French Kicks - Close To Modern Remixes

The Remix; it has become an art form over the past couple decades, from something people just did for fun, to something people make millions of dollars off of. How many times have you heard an R&B hit start with the rapper de jour screaming “This is the remix!”? In the world of R&B it is the norm. I don’t think J. Lo has ever released a single that is actually on her album, but rather every song is a remix that has the addition of four or five new artists (inevitably Ja Rule) and a new beat. In the world of indie rock it is a bit of a newer beast. People like the Flaming Lips, Wilco, and other big indie hitter have been lending their talents and their work to doing, and being subjects of, remixes. But is the result as fruitful as we would hope? The French Kicks released one of the better albums of the past few years in the form of One Time Bells, an album I still pop in weekly. So, I was a little curious as to what a remix single might be like. It really isn’t much I am sad to say, but then again remixes of rock songs seldom result in anything noteworthy. The disc contains four different remixes of “Close To Modern” and one B-side “When You Heard You”. The problem with the disc lies in the repetitive beats of dance music and the repetitive feel of the album. I have given the disc more than a few spins and I still couldn’t begin to tell you which remix was which. Four songs fly by with relatively the same bit, only differing in vocal mixes or slight idiosyncrasies. Granted I am not a fan of remix, or of dance music, but I have been known to shake it like a saltshaker once or twice. When indie rock is made in the right way it is very danceable (see the new Metric album, or Radiohead’s “Idioteque”), but this is just not making me want to move. The b-side “When You Heard You”, is a good enough song, but it isn’t a true b-side, it is just another song off the album, and offers nothing new or exclusive. I just don’t see the fascination with dance music, nor with remixing, and this album doesn’t change me on either. It is interesting to hear once or twice, but never makes you want to get up and dance, and never offers much of a new perspective on the original work. Download it from a friend if you are really that curious, but don’t worry about it other than that. [www.frenchkicks.com]