Mash-ups are great. You get to hear two songs for the price of one – what’s not to like about that? Seamlessly blended songs by the same artist, different artists, even from different genres showcases a level of mixing expertise that we’re more than a little bit jealous of. The Indiependent team have picked out some of their favourite blends to tell you about…
Blank Space/Style (Taylor Swift) // Louisa Wendorff & Devin Dawson
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7m3o5LuFKxg?rel=0]
This charming blend of two tracks from Taylor Swift’s 1989 sees Louisa Wendorff’s emotionally charged vocal delicately fused with Devin Dawson’s unobtrusive masculine crooning.
Whilst ‘Blank Space’ on its own mocks the media attention Swift has received in the last few years, it’s still relatable: “So it’s gonna be forever / or we’re gonna go down in flames”. Yet the soporific ‘Style’ drains ‘Blank Space’ of it’s cutting edge it had initially. The result is an incredibly pretty entity that is perfect for singing along to in the shower.
The due complement one another aesthetically too; as Dawson sings “you’ve got that red liped, classic, thing that I like” we can’t help but notice the colour of Wendorff’s pout. We totally ship it.
Not only that, but this mash-up is so good that it attracted the attention of Taylor Swift herself, who posted that she was OBSESSED with it on her Twitter account!
Words by Beth Kirkbride
Rusholme Ruffians // His Latest Flame // Elvis and The Smiths
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=viNw7-mmn_E?rel=0]
Rock In Black // AC/DC and Queen
Despite arguably being one of the most recognisable mash-ups in this feature – given its endless circulation on websites like Tumblr – this fusion of classic rock sounds is undoubtedly brilliant. Mixing the distinctive underlying guitar riffs (and odd Brian Johnson yell) from AC/DC’s ‘Back in Black’ with Freddie Mercury’s roaring vocals in the infamous Queen anthem, ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Rock in Black’ is easily one of the most ear-pleasing, instantly brain-accepting mixes ever.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We0Kb6OlC7g?rel=0]
The way the two songs blend together so naturally even makes later listening to the originals a little difficult. They just go together so damn well. Have a listen if you don’t believe me; I guarantee that it will ‘rock your world’ from start to finish. Keen-eared listeners might also be able to detect snippets of songs by Outkast, Prince and The Beatles throughout too.
Words by Annie Honeyball
It’s Time To Run Juliet // We the Kings and Imagine Dragons
I remember the first time I stumbled across this mash up back in my Tumblr days I didn’t stop laughing for the whole 3 minutes and 53 seconds of this masterpiece. It isn’t rare for modern music to utilise suspiciously similar riffs and chord progressions, but from the moment that the vocals of nostalgic pop punk anthem ‘Check Yes Juliet’ by We The Kings joins in with the main theme of Imagine Dragons’ smash hit ‘It’s Time’, you are struck by the similarity.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FA6uoI81M0&w=740&h=422]
And when I say similarity I mean they are identical melodies. The rest of the blending of the two hits is remarkably coherent, but nothing will beat that initial “Oh My GOD” moment that will strike the heart of any ex pop-punk kid with an overwhelming force of nostalgia. Whatever genius first made this correlation and blessed the internet with this video I thank, as almost two years on its still hilarious.
Words by Paula Lacey
Wonderwall You Know // Fissunix
What do you do with one of the most overrated and overplayed songs and a song that got just enough attention? Well according to Fissunix you create a mashup of the two. I am talking about a mash of Oasis’ ‘Wonderwall’ and Two Door Cinema Club’s ‘What You Know’; the remix consists of the chord progression of ‘Wonderwall’ with the lyrics and melody of ‘What You Know’.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UPkLUZrq7c?rel=0]
It is quite rather convivial however there are a few things that could get changed to make this one of the best things on the internet with it. One being the name, ‘Wonderwall you know’ doesn’t really give the mashup justice, it just doesn’t sound right (other suggestions could be ‘Wonder What You Know’ or ‘What You Wonder’). The other is it would have been nice to hear lyrics from ‘Wonderwall’ as well. With those nitpicks aside this is very enjoyable to indulge yourself into.
Words by Oliver Childs
Stayin’ Alive In The Wall // Pink Floyd and Bee Gees
The Bee Gees and Pink Floyd. Who’d have thought it. As if by some magical cosmological alignment, two entirely different bands from genres that are more than opposite each other fit together perfectly. Albeit by some pitch change on Floyd’s part to match the unbelievable vocal range of the Gibbs brothers, Stayin Alive and Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2) piece together seamlessly, as if they were made for each other. Sometimes when you’re listening to this masterpiece, it’s hard to forget that they were ever two separate songs in the first place.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U13xOvDa19U?rel=0]
If only Pink Floyd and the Bee Gees did an actual collaboration of some sort. Now that would have been a sight to see.
Words by Sophie McEvoy
Sweet Pompeii // Bastille and Florence + The Machine and Calvin Harris
Bastille’s ‘Sweet Pompeii’, taken from their second mash up mixtape, sees them integrate their most popular single ‘Pompeii’ with Calvin Harris and Florence Welch’s 2012 dance anthem ‘Sweet Nothing’.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reQNCqMWuP8?rel=0]
A sample from the 1999 film American beauty starts off the song in an eerie way and the percussive sound carries on through the first half of the song. Lead singer Dan Smith sings the verse of ‘Sweet Nothing’ on top of ‘Pompeii’s’ chord sequence and it just fits perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle. The Pompeii chorus kicks in, accompanied by Calvin Harris’ wonderful production, and the song doubles in size. As the end of the track approaches the sample returns and concludes. An unexpected triumph at only 2 minutes and 33 seconds long but all good things come in small packages!
Words by Frances
Black Elephant // Tame Impala and Kanye West
What happens when you combine an Australian psychedelic rock band with a screaming outraged and controversial rapper? At first it may sound like a distorted cacophony of noise, but this mix is anything but that. This is a musical masterpiece.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBms8V-_Yak?rel=0]
‘Elephant’ by Tame Impala is an aggressive psych killer stomp, complete with sparks of retro synths and one thundering, catchy bass line. A driving, bass-heavy and deliriously psychedelic distorted synth and powerful guitar riffs merge to create this certified ‘banger’. In comparison, the battering drum and sampled screaming used on Black Skinhead, West appears to be operating under the influence and on the verge of insanity, ready to cause mayhem. Kanye’s freneticism and urgency to make it such a thrill couldn’t have been any better.
If it wasn’t already aggressive enough, this mash up is punching the listener in the face with real force. The flawless combination of the boisterous, foot tapping, bassline and haunting ‘AH!’ sounds are a perfect combination.
Words by Bill Edgar
Scumbody Told Me // Arctic Monkeys and The Killers
When I first heard this mashup I was lost for words because I’ve never heard two songs fit so well together, almost as if they were written for each other. The moment when the two songs combined was similar to the feeling of hearing a good drop for the first time, but in an indie-rock way. The mashup starts off with the beginning of When the Sun Goes Down (Arctic Monkeys), however when the song would usually drop into its heavy distortion, it merges with Somebody Told Me (the Killers).
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrO3RKR20F4?rel=0]
Then the well-known guitar riff of When the Sun Goes Down plays at the same time of Brandon Flowers’s singing of his chorus. Another great moment of the mashup is when the chorus of When the Sun Goes Down is being sung, at the same time of the backing singing of Somebody Told Me. The perfect match.
Words by Tamara
[Compiled by Beth Kirkbride]