KINGS OF CONVENIENCE

KINGS OF CONVENIENCE
VERSUS (2001)
320 KBPS

It is quite rare for a remix album to better the source material. Versus by Kings of Convenience is one of those select few. Their album Quiet Is the New Loud is a very pleasant disc, but the songs all begin to sound the same halfway through. That's not a problem here, as the various remixers take varying approaches to the Kings' hushed and nocturnal sound. They also keep enough of the band's essence so it sounds like a real record by Kings of Convenience and not some cobbled-together mess. (Only once are Erik Glambek Bøe's lovely vocals omitted, and that is on the very last track.) Some of the remixers take the electronic route: Röyksopp keeps the acoustic guitars and whispered vocal of "I Don't Know What I Can Save You From" and adds a perky bassline and loping looped beat; Four Tet alters the acoustic guitars into a blurred symphony of noise and adds a head-bobbing hip-hop beat to "The Weight of My Words," but keeps the melancholy gloom of the song intact. Some of the remixers take an organic route: Riton turns "The Girl From Back Then" into a smoky jazz tune complete with a Milesian muted trumpet solo; Alfie adds sawing cellos and huge, reverbed drums to "Failure"; David Whitaker doesn't alter anything, but adds a full orchestral string arrangement. The most successful remixes are those that throw the listener for a loop and do something unexpected: Erot actually makes "Gold for the Price of Silver" downright funky, adding a little '70s funk guitar strumming, heavy breathing female vocals in the background, and a groove that will have you up shaking it in no time. Evil Toredivel's mix of "Leaning Against the Wall" turns the song into a horn-driven, almost new wave stomper that wouldn't sound out of place on a Madness record. Ladytron adds a sense of urgent doom to their mix of "Little Kids," with the stuttering beat and sinister synths. They even throw in some tubular bells, and that is never a bad idea. If you liked the Kings of Convenience album, you'll find much to like here. If you a fan of remix albums, you'll be hard pressed to find a better one than this.

1. I Don't Know What I Can Save You From (Röyksopp Remix)
2. The Weight Of My Words (Four Tet Remix)
3. The Girl From Back Then (Riton's Über Jazz Mix)
4. Gold For The Price Of Silver (Erot Vs Kings Of Convenience Version)
5. Winning A Battle, Losing The War (Andy Votel Mix)
6. Leaning Against The Wall (Evil Tordivel Upbeat Remake)
7. Toxic Girl (Monte Carlo 1963 Version)
8. Failure (Alfie Version)
9. Little Kids (Ladytron Fruits Of The Forest Mix)
10. Failure (Radio Edit)
11. Leaning Against The Wall (Bamboo Soul Mix)
12. The Weight Of My Words (Four Tet Instrumental)