maximo park

Top 50 Remixes of 2014 (25-1)

This truism has no expire date.

This truism has no expiry date.

Here are the heavyweights, my top 25 remixes of the year…

25. Britney Spears – Alien (Nick and Country Club Martini Crew Remix)

Brit Brit’s been remixed a kajillion times over the years, and this reboot is one of the best.

 

24. Maximo Park – Leave This Island (Mogwai Remix)

Mogwai completely change the amazing source material, yet it remains eminently listenable.

 

23. Future Islands – Doves (Vince Clarke Remix)

Remixes of Future Islands songs tend to be a little obtuse; this track is not that. It’s a slick, straightforward dance remix of a great tune. Refreshing.

 

22. Paris Suit Yourself – Won’t K (Sophie Remix)

Sophie’s sound is unmistakable. This remix is too.

 

21. Noel Gallagher – In The Heat Of The Moment (Andrew Weatherall Remix)

Awesome remix that all but erases Noel’s vocal, but electrifies the melody in stark, crisp ways.

 

20. Oasis – Wonderwall (Sava and Razz Remix)

Don’t think I’ve ever heard Liam’s voice attached to something so overtly happy. Obviously nothing will ever touch the original, but 20 years later, it’s cool to hear a new take on one of the best tracks of the last 30 years.

 

19. Bombay Bicycle Club – Luna (Karl G Remix)

An ethereal, space-filling remix of one the two best songs on BBC’s latest record. This track is at peace with calm, an aural balm.

 

18. Moby – Almost Home (Sound Remedy Remix)

My favourite Sound Remedy remix of the year. His output the last two years has been incredible. There’s something about his sound that greases the emotional wheel, in the process producing all the feels.

 

17. Tove Styrke – Even If I’m Loud It Doesn’t Mean I’m Talking To You (White Sea Remix)

White Sea construct a complete face-lift of the original, turning an unabashed pop smash into a chilly Scandinavian exploration track. Snow falls in cascading crystals upon this quiet, lonesome white sea.

 

16. Beyonce f. Kanye, The Weeknd, Jay-Z – Drunk In Love (Remix)

Yeezy and The Weeknd lead and kill this remix.

 

15. Lilly Wood and The Prick – Prayer In C (Robin Schulz Remix)

One of the more popular remixes of the year. Deservedly so.

 

14. Tove Lo – Habits (Hippie Sabotage Remix)

Nothing can touch the source material, but this down-tempo remix is a brooding, pulsating banger in its own right.

 

13. Charli XCX – Boom Clap (Cahill Edit)

Nothing more and nothing less than complete dance-pop decadence.

 

12. John Legend – All Of Me (De Hofnar Remix)/(Tiesto Remix)

Still can’t decide which remix of the two I prefer. I’ll take both and call it a win.

 

11. Lykke Li – No Rest For The Wicked (Klangkarussell Remix)

Bangin’ and Klangin’ up and down and all around. A sweaty Swedish night to melt all the ice.

 

10. Little Daylight – Overdose (Future Islands Remix)

Not only did Future Islands release one of the albums of the year and drop probably the best live tv performance of the year, but they had a few minutes of spare time, dabbled in the remix trade, and nailed the shit out of that too. So the great fire they wrote about for On The Water was an autobiographical prophesy?

 

9. Royksopp and Robyn – Monument (The Inevitable End Remix)

This will be a beacon when they’re gone, that much is sure. This remix is a monument of considerable light and size, a prize fight throwdown by 3 Scandinavian EDM/Pop stalwarts.

 

8. Lily Allen – Air Balloon (Digital Farm Animals Remix)

A massive, otherworldly earworm of a remix.

 

7. Banks – Beggin For Thread (Gryffin & Hotel Garuda Remix)

If Hotel Garuda is as pleasant a stay as this remix sounds, I booked a vacay there yesterday.

 

The following six remixes are on another level from everything else in 2014.

6. Jose Gonzalez – Heartbeats (Filous & Mount Remix)

The core song that is “Heartbeats” can thrive in any condition. The original version by The Knife is a weird, warbly, synth-pop hit. Jose Gonzalez’s cover is a complete makeover; it’s vulnerable, striking, and rife with a sad beauty. Now several years after “Heartbeats” and its cover were released, this wonderful dance remix drops. Where the cover lives in its sadness, this remix merely alludes to it. No matter which heart it occupies, the lyrics and melody that comprise this tune beat uninterrupted.

 

5. La Roux – Let Me Down Gently (Sailors Remix)

Simply irresistible. This song is a boat with legs navigating its course by dancing on water. It’s not the most direct way to get from point a to b, but to be a romancer on this level requires one take a tropical chancer.

 

4. Ed Sheeran – I See Fire (Kygo Remix)

The sound of serenity. Kygo put in a lot of work in 2014, but no remix of his was better (or bigger) than this one. Ed Sheeran’s warm, pleading vocals are married perfectly with the pop-indebted track. Kygo insulates the vocals with gorgeous sounds at every turn. If Ed Sheeran is the creator and seer of this fire, Kygo is its protector, its guardian in a galaxy where streaks of red-orange heat are strewn across every conceivable world, a place where life must be hot in order to unfurl.

 

3. Jessie Ware – Tough Love (Cyril Hahn Remix)

I wrote this at the beginning of October and not a damn thing has changed:

“Sourcing an impossibly sexy and slow-tempo’d original, Hahn takes this remix somewhere else entirely. He makes the song scoot in its boots, turns the pensive vibe of the original into a celebration of hard work. He makes tough love seem like a joy. What an accomplishment.”

This remix was, is, and will remain an incredible track. Only one or two remixes per year achieve this level of brilliance. Cyril Hahn should be forever proud he’s done that with his “Tough Love”.

 

2. Sam Smith – Stay With Me (Rainer & Grimm Remix)

Sam Smith has a voice that can do anything. That said, I think his incredible talent is best suited in ballads and dance songs. He’s delivered tremendous moments with both types already; his “Nirvana” and “Stay With Me” prove his mettle with ballads, while his power to make people dance was proven on Naughty Boy’s “La La La” and Disclosure’s “Latch”. We can add the Rainer & Grimm remix of “Stay With Me” to that list straight away.

The Toronto duo take the heart-wrestling ballad and turn it into a slinky, sexy, dance-pop gem of the highest order. Hands down, one of the catchiest remixes of the year.

 

1. Sufjan Stevens vs. Signalrunners – Chicago (Club Mix)

Something kind of odd happened as I was working on this list; I realized my favourite remix of the year was not from 2014.

I’m not exactly sure what year this remix is from, though a cursory search on Youtube seems to suggest its from 2007. For as much as I love “Chicago”, I didn’t hear this remix in 2007, or any other year, until this one. And my non-denominational deity, what a mark it left in 2014. When I say I love Sufjan Stevens’ original, I really mean it; when I think about compiling a list of the best songs from 2000-2009, “Chicago” would be near the top. Its tenderness is incomparable, its melody is indefatigable, and its heart is bigger than the sun.

When I first heard this Signalrunners remix some weeks ago, I was immediately walloped by a searing sense of nostalgia, taken back to a time when I first heard Stevens’ masterpiece, to my life at the time. The direct train to Nostalgia Land that certain songs give us free tickets to is one of the very best things about music.

Make no mistake though, this track’s brilliance does not begin and end with the fact that it brought me back to the original, and to another time in my life. This remix is absolutely sensational musically. The flourishes are fantastically timed, the build-up is a bonanza, and the entire offering is an escape to elation. It’s like gliding weightlessly and without worry through clouds, oscillating between being taken on a tantalizing trip and becoming a cloud itself. This atlas is entirely comforting, shrugging off any concern that the flightpath is wrong.

I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but going to Chicago — remix, original, or any other suburban destination, interpretation — was not one of them.

On a whim, we’ll sell our clothes to the state, drive all night, revel in the passionate spontaneity. We might fall in love. We’ll probably fall out of it. But in the end, we’ll come back. To Chicago — whether we’re from there or not. We made our minds up. You had to find it. All things go, all things go.

 

I couldn’t help but link the original:

Top 20 Songs of March 2014

Here’s my list of the songs I played and enjoyed most in March. It was a sensational month for new music.

20. Trust – Capitol

 

19. Babymetal – Gimme Chocolate

Thanks for the heads up on this one Marc. It was only a matter of time until someone culled together (K)-Pop and Metal.

 

18. Isle of Rhodes – Oceans

 

17. Lily Allen – Air Balloon

Immeasurably better than “Sheezus”.

 

16. Lykke Li – Love Me Like I’m Not Made of Stone

I love this tune, her voice, that she may be the Swedish Lady Gaga, or actually Lady Gaga (google it; the resemblance is uncanny).

 

15. Foals – Providence

Yes, “Providence” has been out for quite some time, and yes, it wasn’t an early favourite — nothing grabbed me quite like “My Number” and “Inhaler” did at first. But the more I listened to this tune, the more I loved it. There’s a chance it’s the best song from their Holy Fire album. The build-up is absolutely stunning.

 

14. Beyonce – XO

Another tune that’s been out for a little while. I listened to “XO” quite a bit in March, and it never got old. On the short list of best songs B has ever done.

 

13. Chvrches – Do I Wanna Know?

This is a thrilling cover. It’s wildly different that Arctic Monkeys’ original, which puts it in a different class from most covers that play things safe. It’s the best of the plethora of covers Chvrches have released in the past year or so, and I think it’ll go down as one of my favourite covers of 2014. Chvrches show no signs of letting their dominant pop grip go.

 

12. Maximo Park – Brain Cells

I gave several other songs on Maximo Park’s latest album more time than “Brain Cells”. It was a mistake to overlook it. It’s so, so slick, and I really dig it.

 

11. Allie X – Prime

Pop music in the mainstream is hit or miss these days, as you’re just as likely to find a banger as you are a boring, rote tune. Residing on the periphery of the mainstream, though, are a bunch of exciting artists and songs that are yearning to break through and collect more ears. “Prime” is one such tune.

 

10. For BDK – What I Must Find

“What I Must Find” is another such tune. Dark, thoughtful pop done extremely well.

 

9. Hedley – Crazy For You

Simply, I think this is the best song Hedley have ever done. It’s super slick and eminently catchy. It’s Hedley gone Chromeo, and the vibe works wonders for the band.

 

8. Lorde – Team

“Team” beat me down with repeated listens. I thought “400 Lux” should’ve been Lorde’s follow-up single to her massive “Royals”, but after being bludgeoned over the head with “Team”, I can see why it was chosen as a single. It’s a bit more radio friendly, sunnier, safer than the darker “400 Lux”. ‘Tis a business after all.

 

7. Rudimental f. Emeli Sande – Free

Emeli Sande carries this slow-burning, electro-pop-soul song to the heavens. It gets better and better and better with each listen.

 

6. Jon Hopkins – We Disappear

This song is several months old, and one that I enjoyed last year. Only recently, however, have I truly experienced the depth, beauty, and soul-rattling feeling of “We Disappear”. It’s a rare occurrence for electronic music, especially a song with no vocals, to be doused with such emotion, colour, and humanity. That “We Disappear” so starkly accomplishes these things is testament to its wonder, to Jon Hopkins’ skill.

 

5. Coldplay – Magic

“Magic” is my favourite Coldplay song in many moons. Frankly, I didn’t think they had this type of tune in them. I’m wondering if this sets up a new era for the band; “Magic” has left me very intrigued with how their forthcoming album will sound. I love absolutely everything about “Magic”. The minimalist production (for the first three quarters of the song), the subtle aural tricks , and most of all, Chris Martin’s vocal — his best effort in eons — are all fabulous. Everything is so compelling here, I don’t even care how or why they chose this trick. Seeing is believing, but sometimes, listening makes sight a moot point.

 

4. Future Islands – Fall From Grace/A Dream of You And Me

I could write a kajillion words on how much I love Future Islands, how I think their new album, Singles, is absolutely brilliant, about what they make me think and feel, about Sam T. Herring, about how they’ve ensnared a whole legion of new fans, but for now, I offer, simply, the music…

Fall From Grace:

I dare you to not be mesmerized by this performance. Friendly advice: stick around after “Fall From Grace” to hear one of the best songs they’ve ever released, “Inch Of Dust” (another live powerhouse).

A Dream Of You And Me:

 

3. Tove Lo – Habits

“Habits” was number 20 song in my Top Songs of January list. I’ve played it ad nauseam since then, and I’m completely and utterly smitten. “Habits” is a massive, gargantuan hit. It’ll go down as one of the best (pop) songs of 2014. Sweden strikes, yet again.

 

2. Sam Smith – Nirvana

“Nirvana” is a song from the latter half of 2013 that I found a couple months ago and threw in a playlist, not remotely knowing what I hand in my hands, what the song had in store for me. I think “Nirvana” is just perfect. The melody, musically and vocally, is beyond top-flight. The lyrics are simple and extremely powerful. And then there’s the real bread winner, Sam Smith’s haunting, immense, voice. It took a few listens, but once I’d really, actually, listened to “Nirvana”, I knew that the world had been gifted its next superstar singer. I’m not sure I’ll ever love another Sam Smith song like I love this one, but the wonderful thing is, I’m not pulling anything off the table with this guy. He has the talent to concoct an album-of-the-decade type of release. My interest has been piqued by the voice of this freak.

 

1. Future Islands – A Song For Our Grandfathers/Sun In The Morning/Back In The Tall Grass

A Song For Our Grandfathers:

What can I say? How about this… Amidst the stunning, jaw-dropping, bunch of tunes Future Islands have released over their four albums, “A Song For Our Grandfathers” could be their most important. It’s a slow-jam rife with emotion, an ode to family, to the yin yang of reflection and action. The ideas within are always and fundamental, of and for life. This is a pantheon track, not just for Future Islands, but for 21st Century music. This is not post-wave, dad-rock, synth-pop, or Indie. This is art. The best of it.

Sun In The Morning:

This tune is absolutely gorgeous. I don’t want to be reductive about it, but it’s great enough to be a wedding song. I think it may be bigger than that. It’s about love. It’s elemental.

Back In The Tall Grass:

I think “Back In The Tall Grass” is the most immediate, singlely (new word alert) song on album that’s called, and filled with, Singles. I heard it live a few months back for the first time, and it had me weak-kneed from the jump. There is no type of sound or style that Future Islands can’t do, no type of banger they can’t create with aplomb or a plum. Seriously, at this point, I’m not sure how they do it. But then again, when you’re the best band in the world, you should retain some sense of mystery about how you conjure your spells. It’s not my job to question, it’s my job to get down and dance.