The War of the Penguins: Avicii vs Leona Lewis

It's no contest really. Avicii's gorgeous piano track "Penguin" has seen a couple new incarnations lately, including a Leona Lewis topline called "Collide" and Avicii's own vocal take on the track, "Fade Into Darkness." Leona Lewis' forays into electronic music have been akin to sitting at a sick one's bedside, but only during visiting hours, while Avicii's career is built on the genre. And even though Lewis' voice is an excellent example of why reality TV shows that promote truly talented people work, "Collide" sounds more like a mash-up than the Avicii's prior hit (i.e. the fusing of Tim Berg's "Bromance" with Samuele Sartini's "Love You Seek" into "Seek Bromance"), which actually is a mash-up. Ultimately, lackluster songwriting and that feeling of not quite meshing well didn't sit with me. "Fade Into Darkness," however, becomes its own evolution, blossoming into something that left me breathless and that I believe will leave more than a few other listeners breathless as well. The track plays like a more forceful Coldplay song, notably towards the end with the chorus of "Ohs." The vocals suit the melody perfectly, and if anything, it reminds of how well Alexis Jordan's "Happiness" worked, a track that effortlessly fused pop sensibilities with the juggernaut of Deadmau5's instrumental production. So truly, it is no contest. Leona Lewis tries, bless her heart, but "Fade Into Darkness" knocks "Collide" out of the water, hands down.