Remixes, but with that distinctive Black Strobe sound
Steward Willons | Illinois | 07/16/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm a huge fan of Black Strobe, but their recent decision to feature Arnaud Rebotini's vocals on more and more tracks seems like a mistake. He's clearly a great producer, but his voice is just not up to the task of supporting a song that features vocals as its main source of melody. Tracks like "Me and Madonna" and "Chemical Sweet Girl" work because his vocals are minimal - he repeats a few things periodically, but he's not required to carry a tune, so to speak. I was somewhat disappointed with "Burn Your Own Church" because the tracks could have been so much stronger if they had found a better vocalist.
That is a big part of the reason that "A Remix Selection" works so well. He gets to handle production while the vocals on the original tracks save him the trouble of singing himself. It's kind of a perfect balance and it makes me wonder what sort of electro masterpiece Black Strobe could create if they had guest vocalists.
Everything you love about Black Strobe is here in full force. You've got lo-fi electro sounds, dirty synths with wide-open filters, great beats, and a general atmosphere of darkness and menace. I'm usually not a huge fan of remixes as I feel they have a difficult time living up to the original. In this case though, the changes do not detract, but rather enhance the originals. Nothing sounds forced, nothing sounds out of place.
"A Remix Selection" is essentially Black Strobe record. Even if they didn't 'compose' the music themselves, they've substantially changed the music to reflect their musical direction and aesthetic sensibility. I recommend it to all fans of the group, plus fans of dark, gritty electro."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1