Thirty Days of Music Day 10 - A Song That Makes You Fall Asleep

Zero 7 have been kings of downtempo for some time now, making great chilled out tunes with the likes of Sia and Jose Gonzalez as regular guest singers, and possibly my favourite song of theirs is the sentimentally lovestruck Somersault.  To be honest, I could have chosen pretty much any Zero 7 song, but Futures, Pageant of the Bizarre and The Space Between were extremely close contenders with this song.

The original song is a beautifully relaxing ditty about love and relationships, but the remix adds an entirely new dimension to the song.  Danger Mouse and MF Doom have combined to create an incredibly chilled out, perfectly synergised version - Doom's rapping fits perfectly with the tone of the song, lessening the over-the-top sweetness of the lyrics whilst keeping to the topic: 'the flutter of her eyelashes helped to clear the tension'. His delivery is so unique and his voice fits perfectly into a chilled out tone - the song is perfect to relax to without being as samey as some of the classic chill music you usually find.

I talked about this song in a earlier post about some remixes I had found on YouTube, but I couldn't help but use it again here because it's a more unusual approach to chill music that works so well and you can really see the skill of Danger Mouse and Doom when they remix a song like this.

Ardour - Teebs

The first I heard of California-based producer, painter and skater Teebs’ (Metendere Mandowa’s) debut album Ardour was the warning that it would make me want to pee. An apt analysis it seems, as Mandowa has produced a fluid, aqueous, intangible collection of songs that quickly lull you into a relaxed state with their deluge of sound. Even if you’re not rushing to the bathroom every ten minutes then it’s extremely easy to lose track of your time whilst listening.

Teebs manages to create an almost perfect synergy between the pulsing, undulating layers of sound and the slick, simple, low-key drum loops that characterise his unique style. The tracks are so carefully arranged that neither of the two ever dominates, and the frequent waxing and waning of sounds seems to coordinate to give the songs an almost tidal nature. Furthermore, he has clearly taken great pains to create his tracks, utilising not only his ambient, floating synths, but a variety of sounds from coins dropping, to birds singing, to chimes and piano. Almost all the songs are reminiscent of scorching sun and blue skies, and Teebs manages to effectively transport you back to summer. There are singing birds, euphoric synthesisers and gentle arpeggios that, although electronic, bring to mind walks in the country, empty fields and nature in all its forms. Tracks such as Lakeshore Ave., You’ve Changed and Humming Birds epitomise this uplifting style and really are the cream of Teebs’ crop.

He has produced an extremely accomplished album of escapist electronica but I do feel that the album as a whole is lacking something. It’s like listening to Zero 7 without Sia, or Portishead without Beth. You just feel that the music is slightly sterile without a voice to add passion and variety into the mix, and this means it lacks any emotional depth. There is a certain satisfaction to be gained from filling in Teebs’ blanks with your own emotions, but this can only get you so far and if you’re looking for something more meaningful you might have to go elsewhere.

However, Ardour is still an extremely intelligent and carefully crafted piece of work from a multitalented pioneer of the arts, and will appeal even to those who haven’t listened to much electronica before. Furthermore, if you’re getting depressed by the sight of winter looming down upon us, listening to Teebs could be the perfect way to escape all the stress and gloominess and take yourself back to summers past.

Remixes

I found all of these remixes browsing through Youtube today. There's lots of stuff you can find by unknowns as well as famous artists, but there's also lots of stuff that's not particularly great. It's worth the effort when you stumble accross something really special, though.


Comin' Home - City and Colour (Remix by Incubus96)



I spent an age trawling through Comin' Home remixes before I found this one. I suppose it's good that lots of people have made attempts at remaking the song - it shows Dallas is getting the credit he deserves - but I was pretty disappointed with the general output that I found. My main issue was that the majority sped up the original, making him sound like a girl and subtracting from the serious tone of the song. Furthermore, the lamenting lyrics that characterised the original just don't seem right showcased in some of the pumping, driven tunes had been produced. This remix, done by a guy who I only know as Ben (incubus96 on YouTube), stood out because he left the song's speed relatively unchanged. Also, he was very careful with his production - only really adding simple drums and bass. This, for me, gives the illusion of an increased pace whilst leaving the emphasis on the awesome vocals and lyrics of Dallas.


Somersault - Zero 7 (Danger Mouse and MF Doom Remix)
This second remix is of an absolute Zero 7 classic - Somersault. Conversely to the first one, it is quite a popular remix already - probably due to the fact it was produced by Danger Mouse and stars MF Doom. I love Doom's low-key rapping over the top of the original Somersault backing; it remains, in the style of Zero 7, unbelieveably chilled out and seemingly effortless. Sia's sweet vocals still pervade the chorus and background of the song, a gentle contrast to Doom's deeper tones. My only gripe is that the verses were removed - the purest, most delicate, most sweetly sentimental parts of the original.Circles -

Thrice (Thrice B-Side Remix)

Thrice are one of my favourite bands, and have been for a long time. This is a remix they did of their own song Circles from Beggars (their latest album). It's from the Beggars B-sides that could only be downloaded if you bought a hard copy of the album and used the codes on the card you got with it. This remix works so well because they have kept the meat from the original - the emotional lyrics and melody - whilst improving upon the intro, backing and outtro. For fans of heavier stuff, the original might still be considered superior, but for me this remix surpasses it in almost every way. It enhances the ambient nature of the original, casting back to the style of Alchemy Index Volume II: Water. This is my favourite of the three remixes as it retains the contemplative, regretful tone of the original whilst bringing something entirely new to Thrice's already unique sound.