I don't sleep--it's kinda hard when you cry; yeah, that's where you left me

I realize loads of bloggers already know about the song I'm posting today--I know D'luv, Mike, Adem, and Mobius all do and I'm sure there are others--and that I've mentioned it roughly fifty million times, two factors that you would think would negate the need to post it--but I'm posting it anyway. Stephanie McIntosh is best known for appearing on Australian TV show Neighbours, but a couple of years ago she launched a music career with the pop-rock single "Mistake," which I thought was a decent post-Kelly Clarkson song. She released a few other singles as well as an album, Tightrope, in Australia and I remember there being talk of her releasing music in the UK--which maybe even happened, but not successfully--but by far the best thing she's ever given us is a remix that forsakes the pop-rock stylings of that album and is instead pure unadulterated dance-pop of the best sort.

Mistake (Jewels & Stones Radio Edit)--the very definition of a dance-pop stormer. The guitars themselves have generally been taken out, but the glossy electronic sounds they've been replaced with somehow still manage to capture their essence, meaning that "Mistake" has lost none of its power or punch. In fact, if anything, Jewels & Stone have taken the song's power and energy up several notches, in addition to giving it a much-needed polish and tossing in some handclaps here and there. "Mistake" has been turned into a complete hands-up-in-the-air dance anthem, just the sort of cheesy upbeat (not lyrically, but musically) dance-pop the world can never get enough of. I love pop-rock, but if there was ever a case for tossing out all guitars in favor of nothing but dance and Europop, this remix is it.

Also, tradition obligates me to at this point mention the Reactor Mix of Kate DeAraugo's "Faded," which isn't quite as good as this remix but is still amazing and yet another example of female-sung Australian pop-rock being transformed into bright shiny dance-pop and being all the better for it.

I got this remix back when her MySpace (temporarily) posted it as a free download and now looking around I'm not sure where you buy the Jewels & Stone radio edit (beyond promo CDs); the deluxe edition of Stephanie McIntosh's album Tightrope does contain a Jewels & Stone mix of "Mistake" which Sanity says is the radio edit but Wikipedia says is a longer mix. Either way, that album can be bought here (physical). The longer remix can be purchased here digitally.

Next up: maybe those American singers.