miley cyrus

Top 40 Cover Songs of 2013 (40-21)

Hear, hear

Hear, hear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m going out on all four limbs when I say 2013 has been the best year for cover songs that I can recall. More and more artists are issuing covers; whether it’s to draw publicity to one’s own music, or via some irrepressible artistic impulse, cover songs abound. This is a good thing. Sure, there will be crappy ones, and sure, about 98% of the time, a cover song isn’t as good as the original, but I think that’s missing the point. It’s nice to see musicians pay homage to other musicians/songs. Invariably, an artist gives something of themself when they do a cover, and the best cover songs add not only something new, but something indescribable, something magical.

I’m always searching for and welcoming of cover songs. You could even say my appetite in pursuing this type of music is voracious. I thoroughly enjoyed curating this list, and think it’s one of the most meticulously constructed “Best of 2013” or “Best Cover Songs” lists around. If you’re reading/listening, hopefully there’s something here for you to enjoy, as these covers run the gamut of musical genres. Here are my Top 40 Cover Songs of 2013:

NB: One minor addition to this year’s list: I’ll be including the original artist(s) in parentheses.

 

40. The xx – Finally (Kings of Tomorrow)

Testament to The xx: this sounds like one of their songs.

 

39. Eddie Berman & Laura Marling – Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen)

Striking harmonies.

 

38. Erasure – Gaudete (Classic Christmas carol)

Erasure have always been, and will always be, pop maestros — even whilst singing in Latin.

 

37. Phosphorescent – Ya Hey (Vampire Weekend)

A quiet(er), reflective, love-torn cover. Matthew Houck is a magician.

 

36. Sparrow Sleeps – The Middle (Jimmy Eat World)

Ever wonder what Jimmy Eat World’s “The Middle” would sound like if it were a lullaby? Someone did, and made this wonderfully unique version.

 

35. Bastille – We Can’t Stop (Miley Cyrus)

Too. Much. Fun. Adding Papa Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” into the mix is icing on the cake.

 

34. The Killers – Lovers In A Dangerous Time (Bruce Cockburn)

I feel fortunate to have seen this cover in person. I think this might have been a one-off. If so, what a one-off it was. Flowers’ vocal soars with Cockburn’s lyrics.

 

33. Prince – Even Flow (Pearl Jam)

Prince is a bad, bad man. This is short and awesome.

 

32. Sad Clown With The Golden Voice – Royals (Lorde)

Of the 37,589 covers of “Royals” on the internet, this is the best one.

 

31. Boyce Ave & Fifth Harmony – Mirrors (Justin Timberlake)

Wonderfully sung.

 

30. Ed Sheeran & Passenger – No Diggity (Blackstreet)

Off-kilter cover that works magnificently. Sheeran and Passenger sound fantastic.

 

29. Pentatonix – Little Drummer Boy (Belongs to Christmas)

Pristine and perfect.

 

28. Bastille – Requiem For Blue Jeans (Lana Del Rey)

Sort of a mashup. Sort of a cover. All the way wicked.

 

27. Folly And The Hunter – Marry The Night (Lady Gaga)

Love that this slow, tempered version plays over Gaga’s actual video for “Marry The Night”.

 

26. London Grammar – Wicked Game (Chris Isaak)

My God, Hannah Reid’s voice. My God.

 

25. Walk Off The Earth f. Selah Sue – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You (Frankie Valli)

WOTE continue to turn everything they touch into gold.

 

24. Straight No Chaser f. Dolly Parton – Jolene (Dolly Parton)

A cover featuring the original artist? Yessir. A really good one too.

 

23. Sleeping At Last – The Safety Dance (Men Without Hats)

This is a stunning cover. Brings out a beauty in the melody/lyrics that one could’ve only imagined.

 

22. Ghosts – If You Have Ghosts (Roky Erickson)

The music seems secondary to this wild, brilliant, image-centred collective, though this cover pushes through; it’s the best piece of music they’ve yet released.

 

21. Tears For Fears – My Girls (Animal Collective)

This is so bloody good.

Top Mashups of 2013 (15-1)

Here is part two of the list, la creme de la creme, my Top 15 Mashups of 2013:

Shorse. Wait, what?

Shorse. Wait, what?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15. Imagine Dragons x Band of Horses – Radioactive Funeral (The White Panda)

Anything that uses Band of Horses’ “The Funeral” pretty much has me from the jump.

 

14. Blackstreet x Maroon 5 x Gorillaz – One More Diggity (Lobsterdust)

 

13. Queen x Swedish House Mafia – Don’t You Worry Child The Show Must Go On

 

12. The Beatles x Notorious B.I.G. x Gramatik – Don’t Let Me Down Biggie (The Melker Project)

You can’t really go wrong if you throw The Beatles into a mashup now can you.

 

11. Drake x Kavinsky x Lil Wayne – Mottovision (The Hood Internet)

Slightly prefer this version to the Kanye/Kavinsky/Carlos Serrano version. Both are really good mixes.

 

Frat. Sorry, come again?

Frat. Sorry, come again?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We’re getting into heavy hitter territory now…

10. Kanye West x Tame Impala – Black Skinhead Elephant (Nate Belasco)

This works wonderfully. Grimy rock vibe.

 

9. The Black Keys x Nas x Jay-Z x Mos Def x Notorious B.I.G. – Little Black Submarines (Voodoo Farm)

Phenomenal mix.

 

8. Chvrches x Taylor Swift x Lana Del Rey x Monsieur Adi – Stay (DJ Topsider)

Love this laid back mix of some mega-sized pop tunes.

 

7. Disturbed x Of Monsters and Men – Little Sickness (Isosine)

Isosine is a bad, bad man. This is a tonne of fun.

 

6. Miley Cyrus x Mumford and Sons – Little Wrecking Ball (Isosine)

Isosine’s biggest hit of 2013, and quite possibly, the most popular mashup, by anyone, this year. Cool video too. Much deserved respect for the complete audio-visual effort.

 

Puguin. Not that kind of mashup homeboy.

Puguin. Not that kind of mashup homeboy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Anna Kendrick Lamar x Drake x Florence & The Machine – Poetic (Isosine)

Florence & The Machine’s “Never Let Me Go” works wonders as the baseline, while Anna Kendrick Lamar and Drake put it down on vocals.

 

4. Jay-Z x Fleetwood Mac – Feelin’ The Landslide (The Melker Project)

My favourite effort from The Melker Project. Hov sounds majestic rapping over “Landslide”.

 

And here are the three mashups that, for me, stood above the rest in 2013:

3. Ellie Goulding x Red Hot Chili Peppers x The Lumineers x Kendrick Lamar – Firefly (The White Panda)

The Lumineers add a nice intro, but the track really blows up at the 30 second mark, when a perfectly synced, spectacularly realized mixture of “F**kin Problems” (the baseline), the riff from Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Snow” (the rhythm), and the vocal from Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Could Happen” come together in blissful harmony. Everything fits — brilliantly. I could listen to this for hours.

 

2. Rihanna vs. Game of Thrones – Diamond Thrones (The White Panda)

This mashup’s testament: I’ve never watched Game of Thrones, I’m not familiar with its theme, and still this tune floors me. Rihanna’s vocal from “Diamonds” feels downright menacing over the Game Of Thrones’ theme. This mashup reveals a maturity to “Diamonds” that I hadn’t heard/considered before. It makes me want to binge watch Game of Thrones this instant. It make me wonder if Rihanna will make an appearance. What a feat. The White Panda was on fire in 2013.

 

1. Adele vs. Linkin Park – Set Fire To The End (Pulga edit)

Wow. In a bizarro world, this mashup would be a chart-topping smash. Hell, if this were a “new” track in this world, at this time, I think it’d be a massive success. Adele’s vocal from “Set Fire To The Rain” is mixed perfectly — perfectly — with Linkin Park’s “The End”. The ebbs and flows are completely in sync. It really does seem like this vocal belongs with this music. I think Adele’s found her new musical direction. This mashup is so good it legitimately makes me wonder how she’d sound if she were to make a rock record. (It’d be brilliant.) For now though, we have this: a perfect mashup.