Remix albums are tricky propositions, doubly so for anyone who is a fan of the original material. Will a series of remixes shine any new light on something you enjoy or will it create an endless stream of inferior versions? I have been a Nick Cave fan for years and also thoroughly enjoyed his rock and roll diversions in Grinderman, so how would myself (and others like me) feel about Grinderman 2 RMX, an album full of remixes from 2010’s excellent Grinderman 2 record.
For this record Grinderman have gathered a diverse array of remixers and collaborators such as Nick ZInner, Matt Berringer (The National), Cat’s Eyes, and Silver Alert. They are a strange group to be sure and the results are also appropriately strange. “Hyper Worm Tamer” (by UNKLE) is a revelation, transforming what was arguably one of the original album’s weaker songs into a full blown James Bond theme. A Place To Bury Strangers on the other hand amplify the song to haggard neo-punk levels of sonic intensity. Obviously not every reinterpretation is a resounding success. “Mickey Bloody Mouse” (by Queens Of The Stone Age’s Joshua Homme) is toothless and frustrating as it squanders that song’s primal scream down to a muddled twitch. Perhaps Cat’s Eyes seductive rendition of “When My Baby Comes” is more your speed, all cooed vocals and feedback.
The album is bookended by unremixed tracks. The first is “Super Heathen Child” which finds Grinderman joined by King Crimson mastermind Robert Fripp on guitar. As an enormous King Crimson fan nothing could warm my heart more than these esteemed gentlemen laying down a dark, heavy jam that rivals the original track in sheer awesomeness. The new solo in the outro is utterly goose-bump inducing. At the other end of the record is a demo version of the song “Evil” called, what else, “First Evil”. Is Grinderman 2 RMX essential, even to a die-hard fan? Not really but does offer a series of thought-provoking remixes by a motley crew of cult heroes and musical luminaries.
Country: UK / Australia
Recommended Tracks: Super Heathen Child, Hyper Worm Tamer
Rating: B-
No comments:
Post a Comment