#20 Foster The People “Houdini” (Green Children remix)
The art of the remix will be mentioned in this next list of songs as sometimes (but not always) can a remix improve on a song. Foster The People have been known to dabble in remixes themselves, and when I heard this remix in a store one day I didn’t even realize it was them during the first minute of the song. The Green Children remix dazzles by grabbing you from the very start and not letting you go till the end. It’s also important to note that the duo remixed this for the SOS Children’s Village charities too. Foster The People’s lyrics are quite inspiring – encouraging young folks to “focus on your ability” rather than disappearing because of fear. I don’t know how that all fits into their own odd but innovative Grammy-nominated video. You can watch the animated one to the Green Children remix as well as the original below.
#19 Eric Saade “Fingerprints”
I’ll bet regular readers of this blog were wondering when Le Saade would appear, right? “Fingerprints” is one of three songs from Saade Volume Two to grace this list and reach the Top 3 on my chart. Somehow the Swedish star’s glory needs to spread outside of the Nordic countries, and I thought the propulsive electronica from that album would have been a sure thing – and it might have, had the album been released in more places. Nonetheless, “Fingerprints” is a great story (“there’s no face in the mirror / your image is the killer”) and guaranteed to make large crowds bounce along.
#18 Joe Jonas “Make You Mine”
If people would have told me two years ago that some of my favourite songs of 2012 would have been by Joe Jonas, I probably would have given them strange looks. But here it is at #18, the best song from Joe’s Fastlife album “Make You Mine”, a smartly written and romantic (“Gonna rock with you til sunrise /Can I, let me do all the little things you like”) slice of pop/electronica with a driven melody and couldn’t-be-better vocal from Joe. Should. Have. Been. A. Single.
#17 Kyle Patrick “Go For Gold”
This free download and precursor to Kyle’s self-titled EP finds the 26 year old Georgia born singer of The Click Five continuing with his energetic brand of power pop that has given him and his band much success in Southeast Asia, where he has continued to tour throughout most of 2012. Why this couldn’t have spread more to the rest of the world is a little beyond me. “Go For Gold” in fact is the perfect song for any Olympics celebration. Its upbeat singalong message is simply contagious and inspiring (“Chasing every heartbeat / We can feel it starting” “Chase it till we own it / Living in the moment”). Kyle acquitted the song perfectly in the video (also available in 3D!!), which didn’t look like it had a lot of edits, giving it a free-flowing roam-around-a-set feel.
#16 Lana Del Rey “Blue Jeans” (Penguin Prison remix)
Remix case-in-point #2. Take Lana Del Rey’s dreamy and flowing “Blue Jeans” from her Born To Die album, throw in a funky backdrop to continue to highlight her Stevie Nicks-ish sounding vocal on the song and layer some lush keyboards around it, and you have the basis for Penguin Prison’s sexy remix, which to me blows the original out of the water. This remix of “Blue Jeans” continues to be one of my most-played songs even though it arrived for free online late last year. And I had the pleasure of seeing Penguin Prison perform the remix in concert twice this year. Check out all three – original video, remix, and Penguin Prison’s performance – below.
#15 Swedish House Mafia featuring John Martin “Don’t You Worry Child”
Sometimes we all need a positive message and when it’s set to some rich EDM it makes the experience even better! Such is the case as Swedish House Mafia apparently close the door on their project with this worldwide smash, featuring powerful and touching vocals by singer John Martin. “Don’t You Worry Child” held court at #1 on my chart for 2 appearances (4 weeks) starting in late November. It’s a Grammy nominee for Dance Recording of the Year.
#14 Kylie Minogue “Timebomb”
I continue to ask myself why Kylie’s best and most accessible record in 10 years did not become a major hit outside of Australia. Despite raves from bloggers and music fans, the song disappeared in short order, which is a shame. It’s a fun song, a terrific dance floor filler, and a great companion to something like “Till the World Ends” by Britney Spears. I think time will serve this song well! Fun video, too, below.
#13 Florence & The Machine “Spectrum” (Calvin Harris remix)
Always a favourite song of mine from Florence’s sophomore album Ceremonials, “Spectrum” somehow managed to be improved with the help of a Calvin Harris remix, which sent it to #1 in the UK among other places (it was also a #1 US dance club play smash). The remix takes advantage of what a big and dynamic song it is, with a smashing vocal performance that cannot be bested (despite game attempts in viral covers, including on “The Voice”). I’m glad the group ended up with two Grammy nominations this year, as did Harris for Best Dance Recording for “Let’s Go” (but, oddly enough, not for Remixer).
#12 Penguin Prison “Don’t Fuck With My Money”
Strangely enough, by the time Penguin Prison’s album surfaced in mid-2011, I think I was still caught up in songs like “Multi-Millionaire” and “Golden Train”, though I had heard this song already in concert. Being the album’s opener, though, it does set a tone, and by late last year its anthemic urgency had won me over big time, becoming impossible not to sing along with it at a Penguin Prison concert. Audiences and club DJ’s agreed, and it became a Top 10 Billboard Dance/Club Play hit that will endure. I can’t wait for more new music from Chris Glover and Penguin Prison in ’13.
#11 River Tiber “Symmetry”
From Now On, the debut album from Toronto band River Tiber, who are one of my 13 Performers To Watch For ’13, is my current go-to album when I want to drift away with songs that have glorious mood changes and deliberate moments of quiet. “Symmetry” is one of the songs that contains exactly that, with a charming and subtle vocal by Tommy Paxton-Beasley till he sings “I thought I could fall in to you” half way through, which actually becomes the uncharacteristic climactic point of the song, allowing you to drift along with it like you would in a really solid good dream. “Symmetry” (in a chart geek moment 😉 the only song this year to peak at #2 on my chart) is the first of two songs on this list from River Tiber, whose next album Synapses drops on January 1.