Remix Monday 4/30 | Björk, Spank Rock, Diplo, CSS, The White Stripes & Patrick Wolf
For whatever reason, Remix Roundup just wasn’t working anymore, so it’s been changed to Remix Monday. While todays remixes may look a little random, they’re all actually tangentially interrelated. I started with Björk, which led me to the Spank Rock remix of ‘Earth Intruders’. From there, all these other artists popped up. There are some really great remixes here, but I think my favorite would have to be Beck’s remix of Alarm Call. He tears the song apart, then uses the most unlikely parts as beats. It’s actually a little funny at times. Enjoy.
Björk – Alarm Call (Bjeck Remix)(Beck).mp3
Björk – Alarm Call (Rhythmic Phonetics Remix)(Matmos).mp3
Björk – All Is Full Of Love (Plaid Remix).mp3
Björk – Army Of Me (Army Of Klaus Remix)(Patrick Wolf).mp3
Björk – Earth Intruders (Spank Rock Remix).mp3
CSS – Let’s Make Love And Listen Death From Above (Diplo Remix).mp3
CSS – Let’s Make Love And Listen Death From Above (Spank Rock Remix).mp3
Lily Allen – Alfie (CSS Remix).mp3
M.I.A. – Bird Flu (Diplo Remix).mp3
Mika – Love Today (Patrick Wolf Remix).mp3
Spank Rock – Put That Pussy On Me (Diplo Tonite Remix).mp3
Interpol | The Heinrich Maneuver
Just a week ago, we knew nothing about Interpol’s third album. It was a mystery to everyone. Then, earlier this past week, the cryptic numbers 07.10.07 appeared on their website. From there, the details came rushing out. The tracklist, the title, and now, an actual song, all appeared. I have to admit to never really getting into Interpol that much, and the new track, the Heinrich Maneuver does little to persuade me. It’s a fine song, and a good single, but it’s a little to light and poppy for my tastes. But those vocals are still pretty great.
Pioneer (Live) (Much better than ‘Heinrich’, in my opinion)
The Heinrich Maneuver (Live)
Björk | Declare Independence Live @ Coachella
If you’ve heard Declare Independence, you’ve probably dreamed of hearing it live. Well, the folks over at Coachella got just that opportunity, when Björk performed ‘Declare Independence’ as an encore. It doesn’t disappoint live, as we can infer from the crowd’s reception. It’s every bit as kick-ass as the album version, but even more so when you mix it with Björk’s trademark crazy dancing and the light show. The backup singers even have flags to wave. I wish I was there to see it, as I’m sure the video only captures a tiny fraction of the electricity from that stage. Enjoy, and remember to use headphones.
Björk – Bachelorette.mp3 [from Homogenic]
Best Of 4/21
The most popular tracks posted on SC this week.
Of Montreal -I Was A Landscape In Your Dream (Grizzly Bear Remix)
Dntel – Breakfast In Bed (ft. Conor Oberst).mp3
The White Stripes – Icky Thump.mp3 (Radio Rip)
Best of 4/21.rar (Coming soon)
Feist | The Reminder
While I liked Let It Die, I wasn’t really a Feist fan. She had some great songs, sure, but I was too annoyed with the lack of original material on Let It Die to be really excited about her. So, my expectations for The Reminder were modest; I was expecting something the same level as Let It Die. So when I heard The Reminder for the first time, about two months ago, I couldn’t have been more astounded.
It simply leaves her previous two albums looking like amateurish messes. And really they were, at least by the new standards Feist has set with The Reminder. It’s that obscenely good. Every element she’s ever experimented with – folk-rock, lounge jazz, rock, pop, and dance – all come together beautifully here; There’s not a single bad track on the entire album.
If those elements are the ice cream, hot fudge, and whipped cream of The Reminder, Feist herself is the cherry on top; the perfect addition to an already great mix. Her voice is one of the best in modern music; so full and rich, yet capable of such quiet delicateness when neccessary. If a 193’0s jazz singer time-traveled to 2007, this is exactly what she’d sound like.
This is a must buy album for 2007, right up there with Panda Bear and LCD. It’s Feist’s defining album, and will likely be her masterpiece, the reason why she’ll be remembered. Every bit of promise she’s ever shown comes to fruition on this album. There’s simply no excuse for not buying this album.
Justice | D.A.N.C.E. (Extended)
A few weeks back I posted Justice’s remix of Franz Ferdinand’s ‘The Fallen’ from a few years back, citing it as one of my favorite remixes. Despite that, I just barely got around to listening to Justice’s latest release, the D.A.N.C.E. EP. D.A.N.C.E. is one of those tracks that doesn’t leave much of an impression at first; but a few hours later, as you’re walking down the street, you’ll find yourself humming the tune and walking to the beat. It’s just a dance beat with children on vocals, but it becomes much more than the sum of it’s parts after a few listens.
The D.A.N.C.E. EP was released this past Monday on 12″, and includes n extended version of D.A.N.C.E., plus B.E.A.T. and Phantom. B.E.A.T and D.A.N.C.E. are a bit similar, but they’re both so good that you probably won’t notice. Justice will release their first full length † (alt+0134) on June 4th in France, and June 10th everywhere else. If this EP is any indication, you’ll definitely want to pick up † when you get the chance.
Björk | Declare Independence
I generally don’t write about single tracks that I can’t post mp3s of, but I have to make an exception here. Those of you who’ve heard Volta know why. Those of you who haven’t, you’re in for a shock when you hear the album’s ninth track, ‘Declare Independence’. A few weeks ago, I started hearing reports from people who’d heard ‘Declare Independence’ live. Some loved it, and some hated it, but they both described it in essentially the same way; aggressive and noisy.
Yesterday I finally heard ‘Declare Independence’, and I doubt anything could have properly prepared me for it. “Noisy” doesn’t even begin to describe this track; heavy drums, buzzsaw synths, distorted guitars, and guttural, screaming vocals turn this into the most cacophonous Björk track I’ve ever heard. But cacophonous doesn’t always mean bad; in this case, it actually means brilliant. All the noise melds into a superb dance beat, and the simple, chant-like lyrics work their way into your subconscious, until you’re unknowingly repeating them along with Björk.
Declare Independence is going to be the most controversial track on Volta; it’s probably going to be the most controversial Björk track ever. So far there’s a very clean split between fans. Some love it, some hate it, but barely any don’t feel strongly about it one way or the other. No matter how much I’d love to be the one to let you hear this track for the first time, I can’t be. So, instead, I’ll give you the closest thing I can think of; Homogenic‘s ‘Pluto’. The two songs share the same basic ideas, but Pluto still can’t quite describe Declare Independence properly. You’ll have to wait to hear it before that happens.
Björk – Pluto.mp3 [From Homogenic]
The White Stripes | Icky Thump
The White Stripes new single, ‘Icky Thump’, just got it’s very first play on 83 XFM, and it’s been lighting up the internet ever since. Never one to pass up some good old-fashioned hype, I guess I’ll join in, too. Thump strikes me as a little heavier than the White Stripes other material, with a tiny little dose of glam thrown in; guess those outfits weren’t just for looks. I’m beginning to wonder if the White Stripes are capable of making a bad song; so far the answer seems to be no.
Rufus Wainwright | Going To A Town
While Rufus Wainwright’s upcoming album, Release The Stars, hasn’t managed to capture my full attention quite yet, the first single, ‘Going To A Town’ certainly has. With it’s beautiful classical instrumentation, swelling structure, and of course, Wainwright’s superb vocals, it’s hard not to be impressed with ‘Going To A Town’. The lyrics are nothing to scoff at either, with lines like “Do you really think you’d go to hell for having loved” and “After soaking the body of Jesus Christ in blood/ I’m so tired of you, America”. Enjoy.
Volta Leaked . . . On iTunes
Amazingly enough, you did read that title right. Yesterday, you might have heard rumors about a Volta leak through UK iTunes, but nothing actually came of it. I wrote it off as a prank, to be honest. But now, rumors are flying around again, and it appears that Volta actually was available on UK iTunes late from Monday night to early Tuesday morning, a full two weeks before its actual release date. What does this mean for iTunes? A massive eek from Universal. This is a screw-up of the highest degree on iTunes part, and Universal have every right to be massively pissed. My guess is that iTunes is going to get one hell of a slap on the wrist.
Bjork – Oceania.mp3 [From Medúlla]
Shameless Complacency 