Ladytron's Witching Hour was one of 2005's true gems. Often given the electroclash label (mistakenly), the group has been making great records long enough to withstand the rise and fall of trends in dance music. Their new EP, aptly titled Extended Play comes full of remixes from last year's album and some new tracks in a similar vein. If you enjoyed Witching Hour then you may find the new EP complimentary, but otherwise it is hardly exemplary of what they are capable of. The question is really how do you make club anthems out of songs that are already brilliantly equipped for the dance floor? "High Rise" (Club Mix) is dreadfully repetitive, while former Smashing Pumpkin James Iha fares a bit better. His remix of "Weekend" strips away much of the instrument- ation, substituting it with a beat and handclaps, sounding ridiculously DFA. Likewise, "Destroy Everything You Touch" (Catholic Remix) slows down the beat and plays up the darker elements. With the exception of "High Rise," all of the remixes are genuinely fun, but all suffer from the fact that they do not stray far from the original. The three new songs are decent, but not remarkable. "Citadel" and "Tender Talons" are instrumentals that has you impatiently awaiting vocals until the fade out. "Nothing to Hide" is the EP's high point with its dark, sexy keyboards and monologue.3 (out of 5)
::do yourself a favor and purchase Witching Hour if you have not already. It's one of Hillary's favorites - especially "Beauty 2"
Big Stereo has "Weekend" (James Iha Remix) for your listening pleasure
The CD also comes with a DVD featuring the videos for "Destroy Everything You Touch" and "Sugar" (below)::
1 comment:
The video has a very stylish feel to it, and while I like the songs, I would need to alternate them with other music. My ears are not yet attuned to large quantities of (non)electroclash.
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