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love is all mixed up
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by Stephen Eddie
  • Type: Album
  • Release date: 21/01/2008
  • Label: Parlophone

Remix albums are always a risky business. They can either be a brilliant party-starting collection of floor filling reworkings, or a load of messing about intent on ruining your favourite songs. The risk is minimal, though, when you’re dealing with songs already as good as those off Love Is All’s debut ‘Nine Times That Same Song’ (If you don’t own it and you like experimental new wave with lots of skronky sax, purchase it immediately. It’s one of the best records to come out of Sweden in recent years, and that’s saying something). Not only that, but when you’ve got the likes of Maps, Hot Chip and Glaswegian super DJs Optimo on board, what can go wrong? Not much, that’s what.

But before the big guns, there are some more obscure offerings. The version of ‘Felt Tip’ by anti-folktronica whiz kid frYars is less of a remix, and more of an ace glitch-ridden cover; with Josephine Olausson’s yelp reduced to a sample and Ben Garret’s off-kilter tones taking over the lyrics. The stupidly underrated Metronomy’s take on ‘Spinning & Scratching’ sounds achingly street. From streets that host NYC block parties every day, that is. The Bee’s ruff ‘n’ tuff funky soul remix would fit it in there too, but with so littleof Josephine’s vocal, it’s not as throat-grabbing as the original.

There’s plenty of rave, of course, old and new/nu/neu. Optimo, Chicken Lips and Tapedeck are all very danceable, but disappointingly conventional. Unlike Studio’s 10 minute White Island-meets-Afrobeat mash-up.

But it’s the supreme pop electricians Maps and Hot Chip that rule. ‘Turn The Radio Off’ by the former is NOTHING LIKE the original - sounding like James Chapman has fired the band to the edge of the Universe and they’ve come back having found God, the meaning of life and some Warp rarities CDs. While Hot Chip’s blissed out ‘Felt Tip’ is the perfect wind down after such a journey.

  • Love Is All 7 / 10
Words: Stephen Eddie




© DrownedinSound.com | From the Archive - A Month in Records: March 2008