Whether due to highly flammable vocals, otherworldly beats or the mere presence of Weezy, certain songs are simply mashup gold. Recently I used the phrase “mashup darling” to describe Down’s “Lean Like A Cholo,”  and surely any track by Jigga or the Young Money inmate would also fit the bill. However, the apotheosis of this phrase is undoubtedly The Knife’s “Heartbeats.” The first track off the Swedish duo’s sophomore album Deep Cuts is an astounding combination of poignant lyricism and an infectious beat. The song manages to be both haunting and explosive; a lethal blend that makes it irresistible to a wide-range of listeners (and mashup artists).

In addition to popular covers by Jose Gonzalez as well as Scala & Kolacny Brothers, I discovered six different mashups featuring the track in my iTunes library. While this may only confirm my consistent taste and overwhelmingly large music collection, I believe it’s also a testament to the far-reaching appeal of “Heartbeats.” With mashes by A-Trak and E-603, featuring the likes of Drizzy, Yeezy, M.I.A. and Grizzly Bear, the variations of “Heartbeats” feature some of the best in the business. To evaluate the tracks, I channeled the Sports Guy (that’s Bill Simmons you hipsters) and created a pyramid to illustrate their varying levels of success.

Level 1 a.k.a. “the flyest of the fly” features A-Trak’s “Get ‘Em High (Remix)” and POTAMIC’s “The Way Heartbeats (Eminem vs. The Knife).” Both mashups take similar approaches; introduce incredible rap verses to the contagious “Heartbeats,” let them get to know each other, and watch the sweet harmonious love-making that ensues.

Level 2 a.k.a. “still fly with unforgivable shortcomings” includes, E-603’s “Bittersweet Heartbeats,” DJ Topcat’s “Paper Heartbeats (M.I.A. vs. The Knife),” and Press Play Deejay’s “Heartbeats Forever (Drake vs. The Knife).” E-603’s Something For Everyone hit finds itself in Level 2 due to it’s lesser quality, but more importantly because of Mr. Ward’s prolonged failure to accept my Facebook friend request (I mean seriously, what’s a brotha gotta do?). DJ Topcat’s mashup finds itself demoted to Level 2 because the “Paper Planes” beat is far too incredible to ever be removed. And finally Press Play Deejay’s cardinal sin is the removal of Eminem’s career-saving verse. Lebron tell Press Play what’s up.

Level 3’s a.k.a. “great song choices but half-ass combination” sole member is PARRKA’s “Knife/Heartbeats (Grizzly Bear vs. The Knife). I love both songs, and especially the witty wordplay of “Knife” vs. the Knife (that’s sharp, aaand boom goes the dynamite). However, PARRKA tries too hard to let both lead and in the end, neither song benefits. Perhaps because they are too similar, the tracks never truly unite and instead amount to an inept 5+ minute mishap.

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Get ‘Em High (A-Trak Remix) – Kanye West (YSI)

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The Way Heartbeats (Eminem vs. The Knife) – POTAMIC (YSI)

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Bittersweet Heartbeats – E-603 (YSI)

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Paper Heartbeats (M.I.A. vs. The Knife) – DJ Topcat (YSI)

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Heartbeats Forever (Drake vs. The Knife) – Press Play Deejay (YSI)

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Knife/Heartbeats (Grizzly Bear vs. The Knife) – PARRKA (YSI)

Related posts:

1. Subject: Please Post My Music
2. Top 5 Mashups of 2009

New suits in space!

Once upon a bible, Jesus spent 40 days and nights in the wilderness. I could tell you why, but I’m too lazy to ask my dad (getting told bible stories is the worst). I’m not going to call myself Jesus because we all remember why John Lennon was shot, but I will say this: I have returned from my own 22 days in the wilderness (or 317 blogdays), and, as I remember Jesus did, I’ve returned bearing a domain name. Yes, as you may have noticed when you clicked your old animalshow.wordpress.com bookmark, we’ve set up shop over at theanimalshow.org. And though my absence may have led you to frequent tears and repeated questioning of whether life is worth continuing, rest assured I’m back and badder than ever.

If your continual frantic facebook messages, emails, and drunken tweets are any indication, you haven’t taken the absence well. You want to know why it is I’ve abandoned you. Well, folks, there’s a joke answer and a real one. One is that I’ve been busy building an Uncle Fumerous entirely out of purple, green, and orange Play-Doh.

The other is that I’d simply burned out on mp3 blogs. For a little while now, I’d been feeling oversaturated with new music. The dozen odd requests for listens and mp3s I get sent daily don’t help, but I felt like it was time for me to take a step back and reevaluate what it was I wanted to do as a blogger, or whether I wanted to continue at all. It was becoming very clear that the need I felt to post 6-sentence blurbs daily to maintain my position on hype machine was sucking most of the fun out of this, and I ended up posting the sort of stuff I would normally sit on in order to keep a new post on the front page. The hours I spent on the top 100 songs charts on hype machine waiting for my songs rank among the time I spent playing one-suit spider solitaire as the time I consider most uselessly wasted. And they provided less entertainment at the time than spider solitaire.

Guess which answer was the joke!

Anyway, I’ve decided that, from now on, I’m only posting material I’m really excited about. I won’t put stuff up in order to have stuff up. And I’m not going to try to be on the verge of something hot and new. If I like it, I’ll post it. Old, new, obscure, mainstream, remixed, original — who cares. Just good material, and just when it speaks to me.

That said, I think I’ve got enough stuff from the past weeks to continue posting regularly for some time, so don’t take this as a “yeah, I’m back, but only when I want to be.” I’m still here for you, and I still want feedback, as always. Besides, we’ve got a number of pretty cool additions we’ll be sending your way. Longtime spiritual advisor Louis Weeks will be joining the staff to provide live reviews of up-and-coming bands he finds in the scene this summer, and that super-secret surprise Marquis Meowmers alluded to some time ago is still on the way. Keep your mouses pointing here, dudes. This is the summer of the Show.

Until we meet again (and it will be soon, I promise), here are some sweet summer songs for you to scarf down, including the song I listened to 57 times since we last spoke: Nickel Creek/Chris Thile’s phenomenal “If You’re Gonna Leave Me (Set Me Up With One of Your Friends).”

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If You’re Gonna Leave Me (Set Me Up With One of Your Friends) – Nickel Creek (mega) (YSI)

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Blame It (feat. T-Pain) – Jamie Foxx (mega) (YSI)

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Forgot About Coke & 11th (Starters Remix) – Eminem & Spank Rock (mega) (YSI)

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The Reeling (Calvin Harris Remix) – Passion Pit (mega) (YSI)

Related posts:

1. Another Reintroduction (and more Thile)

Show me your moves, indeed.

After a lengthy spring break from the Show, ably handled by my co-captains with covers, mashes, and MSPainted shutters galore, I’m back in full force. It’s Edward time, bitches. And I’ve decided that, with the extra time SB09 has given me, I’m going to be treating all ya’ll to some full album recommendations. It’s gonna be the beginning of a weekly album feature, where we try to turn you onto sweet gems, new, old, hip and forgotten. Quick! Sweep everything off your desk in a symbolic room-making gesture. It’s Show time. Animal Show time.

Coming at you first is a monsterpiece of a compositional sampling album from some sweet dudes called Super Mash Bros., who have unleashed “Fuck Bitches. Get Euros.” on the world. For the uninitiated of you, compositional sampling is the full-album kind of mash-upping, a la Girl Talk and my personal favorite, E-603. The problem is that, at this point, many of the potential matches have been played out. Hence Mash Bros. promise to be “Girl Talk’s hot cousin,” and obviously one who’s sporting sweet nineties jorts, an oversized polo, long, long blonde hair and spunky sneaks. And, like every good mash-up album, it’s got the sort of moments that make you grin with the brilliance of the pairing.

For sampling purposes, I’m providing 4 of the tracks streaming. I’ll let them more or less speak for themselves, but let me fill you in on what you’re not hearing: In “D.G.A.F.L.Y.F.”, there’s a bone-chilling mix of “Crank That” and DaRude’s deathless “Sandstorm,” which will make your grandmother break both her hips with some serious heel-toeing. In “Testarossas for Everyone!” we find yet another “Say Yeah”/”Better off Alone” mash, coming tied to Li’l Mama’s “Lip Gloss.” I should be tired of all these songs, but, damn it all if they don’t keep getting better. Also, I think the Bros should get mega points for the moment in their brilliantly-titled “Broseidon, Lord of the Brocean,” where Imogen Heap’s “Hide and Seek” is paired with “Tipsy,” which then transitions into “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” and Death Cab’s “Title and Registration.” One other serious highlight is Modest Mouse’s “Float On” flowing into Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me,” both bouncing over “Miss New Booty,” which has me grinning ear to ear as I type. And if “I Fucking Bleed Purple and Gold” doesn’t sell you with its “Kids” vs. Eminem moment, don’t read my blog, dammit, because you obviously have feet for ears and snot for brains.

Listen, download, dance:

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I’m Onto Something (That’s What She Said) – Super Mash Bros.

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I Fucking Bleed Purple and Gold – Super Mash Bros.

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Stop That Booty (Here We Come) – Super Mash Bros.

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Meet Me at Fantasy Island – Super Mash Bros.

Download the album for free here. Listening to this album will be the best half hour of your day.

Super Mash Bros. will make you poop gold. It's a fact.

Related posts:

1. You Know I'm No Good
2. Ziggy Stardust Remixed…ALBUM
3. Passionately Pitting