Photo: Shearer/WireImage
Lady Gaga vs. David Bowie, “Let’s Just Dance” [Mashup]
DJ Terry Urban treats mashups like Cage treats composition, dropping just a micro-fragment of Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” behind Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance” — to startling effect. This also marks the first occasion for either artist where subtlety has served as an asset.

Kids in the Hall vs. Grizzly Bear, “Leisure Man” [New Track/Mashup]
Well, Grizzly Bear’s entré into hip-hop is officially complete; first Jay-Z shows up at a Brooklyn show, now Kidz in the Hall are rapping over “Two Weeks.” Be honest: did anyone see this coming? And if you did, is there any way we can solicit your insight on, say, the next 15 World Series? (more…)

Photo: Boyd/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty
Snoop Dogg feat. Alicia Keys, “Snoop State of Mind” [Jay-Z Cover/Rework]
If someone had suggested, 15 or so years ago, the possibility of Snoop singing a song extolling the virtues of the East Coast, that individual would have been either ridiculed or pummeled. It would be like suggesting the possibility of ODB recording an anti-drug PSA.

ODB, “Say No” [Unreleased]
Oh, snap. (more…)

Photo: Polk/Getty

Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” [Chew Fu H1N1 Club Mix]
Are we really ready for mixes to be dubbed the “H1N1 mix”? Are we at that point yet? Last we checked, people still weren’t sure if they wanted to get the cure for that thing (see Corgan, Billy), let alone swivel their hips to it on the dance floor. Name aside, Chew Fu turns this track inside out, making it both sleek and superpowered. We anxiously await “Party in the USA (Ebola Mix).”

Beastie Boys, “Intergalactic” [Polymorphic Remix]
Polymorphic is a Russian DJ, and while the only MP3s we usually get from Russians cost 10 cents and are sold to us under a specious legal framework, this weird, warped reworking of (underrated!) Beastie Boys single “Intergalactic” enhances the fury of the original один-fold. (more…)

Photo: Diaz/WireImage

The Flaming Lips, “Eclipse” [Pink Floyd Cover]
Earlier this week, the Flaming Lips announced their intention to cover Dark Side of the Moon; this session at KCRW gives an indication of what the results might be like. Surprise, surprise: it’s spacey and languid and gorgeous, and Wayne Coyne’s trembling distant voice adds a welcome element of eerieness.

The Killers vs. La Roux, “Smile Like You’re Bulletproof” [Mashup]
Two ’80s obsessives meet head-on, and their shared aesthetic brings out the best in both songs — like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong combining to rid the world of the ghosts of mustachioed plumbers. (more…)

Led Zeppelin feat. Xaphoon Jones, Clipse and Birdman, “Whole Lotta Love” [Remix/Mashup]
Hearing Pusha T and Malice repeat “What happened to that boy?” between Plant’s pained yowl is weirdly thrilling — like they’re egging him on. Unlike most rock/hip-hop mashups, all the rappers sound genuinely great on this, matching the original’s toughness note for sneering note.

Britney Spears, “3″ [Slow Remix]
If this is the “slow” remix, what does the fast remix sound like? Those odd guitar arpeggios have the strange effect of pushing the song into Coldplay territory, which is fine, because we can’t imagine anyone is desperately wanting Coldplay themselves to write a song about a three-way. This remix will ensure that never has to happen. (more…)

Photo: Mazur/WireImage.com; Galella/WireImage.com

Miley Cyrus & the Notorious B.I.G., “Party and Bullshit in the U.S.A.” [Mashup]
What’s most remarkable about this mashup by Andrew Hathaway is how perfectly the play-doh production suits Biggie’s delivery — proving the long-held theory that Biggie could pretty much rap over anything. You guys hear that Bigge/Tesla mashup? Yeah, it’s badass.

Mariah Carey feat. Big Boi, Gucci Mane and OJ Da Juiceman, “H.A.T.E.U.” [Remix]
See, now, this is a classic case where we wish the remix was the original. It reminds us how great Mariah can sound when she’s paired with a track that deserves her, and how great Big Boi sounds pretty much all the time. (more…)

Michael Jackson, “Ain’t No Sunshine” [Benny Blanco Remix]
Blanco honors the King of Pop by completely reinventing him, working pinprick vocal samples into his jumpy, chaotic production. The accompanying video could almost function as a high-tech teaser for This is It!.

Phoenix, “Playground Love” [Air Cover]
Oui Oui: Frenchmen Phoenix tip a beret to their pop predecessors, turning out this cool and stately version of Air’s equally cool and stately “Playground Love.” Afterwards, the two bands shared baguettes and raved about Gerard Depardieu. (more…)

Photo: Allan/WireImage

Marvin Gaye vs. Jay-Z, “Hello Brooklyn” & “Girls, Let’s Get it On” [Mashup]
What’s most remarkable about the first of these mashups is how mashing up “Hello Brooklyn” with “Sexual Healing” has the inadvertent side effect of actually making Lil Wayne sing on key! Without a vocoder!.

Yael Naim, “Toxic” [Britney Spears Cover]
French/Israeli singer/songwriter Yael Naim makes this timeless Britney jam sound like a lost Portishead song. Check out the ghostly choir that comes swooping in about halfway through — listen to the slow, sad xylophones. For the first time since its creation, “Toxic” actually lives up to its title. (more…)

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Snoop Dogg, “Falling Asleep on Death Row” [Unreleased Track]
Young Snoop, how we miss thee. This spry and surprisingly underproduced song from the Dogg’s Death Row-era is a welcome reminder of the days when a Snoop reality show might have played more like a drama than a sitcom.

Pavement, “Cut Your Hair” [Live]
You hear that? That’s the sound of Pavement live. Sounds pretty good, right? Sometimes rock and roll dreams really do come true. (more…)

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The Killers & Wolfmother, “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” [Animals Cover]
If there are two bands working today that can pour more deep, personal meaning into “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” more than the Killers and Wolfmother, we’d love to know who they are.

Fiach, “Golden Slumbers” [Beatles Covers]
So, some CDs came out on Wednesday. Maybe you heard something about them? Irish artist Fiach certainly did and, canny marketer that he is, is giving away this gorgeous cover of “Golden Slumbers” (S-M’s choice for underrated Beatles masterpiece) for free. It does not, however, come in stereo and mono editions. (more…)

Photo: Sparrow/WireImage
Jay-Z, “Hate” [Aziz Ansari Remix]
The funniest thing about Ansari’s “remix” of Jay’s track is how convincingly he plays obnoxious DJ. Could it be that every annoying mixtape MC is just a frustrated stand-up comic?

Wheedle’s Groove, “Jesus Christ Pose” [Soundgarden Cover]
This week’s must hear — A scorching R&B cover of Soundgarden’s “Jesus Christ Pose” that gets to the song’s unlikely spiritual center. Your grunge Gospel revival begins here — an absolute revelation.

MGMT, “This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)” [Talking Heads Cover]
Somewhere along the line, covering this song became a requirement for all bands hoping to become the next big indie thing. Hear that, Passion Pit? Time to start working on those “Whoaah”s. (more…)

Photo: DeCaux/FilmMagic

Shakira, “She Wolf” [Various Remixes]
As if the original didn’t sound like an MGMT song, here are a pair of remixes that up chic factor of this song by several degrees. And has there ever been a pop song to use the word “lycanthropy” before this one? Not even Warren Zevon pulled that trick off.

Friendly Fires vs. M83, “We Own the Paris Sky” [Achilles Dirty Sexy Smash]
OK, so it’s not quite as sexy as the Shakira remixes. But this meeting of quasi-dance sensations M83 and Friendly Fires has a kind of sleek coolness that makes it impossible to resist. They’re Andrew McCarthy in Pretty in Pink. You want to hate them for that pastel jacket and that haircut. And yet. (more…)

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Raekwon, “Cuban Revolution” [Mixtape]
If Cuban Links II — if and when it’s ever released — is nearly half as good as the grimy, gut-punching songs on this pre-release mixtape, it will have justified its seemingly interminable delays.

Feist & the Constantines, “Islands in the Stream” [Dolly Parton Cover]
Two leading lights of Canadian indie rock slow down and spookify this Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton classic. Additonally, the title is now a reference to Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. (more…)

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U2, “Magnificent” [Fred Falke Remix]
There are several Falke remixes in this post, but this one is our pick hit — it brings this recent U2 song to life, strengthening the melody by laying it atop a whizzing techno backbeat, sounding like something the group might have attempted in their (underrated, we say) Pop era. It becomes a completely different song, one that aches and pulses and soars. Falke’s Lykke Li remix in this same post isn’t bad, either.

Bat For Lashes, “Sleep Alone” [Van Rivers & the Subliminal Kid Remix]
And we thought Bat For Lashes couldn’t get any darker. This Van Rivers remix of Natasha Kahn’s haunting “Sleep Alone” lays her vocal atop a steadily grinding backdrop, making it sound like late-period Tricky — a lone, lonesome voice floating ghostlike from the center of mechanical production. (more…)

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Nas, 1991 Demo Tape [Unreleased Demo]
This 18-year-old demo showcases a fierce young Nas tearing through a staggering collection of narratives and battle rhymes. This tape has been popping up now and then for the last few years, but the demand for it is never quite slaked. Which is something Nas may want to keep in mind, should he — for whatever reason — suddenly need to make a whole bunch of money quickly at some point in the near future.

Weezer, “Kids/Pokerface” [MGMT/Lady Gaga Cover]
This giddy, live-in-concert synthesis of MGMT’s hip floor-filler and Lady Gaga’s substantially less hip floor-filler is proof that Rivers Cuomo’s tastes remain interesting and unpredictable, even when Rivers’ records do not.

Da Chip! The Music of Daft Punk on Vintage Game Systems [Covers]
In truth, Daft Punk’s own music is only a generation or two removed from video game soundtracks, so what Da Chip! has done is just narrow the distance. Daft Punk, meet your distant cousin — MegaMan. (more…)