top 30

Top 30 Songs of Summer 2014 (30-16)

As I mentioned in my previous list (https://thepunissure.com/2014/09/16/top-10-songs-of-summer-2014-that-are-not-from-2014/), music carries a special weight in the summer. It can whisper with the wind, lay and linger with the light, and kiss ears like the sun kisses skin.

For many, the warmth of summer brings a certain type of hope and happiness (especially to those of us living in a 4-season part of the world), and songs have a singular capacity — unlike any other art form — to soundtrack the season and the moments therein.

That said, I’ve decided to do another Best Songs of The Summer list. Here are my favourite 30 songs from the summer of 2014:

30. Sir Sly – Gold

Sounding like one of The Neighbourhood’s better tracks, “Gold” is a valuable metal.

 

29. Anna Graceman – Words (Glastrophobie remix)

Words, words, words… piano, gitch, and melody. The original is pleasant too, but this version has a particularly attractive zest about it.

 

28. Tiaan – Devil’s Touch

Breezy, fresh, and relatively minimal pop, “Devil’s Touch” is a spritely summer song.

 

27. Spoon – Do You

Spoon’s comeback single is a winner. It’s a spork to save the day when you’ve neither the time nor the inclination to decide which utensil is most appropriate.

 

26. Rdgldgrn – Turn

Really got into this jam. A little 311, a little Sublime, a little bit of an earworm.

 

25. Seether – Words as Weapons/Same Damn Life

These two songs are the cleanest, most polished I’ve heard Seether. This might not do it for some, but I’m down with it. Shaun Morgan’s voice sounds great with strong supporting melodies.

Words as Weapons

 

Same Damn Life

 

24. Sia – Elastic Heart

Sia’s voice is a weapon. An elastic one with a heart as strong as a diamond. Possibly the best track from her latest album.

 

23. Sophie – Lemonade

“Lemonade” doesn’t just push and prod the boundaries of pop in 2014, it obliterates them. What a fantastic “is this really happening” track.

 

22. Twenty One Pilots – House Of Gold

Already huge, or getting there, I’m not sure. What I am sure of is whatever attention it garners is well deserved.

 

21. OK GO – The Writing’s On The Wall

OK GO always make amazing videos. “The Writing On The Wall” is no exception. What they’ve added to the formula is the best song they’ve ever done. (Seriously, watch this video if you haven’t already — it’s awesome.)

 

20. La Roux – Kiss And Not Tell

I would’ve chosen another tune as the 4th single, but that’s no slight to “Kiss And Not Tell”. This is a super stylish ditty and one of the better songs on La Roux’s sensational second album, Tropical Chancer.

 

19. Charli – Boom Clap (Cahill Radio Edit)

Almost as excellent as the original, the Cahill Radio Edit achieved an impressive level of ubiquity for a dance remix. This is because it’s really, really good.

 

18. Iggy Azelea f. Charli XCX – Fancy

Didn’t fall head over heels in love with this track when I first heard it, and frankly, I don’t think I have to this point. But I can’t deny its power. It’s a massive banger with a simple beat, slick rhymes a wicked hook from Charli XCX. Oh, and I can’t count the number of people I’ve annoyed and possibly offended deeply by “singing”, ad nauseam, “first things first, I’m the realest.”

 

17. James Arthur – Recovery

It’s the massive chorus. And Arthur’s vocal delivery. And the verses. And how it gets distorted near the end. But that chorus. That sprawling, loopy, heart-racing chorus.

 

16. Duke Dumont – Mumble Man

Mumbling has never sounded so catchy. And the bass at 1:32 is killer. This is house music that needs no introduction. It just needs a dancefloor and some speakers. The victims will reveal themselves. They’ll have no choice.

 

 

 

 

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.