Stephen Malkmus - Kindling For The Master
Instead of releasing an original version of the track, Malkmus has instead gone to four of the hottest dance and electro acts around for remixes.
Former Pavement and general indie virtuoso Stephen Malkmus returns with a single that strays far from the sprawling jangling guitar-driven music that he's associated with doing.
Yet this change of direction works through an interesting twist on convention. Instead of releasing an original version of the track, Malkmus has instead gone to four of the hottest dance and electro acts around for remixes. And the results demonstrate the variety of talent around.
Stand out is the mix by Emperor Machine. Its use of dissident samples atop a 70s funk rhythm keeps the tune far more upbeat than the other mixes, seemingly taking the same New York electro influences the likes of Muse have shown in recent work. And while golden boys Hot Chip also contribute, it has more the feel of background music as it tails off in to electro numbness and obscurity.
It's an interesting musical move for Malkmus and if he's able to find more people like Emperor Machine to remix his tracks then it could well pay off. Yet if it's going to descend in to electro shoegazing like some of the tracks here, he'd be better off just picking his guitar back up and playing us the originals.
28/08/06Jon Bye
Subscribe to the Clickmusic News Feed
