Well, it's that time of year again. All my favorite December accoutrements are back in vogue: eggnog, pagan winter trees, mindless consumerism, and of course...Holiday music! Now I should clarify, my usage of "holiday" here is not because I'm actively engaged in the War On Christmas (though I am), but rather because many of my favorite songs of this season have little if anything to do with Christmas. Frosty the Snowman? How did that ever get labelled a Christmas song? Did the power of Christ compel Frosty to come to life? Sounds pretty damn Voodoo to me. Others, of course, are overtly religious, but even an atheist like me can admit that that doesn't mean they can't be wonderful songs.
Growing up Jewish, I never really got exposed to good "Christmas music," but I did get exposed to many beautiful Chanukah (and other Jewish) songs. My only experience with Christmas music would be the horrible crap I heard repeated ad naseum at the mall, in drug stores, on the radio, in TV commercials, and basically everywhere else my ears were from late November - New Year's. And frankly, I fucking hated it. And for good reason: most of the music played in public this time of year is simply fucking awful. Even good songs (like the aforementioned Mr. Snowman) get mangled over and over again by hack "artists" looking for a quick buck.
Well, I'm glad to say that Wired for Music is here to help. In addition to some really good resources for decent holiday music, I'm giving you my very own playlist of holiday favorites. This time of year is when every musician in the world becomes a cover band, and half the fun is seeing how 50 different bands treat the same tune. The other half is hearing your favorite bands come up with some originals about the same topics. And the third half is drinking eggnog.
What if you had the chance to take something good and make it great? Or to take something great and make it totally super awesome? Would you do it? Yes, of course you would! What kind of stupid question is that? Anyway, that brings me to today's topic: remixes. Putting aside those dark days in the late 90s when it was considered de rigueur to put out a "dance remix" of whatever shitty song was hot at the moment, remixes can actually be a pretty cool way to experience a song. They let you experience an artist's take on another artist's music, often with far more interesting results than you'd get by just hearing a cover version. Remixes, in fact, can sometimes turn out...dare I say it?...better than the original song. [Pause for effect.]
Yes, I said it: there are several songs where I think the original is decent, but the remix is art. Take for example "Presidential Suite" by Super Furry Animals. It's a pretty song. It has a nice acoustic guitar intro, the French horn (or whatever that is) is very pretty, and the lyrics are brilliant (featuring the classic line "Do we need to know if he really came inside her mouth?"). But overall I find it a bit overproduced and a little on the boring side. One reviewer on Amazon referred to it as a "tedious cabaret," and that sounds about right to me. Now dig on this here remix by Phat Eric. [Editor's note: I'm using some experimental Flash-based MP3 embedder doohicky I found somewhere, please let me know if it blows up your computer or tries to trick you into playing a game of thermonuclear war.]
Those strings at the beginning are a promising start. And it only gets better. That crazy laugh track (anyone know what that's from? I'd love to find out) lets you know you're in for a weird time. The new drum beat keeps things moving, and the exposed bass line provides a really nice counterpoint to the crispness of that electric snare drum. And the rap sections make it sound like this could have been a rap song on its own, having nothing to do with the "tedious cabaret." I think this is a great remix because it stands alone - it's a great song even if you've never heard the original, and it's much more interesting to listen to (to my ears, anyway) than the original. Take that, Super Furry Animals! Let that be a lesson to all your little Welsh buddies, too!
I have to say, I feel guilty about liking a remixed version better than the original song. It seems like I'm dishonoring the artist by essentially telling them "what you did was fine, but what someone else did with what you did was brilliant." I guess I need to get over that and accept our modern world with its Web 2.0s and its mashups and its other pointless bullshit, and just enjoy the music. Still, it's hard for me when I love the original version of a song, yet I find I love the remix even more. Take for example M.I.A.'s unbelievably addictive "Paper Planes":
Best of use a cash register since Pink Floyd exposed the downside of being rich in "Money" back in 1973. In fact, I would call this song "totally awesome." But the remix blows me away (even though it has some weird thing where the whole song shifts up about a half-step at around 0:13):
You should fast forward a bit, the first minute or so doesn't sound different at all. But then it suddenly becomes a different, vastly cooler song. With all due respect to the original, this version just kicks more ass. Which makes it Jordan's Lock 'O' The Week, for you bettors out there. And with that, I'll close by saying that I've always wanted to know how to remix a song. There's a bunch of songs I'd love to play with, but I have no idea what kind of software is involved. Anyone care to point me in the right direction? I'd be much obliged.
So, what remixes do you like? Are there any that eclipse the original song for you? Do you know any remix versions better than the originals?
This is my place to rant, rave, gush, and whatever other verbs come to mind about the music I love, and the technology I use to find/listen to/share it. It's also a place for me to post my own musical creations for all to enjoy.
