Bloc Party - 'Silent Alarm Remixed' (Wichita / Vice)
4/5
By: Thomas Hannan
Previously, there were very few good remix records. In fact, there was Blur's 'Bustin' & Dronin', 'A People's History of The Dismemberment Plan', and that's pretty much it. They're cash-ins, quickly put-together gimmicks. Apart from this one - '...Remixed', you see, is a proper record.
It's all about who you trust with your work. Bloc Party just happen to know some very trustworthy people. But, even so, it could still have been a flop - you place cinematic electronica alongside brutal punk-rock, dub and dirty disco and you should, if everything followed the laws of logic, come up with a mess. It should sound like a terrible mix tape, not at all like a respectable and cohesive record. Why then, does this work where so many others have failed?
At a guess, the remixers actually like the band, and, as such, treat the material with a high degree of respect. It's about experimenting, sure, but crucially nothing anyone attempts to do here really takes away from the sentiment of the original song. The sound can at times be unrecognisable, but the spirit is exactly the same. And so, it flows just like it ever did - like a series of ideas.
Cases in point - 'Like Eating Glass' always sent a chill down the spine, but given a stark and effortlessly cool gloss by Ladytron's synthesisers, it now makes you actually feel physically cold. They were paying attention. Whitey's 'Helicopter' has barely anything going on in it except, vitally, a hell of a lot of punch, albeit a stripped back one. You start to realise how crucial that persistently captivating rhythm element to Bloc Party is, and a few examples of where this collection works best come when the people giving the songs a going over recognise this too - the Phones Disco Edit of 'Banquet' and Dave Pianka's gleefully sparkly reworking of 'This Modern Love' do just that, and as such are justifiably highlights.
Conversely, though, the most sonically challenging moments are also capable of producing the strongest emotional reaction. M83's beautifully taut, torturously sad take on 'The Pioneers' is actually tough to listen to whilst maintaining a positive state of mind, as is Four Tet's unsurprisingly exhilarating, pensive take on 'So Here We Are', until the drums kick in. That rhythm, you see. There it is again.
Death From Above 1979 cheat in that they don't remix anything, instead opting to cover 'Luno' in a style faithful to the original but predictably possessive of their own manic, squeaking, noisy watermark. If there were a record called 'Silent Alarm Bastardised', it'd all sound like this. Tempting, but then there'd be no room for Nick Zinner's bloodcurdling use of Kele's whispers on a closing 'Compliments' or Mogwai's replanning of 'Plans', which can occasionally sound like something's going wrong deep down in a submarine. And that would be a shame.
It's all very clever, but the most intelligent thing about it is that it makes you think about the original 'Silent Alarm' in a completely altered way. It'll have you considering the manner in which each and every note is played. You realise what an astounding album it is. And, as if having had a hefty amount of wax syringed from your ears, you can go back to listen to it again, and hear it more clearly.
Artists in this article: Bloc Party
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