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Our favourite NY based artist Lushlife has just dropped his new album ‘Cassette City’ which is available now on Rapster Records. Lushlife real name Raj Halder is far more than your average rapper – as a multi-instrumentalist classically trained on the piano he can play just about any instrument and it shows in the rich sound he creates for this album.
Here is a preview track ‘In Soft Focus’ featuring Ariel Pink and Elzhi:
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Lushlife has also just started a video series on YouTube called Redux where he performs alternative versions of classic hip hop tracks live and in one take. Here are the first two of the series:
One of our favourite tracks from last year, and one which we will never tire of listening to… the reason for posting this however is her very creative use of NEON in the live performance.
Sia’s latest album ‘Some People Have Real Problems’ which includes the track ‘Buttons’ as a hidden track is available now. Sia’s website
We just received Fischerspooner’s new third album ‘Entertainment’ which is now available to buy. Our favourite track is ‘We Are Electric’ which has a cracking video – creative, exuberant, artistic and a bit over the top…. all the things you would expect from Fischerspooner!
We like this amusing cut ‘n’ paste from Cassette Boy where hours of footage from BBC tv show The Apprentice have been whittled down to reveal Sir Alan Sugar’s true dark side. A bit like the old trick of playing a record backwards but for the digital age…
Cassette Boy states on his blog “I’ve been working on this video for a couple of months, on and off. I watched 45 episodes of The Apprentice (most of them several times), and material from 43 of them made it into the final piece. Basically, it was a lot of work.”
Cassette Boy real name Michael Bollen is using the exposure he created to sell t-shirts which reference the video online. Not a bad way to cash in on the hours of editing it took to create this free content.
If you like chilled folk/electronica then we would recommend checking out Norwegian outfit The Electones. Their debut album ‘If You’ll Be Null, I’ll Be Void’ is due to be released on the 8th June 2009 via Beatservice Records. You can preview the album on Last.fm for further info check the Beatservice website.
We have become addicted to watching Marilyn Minter’s 60 second taster about her video project Green Pink Caviar. Minters introduces her full eight minute HD video as “a lush and sensual voyeuristic hallucination”. Like her piece Twins (2006) – these pop images are driven by her fascination with the body and glamour, but scream of something very dark going on behind the gloss.
If you are in New York before the end of the month a five minute version of the film will be on view at MTV’s Times Square bilboard as part of a three person video exhibition curated by Minter for Creative Time. The scale would work tremendously well, we’re currently contemplating a huge screen for the office ceiling …..