The complete overhaul of Marc Bianchi's highly noted 2003 album, The Young Machines, this release is not so much remarkable for its content, which is undeniably excellent, as it is for the mere feeling that comes from reading down the list of remixers who by methods of fission or fusion, create a startling energy from such melancholic material. Not that any of these remixes are "rev'd up." But reading down the names: the Album Leaf, Arab Strap, Matmos, Super Furry Animals, Dntel, Blockhead, Broken Spindles, Boom Bip, Stereolab and finally Nobody; it's striking in that these ten acts represent a new nation of indie artists who, without the ballyhoo of a mainstream "movement," have nevertheless coerced the genre-challenged listening habits of today's iPod nation. From alternative veterans Stereolab to post-IDM mavens Matmos and new-school indie hip-hop head Boom Bip, the commonality of electronic beats, Beatles melodies, digital abstraction and space-rock psychedelic sound effects are ubiquitous. A pristine history of popular music spanning the 60s through the 90s which has become the norm in clued-in circles. Tune in, turn on, geek out. - All Music Guide |