I know that 2008 is, like, totally over — but that doesn’t mean we can’t already begin revisiting it in ironic/nostalgia mode. And what’s the best vehicle for that? The mashup, of course.
DJ Earworm, who put together a similar roundup last year, has not only spliced together — super seamlessly — the Billboard top 25 of 2008, he’s mashed the videos too. Using a Coldplay instrumental gives all these autotuned crooners an oddly melancholy / meditative sound. Seems about right —
(thx 4 the tip, greg!)
this mashup is incredible! and i agree about the melancholic choice of coldplay. the irony of kate perry’s line “i liked it” is perfect for the year-end. though, i coulda used a little less alicia keys and more beyoncé (too bad “single ladies” didn’t make the cut.) regardless, big ups to dj earworm.
LOVED IT. MOAR PLZ.
Well-done, I gotta say, especially the way in which he managed to pitch and sequence all of the vocals so that they weren’t too dissonant with the harmonies from the Coldplay track he used as the foundation. I suppose picking the right set of chord changes probably helped a lot (i.e., one that is short, cyclic, doesn’t modulate into distant keys or use particularly unusual chords). On the other hand, if I were Adorno, this is where I would triumphantly proclaim this as proof-positive that all pop music is interchangeable, formulaic, pseudo-individualizing, etc. etc.
but I’m not like that, yo.
If Adorno had employed mashups to make his arguments, I’d be a lot more sympathetic, I suspect. Paul Whiteman vs. Caruso?