Mix it up and do it often. LCD Soundsystem and those who provide covers and new representations of their music find themselves expressing a creative push which would otherwise feel out of place in their discography. John Cale has a version of All My Friends. In what way does a crossover of that style make sense? It does not. It is part of the joy which comes from hearing the essentials of LCD Soundsystem pulled in new directions. Another chance to hear those evolutions is made on Pow Pow, the Idjut Boys remix. The This is Happening rip is a delightful piece studying an unrelaxed and always switched-on James Murphy trying in vain to breathe and find a new, calmer perspective. It bubbles to the surface with focus on instrumental elongation and Robot Rock-like additions on this remix.
Idjut Boys sample their way through an exceptional edition of Pow Pow. Their London-based influences fit the mixture of trying to remain relevant while leaning back into a lengthy break, the fine line between keeping up and crashing out. Murphy captures it so well in his lyrics and the beat remains interchangeable, as heard here. While this sense of choosing between losing yourself or maintaining stressful contemporary links is heard in Pow Pow, it is articulated better in the original. Of course it is. The purpose of this Idjut Boys remix is not to adapt the words of Murphy but to the electronic candour and exposure he gave those thoughts. It is done well enough and for those already blessed with the context of the song, this Pow Pow version will ring through with strong instrumental sensibilities.
A constant whirr, adaptations of the pounding, echoed synths from the original track underneath a new light club-like beat is a treat for the ears. Do not let Pow Pow be the only reason to visit this piece – Too Much Love is given the Rub’N’Tug remix treatment after. A louder shimmer and a repetition of the title is all it takes to give Too Much Love a new sound. It is a rewarding mixture, a new experience for those who may have grown tired of the self-titled piece. How can we tire of it, though? LCD Soundsystem is a monumental experience and finds itself firmly reliant on the likes of Too Much Love as a way of getting to grips with the excess of emotion. Rub’N’Tug keeps the essential bits in, to the point where it feels less like a remix and more like a shaky, half-baked remaster.
Ultimately an experience which reflects what LCD Soundsystem do so well and on the fly. Their live performances, particularly of Losing My Edge, are built on the sort of work Idjut Boys and Rub’N’Tug offer their songs here. Creativity, the freedom to adapt and pull at the work of a respected artist for the sake of learning something new, of bringing a fresh idea to an old concept. Nothing groundbreaking occurs here, not least on the barely changed Too Much Love, but this is the point. How little can we push; how far can we pull? All those meddlesome artistic questions come to a head and at least we are in safe hands with this remix release.
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