Lizzyville

Top 20 Albums of 2008

 

Remixes, in their own right

Does anyone take remixes seriously? Well, yes, you'd be surprised. Search around music blogs using elbo.ws or Hype Machine and the vast majority of what you'll find is remixes.  Search MGMT (dunno why you would)  and you'll find remixes of their tracks "Electric Feel" (I thought it was 'eel'??) and "Time to Pretend" by Tronik Youth, Justice, James Rutledge, and some more. In this case, it means the original songs aren't really that good. Same goes for New Young Pony Club, who has also been remixed 5 million times. Why is this? In many cases, at least this year, it's because people just wanna dance, which I also claimed in a review of Martina Topley-Bird's terrible second album.

Many times the original tracks were half-obliging, and the remixes go full throttle, amping things up, speeding things up, chocking electro house up to Misshapes and a Samantha Ronson set.

A case where the original song yields something incredible is Beck's "Missing," from Guero. Air's remix virtually changes the key, or at least turns something vertiginous and set in a jungle to something wistful and elegant. Air's sparkly space stuff lays down a foundation, a solid, firm-footed beat for the floaty, unresolved wanderings of Beck's orchestration. I first heard the remix in the Virgin Megastore in Union Square. Considering every time I walk in there they're either playing Coldplay or U2, this was kind of refreshing. It comes from an entire album of remixes you might have heard of called Guerolito. But contrary to the title's meaning, some of the remixes are bigger and bolder than the originals. At base, the song still isn't going to go entirely where you want it to; it gets monotonous halfway through. But the triumphant beginning is worth a listen.

Here it go:

Beck - "Heaven Hammer (Missing) Remixed by Air"

Dare I add "Ignition (Remix)" to this list? Does anyone even know what the original "Ignition" sounds like?

Pretty old Beck

Only a father could write this song.

Beck - "New Round" (from The Information)

Becky-poo

I know, we are supposed to have given up on Beck after Guero. But he's the type of musician you keep coming back to curiously. It would be rude not to. And I actually kind of liked The Information. Now we have the Zombies-y Modern Guilt, with a cover that resembles like, a quarterly journal on photography, and has all but one track produced by Danger Mouse. Is it better than the Gnarls Barkley record? Probably. Are any of the tracks memorable? Yes, probably three: "Modern Guilt," "Gamma Ray," and "Profanity Prayers," which is so Radiohead c. 2007 it will drive you nuts. Ok, here it is, suckers.

Radiohead bits begin at 0:28 and last til about 0:49, but that chugging guitar lick is all Radiohead!
Radiohead bits resume in a big way at 2:08 and end at 2:31

Beck - "Profanity Prayers"

P.S. Don't you think Kate Hudson's son looks like Beck? I do.

nous, il y a longtemps