Record Review-- Telefon Tel Aviv "Remixes Compiled"

(THE ABOVE IS A CHEESY VIDEO, I KNOW, BUT ITS A BADASS SONG FROM TELEFON TEL AVIV'S FIRST ALBUM AND IS INDICATIVE OF THEIR SOUND, PLEASE BEAR WITH THE CHEESY VIDEO)

I'm not really a huge fan of electronica music. I think its a genre that's bereft of emotion, feeling, and depth. Its too much saccharine. Let's be honest, have you been to a DJ show lately? How can peoples lives revolve around a 4x4 beat that crescendos with some cheesy synth over and over again? The venues are always pretty much full of losers too--people who couldn't hold a conversation about world politics, that don't know who the LTTE are, couldn't name the Senate majority leader, and people who get most of their information from sites like wikipedia. If you're out of college and you're routinely going to see DJs at clubs, chances are you're either a loser or you have a serious drug problem. While I don't listen much to electronica, there are exceptions to every rule, however. I will follow a select few electronica artists, namely, Telefon Tel Aviv, Amon Tobin, Burial, Four Tet, and DJ Shadow.

Telefon Tel Aviv's new album is an exclusive compilation of remixes ranging from Nine Inch Nails to jazz legend phil ranelin to international artists like Bebel Gilberto. The album is a nice hybrid between their first album Fareneheith Fair Enough (which remains one of my most favorite electronica albums ever, EVERYONE should listen to this album) and their second album Map of What is Effortless which strove for a more organic sound while still retaining much of the insanity and off-kilter loops of Farenheit Fair Enough.

What really sets this album apart from most remix albums is that Telefon Tel Aviv stray so far from the source material that they create whole new environments that the songs can inhabit. So many remixes sound crappy because the artist sticks so close to the original sounds and melodies of the original song. Telefon Tel Aviv's willingness to explore new territory is never more evident than in the standout track on the album which is Time is Running Out. Time is Running Out is a 1972 jazz song by Phil Ranelin. The original song version sounds like a b-side to Miles Davis Bitches Brew (a fantastic jazz album). Telefon Tel Aviv loop a small strand over the original song and layer it on to a whole new skittering polyrhythmics beats over a smooth jzazz bass line. There's no possibly way anyone could actually know this was a remix unless someone told them. Its a FUCKING intense song and is one of the most original things I've heard all year, its definitely in my top 5 songs of this year (which is growing to be a seriously crowded list with all the great music released this year!!!).

Other standouts on the album include Even Deeper, Knock me Down, and the hypnotic orchestral arrangements on a Genuine Display. Remixes Compiled is an ambitious album that continually challenges the listener with its hypnotic beats, loops, and samples. These guys are probably the most original act in the music landscape right now, and they put all those shitty DJs to shame like Oakenfold, Tiesto, and Paul Van Dyk. This is an album for anyone that likes original, challenging, and intense music. If you don't like this music, then, chances are you probably aren't really a fan of alternative music.

FINAL SCORE--9.0