Track of the week:
‘Cheerleader’ by Grizzly Bear (Neon Indian 6669 remix)
It is interesting how Neon Indian has such a distinct sound. Even while remixing the likes of Grizzly Bear who really couldn’t be further away from Neon Indian’s stuff it is his signature sound which is immediately recognizable. Such an off beat pairing can have disastrous results, but actually the way Neon Indian transforms the vocals and the sound of the original track makes it not only different from the original, but in its own right really good as well. The dreamy lo-fi noise of Neon Indian merges surprisingly well with the angelic voices and the carefully crafted dreaminess of Grizzly Bear’s original. Colour me surprised, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this one as much. No idea what that more experimental bit does there around the three quarter mark though, but ten seconds of weirdness is not enough to do away with my enjoyment of this remix.
http://hypem.com/track/966896/Grizzly+Bear+-+Cheerleader+Neon+Indian+Studio+6669+Remix+
‘Honeytrap’ by We Have Band (Le Matos remix)
I’ve seen this band twice over the course of the year, and this closing song has always stood out. So no wonder it is in line for a single release (or a clip in any case). Le Matos throws a bit of a beat on it so it is even more club friendly. The build up with the increasing volume of the voice is good, and the remix seems to take even more of a sinister turn than the original, especially because of the renewed way of the vocals and the interplay with the beat. The synthy addition one thirds in is very nice as well, not so much aiding the sinister vibe, but it does add to the club vibe. The incorporation of the female vocals is a bit odd though, since it doesn’t really seem to complement both initially, though when the underlying beat is sped up a bit it starts to merge a tad better.
http://hypem.com/track/971080/WE+HAVE+BAND+-+WE+HAVE+BAND+Honey+Trap+Le+Matos+remix+
‘Something Golden’ by Le Corps Mince de Francoise (Zebra & Snake remix)
There’s a slight problem for me personally with this track, namely that Le Corps Mince de Francoise and their Finnish rap or (whatever it is) does not really click with me, and the Arabian noises Zebra & Snake add to it in this remix really is not my cup of tea at all. It does take a bit of the edge off of the usual Le Corps Mince de Francoise sound, which I can only encourage from my point of view, but what comes in its place is not really much better. Perhaps if you either like the band or like the more Arabian vibe that Zebra & Snake add to it you might find this remix to be enjoyable. For me, not a fan of either, it is rather hard to say anything positive about it except that, in terms of how the remix is executed, it is rather decent.
http://hypem.com/track/967514/Le+Corps+de+Mince+Francoise+-+Something+Golden+Zebra+and+Snake+remix+
‘Gimme’ by Headman feat. Dieter Meier (In Flagranti blog edit)
This is, on all accounts, for the club. Fitting for any DJ set with a bit of house in it. If you were at the Tiga set at Lowlands you might know where I’m driving at (or downloaded the BBC1 mix or any other DJ set that has been floating around the net). Then again, if you know In Flagranti you perhaps know what to expect just as well. Danceable, catchy, beat and synth in order to get you moving on the dancefloor. It is up-tempo and for everyone willing to hit the dancefloor, this song should incite that much. The vocal participation of Dieter Meier consists of “gimme gimme gimme”, and bar from one three word set in the middle it takes until the last quarter of the song to arrive. So if it is vocals you are after, then you might as well skip half of it. Being a blog edit apparently it should be kept short (I thought radio edits were for this) so it cuts off rather abruptly. Then again, when worked into a DJ set, who will know?
http://hypem.com/track/965195/Headman+ft+Dieter+Meier+-+Gimme+In+Flagranti+Remix+Blog+Edit+
‘Written in Reverse’ by Spoon
For some reason, don’t ask me why, the piano reminds me a bit of a saloon intro? Not sure whether that connotation makes any sense (either to you or in general), but well, that’s what it says to me. But the rest is no saloon hokey pokey thingy. Especially the recurring growl is lovely, and it might indicate a bit of frustration which is let out, which probably incidentally is what he is doing in the letter as well. Love the drums around 2:30 where they seemingly sound a bit more menacing. With that said, not the best I’ve heard Spoon do. I fancy ‘Got Nuffin’’ a bit more to be honest. It is a fair enough track though, and I do like the stop and go around the three quarter mark. That is something that never fails to enthuse me.
http://hypem.com/track/973723/Spoon+-+Written+in+Reverse
‘Happy House’ by The Juan MacLean (Cut Copy remix)
The thing is though, can you better the original by The Juan MacLean? Or even, can you better the live version of it? Not really, no, so that is why it is refreshing to hear from the get go that Cut Copy (them from last year’s impeccable In Ghost Colours) is just doing something new with it. To start off you have a sort of robotic male voice singing “Launch me into space”, after which you hear Nancy Whang’s vocals singing the same thing, but more fluent and angelic naturally. Those male vocals recur as well, often with another deep male voice saying “House” in between. It does not mind crossing genres as well it seems, and perhaps that is why this remix sounds so nice, because it is just playing and moving, and even though there are different phases in the song it moves fluently from one to another. The raw material is of course the best track ever (well, but you know, it is just very, very good) so unless you go on and butcher it, it is bound to come out good, and the guys from Cut Copy know how to do this, and it is just a very fun and well executed mix adding some nice stuff to it.
http://hypem.com/track/970131/Juan+MacLean+-+Happy+House+Cut+Copy+Remix+
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