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.

Top 100 Songs of 2012 (75-51)

75. a) Lower Dens – Brains

The best, most earwormy song on Nootropics.

 

75. b) Young Galaxy – Youth Is Wasted On The Young

Can’t wait for their next LP. Appetite whetted just enough with “Youth is Wasted On The Young”.

74. Citizens! – True Romance (Gigamesh remix)

So catchy. Much more compelling than the original IMO. Hercules and Love Affair vs. La Roux vs. Erasure.

 

73. a) The Big Pink – Stay Gold

The only song (and a very good one at that) worth mentioning from Future This. Had huge hopes for their 2nd LP. On to the next one boys.

 

73. b) Rita Ora – How We Do (Party)

One of the better pop tunes of 2012.

 

72. Azari & III – Manic/Reckless (With Your Love)

“Manic” and “Reckless (With Your Love)” are both fantastic dance/house tracks from the Toronto collective.

 

71. Shad – A Milli Vanilli/It Ain’t Over

Taken aback by the phenomenal sample work in both tracks. Lenny would be proud of “It Ain’t Over”.

 

70. Best Coast – No One Like You

Sweet, sweet neo-soul/pop. I can’t believe how good they perform this song live.

 

69. a) Usher – Climax

Great production by Diplo and vocal by Usher. His best in a while.

69. b) Placebo – The Extra

The best song on their B3 EP, it’s a sonic departure for Placebo, one I hope they follow up on with their 2013 LP.

 

68. The Vaccines – Teenage Icon

Whether it’s immediate or a slow dig, this song will attack you. I really enjoy their take on jangly alternative/pop.

 

67. Robbie Williams – Into The Silence

Robbie does U2 and The Killers. He’s never done a song like this before, and I’m so glad he finally has. Robbie’s vocal and the production are both exemplary.

 

66. Wild Nothing – Paradise/Nocturne

The 80’s in stereo. Flighty, dreamy records, both of them.

 

65. a) The Antlers – Drift Drive

Still haven’t lost their grand emoting abilities. What a hook.

 

65. b) Atlas Genius – Trojans

Wickedly catchy. Wonderful tune.

 

64. High Contrast – The Road Goes On Forever/All There Is (f. Liane Carroll)

Bursting at their seams. Or more likely, they never had seams to begin with.

63. Ellie Goulding – Atlantis/Figure 8/Only You

Ms. Goulding issued one of the best pop albums of the year — maybe one of the best albums of the year in general.

 

62. a) Matchbox 20 – She’s So Mean

Great comeback tune. Always were extremely talented songwriters. No surprise they’ve found another.

 

62. b) Marina & The Diamonds – The Archetypes/Primadonna/Fear and Loathing/Teen Idle

“Primadonna”, “Fear and Loathing”, and “Teen Idle” are by far the strongest triumvirate of songs on Marina’s Electra Heart album, but it’s actually a non-album track, the minute long teaser, “The Archetypes”, that moved me the most. I really wish she’d made this an album track as it’s constructed here, but longer.

 

61. Muse – Panic Station/Big Freeze/Follow Me

After “Madness”, which resides in another realm altogether, these three tracks are the best representatives of the new Muse, the most ambitious Muse to date.

60. Ramona Falls – Proof/Sqworm/Spore

Lovely set of songs.

 

59. a) Tacabro – Tacata

How could I not. Guilty pleasures don’t get more guilty than this. This is unquestionably 10-15 years, no chance of parole.

 

59. b) Susanne Sundfor – White Foxes

What a majestic song. It sounds exactly like a serenade to white foxes.

 

58. Two Door Cinema Club – Sleep Alone/The World Is Watching

Super strong lead single, and a wonderful departure from their norm on “The World Is Watching”.

57. Ed Sheeran – Drunk/Small Bump/Lego House

Three fantastic songs from one of the albums of the year. And three great videos to boot. Ed Sheeran’s way with melody is sublime.

 

56. a) Hey Ocean! – Big Blue Wave/Make A New Dance Up

I wish this kind of pop found a bigger audience.

 

56. b) Joe Goddard – Gabriel (f. Valentina)

Striking. Superb use of looping/sampling.

55. a) Rihanna – Diamonds

She might have taken an extended dip in the deep end, but she still can still release a hit. A powerful, grandiose tune.

55. b) No Doubt – Settle Down

It’d been 11 years since their last LP. To come back to a vastly different musical landscape from the one they left all those years ago with something this strong is a testament to their cohesion and talent. You can tell they’re having tonnes of fun being back together.

 

54. The Killers – From Here On Out/The Way It Was/Deadlines and Commitments/Heart of a Girl

I think the line from Deadlines and Commitments, “there is a place, here in this house, that you can stay,” is apropos of Battle Born, and in general, The Killers as a band. They’re slightly awkward in the way they express things, but they’re welcoming, of everyone. These four tracks are all highlights from a strong, extremely consistent, huge pop/rock album.

 

53. mewithoutYou – February, 1878

Really like this song. It’s full of dynamic shifts, energy, aggression, forbearance, and hooks.

 

52. a) Greg Laswell f. Ingrid Michaelson – Landline

Tender and becoming. The male/female harmony works wonders here.

52. b) Netsky – Come Alive

Great party track with a supreme build-up from Belgium’s son. To the (Net)sky and beyond.

 

51. a) We Have Band – Tired of Running

First-rate melody, production, and vocal.

 

51. b) St. Lucia – All Eyes On You

Marvellous song. Rife with hooks and shimmering production.