4Play

June 15, 2005

What you read on the title of Bjork’s latest album is pretty much exactly what you get - Bjork’s song, “Army of Me,” remixed into more configurations than you’d ever expect. Initiated as an invitation event on Bjork’s website, over 600 remixes were received, leaving Bjork and the song’s co-writer (Graham Massey) to narrow the roster down. Granted, it is the same song over and over... and over... but it’s actually really interesting to see how the different talents interpreted the tune. Stylistically varied to the nth degree, the “amateur” remixes co-exist quite well with the professional remixes, from the metal-mix of Interzone to the more Latin-influenced take by the Messengers of God. Sales will benefit Unicef/The United Nations International Emergency Fund, and listening will benefit your ears.


Mercury Rev - The Secret Migration

Mercury Rev, as fans of their previous five albums already know, have psychedelic art rock
pegged. The band from the Catskills, fronted by singer Jonathan Donahue, have made almost a concept record with this effort. The songs are notably shorter, but they’re also more concise, each tune stuffed to the brim with ringing, sweet sounds and both relationship-pensive and nature-focused lyrics. With long-time producer Dave Fridmann behind the boards, love of nature and romantic love can be interchangeable in many of the lyrics. As sung by Donahue in his usual plaintive tone, with a little Lennon-esque nasal flair (either John or Sean, actually), songs like “Diamonds,” “In The Wilderness,” and “My Love” are put across with an earnest, heartfelt intent that’s hard to ignore.



Morcheeba - The Antidote - Echo Records

Returning with their fifth album and a new singer, namely Daisy Martey (taking over for longtime Morcheeba vocalist Skye Edwards), the trip-hop pioneers are in a bit of a different place, as it’s also their first album on a new label. So it would be logical to expect some changes, and, yes, they’re definitely there. Morcheeba, known for their hip and cool lo-fi grooves, are only half here - this album is far more dynamic than before, and Martey’s vocals are much sharper and less subtle than Edwards’ vocals were. It’s not really good or bad - it’s just very different. But the one thing it’s not is the Morcheeba that everyone is used to. So, perhaps the best way to look at it is as Morcheeba Mach II - then you can go ahead and enjoy songs like “Everybody Loves A Loser” without wondering when it’s going to actually sound like the band you’re familiar with.


Iggy Pop - A Million In Prizes: The Iggy Pop Anthology - Echo Records

A great overview of pretty much Ig’s entire body of work, this double CD chronicles his entire career, from his early work with The Stooges to his solo work from his 2003 solo album. A whopping 37 songs are included here - from the Stooges, you’ll get “No Fun” and “Down on the Street,” “Search and Destroy” and “I Got A Right.” Once Iggy goes solo, you’ll get to hear “Nightclubbing,” “The Passenger,” “Lust for Life,” “I’m Bored,” and so many more - a couple of his great duets are here, too, namely Iggy with Debbie Harry on “Well Did You Evah!” and with The B-52’s Kate Pierson on “Candy.” It’s a pretty cool collection and a pretty cool career so far - especially for a guy who managed to build a huge fan base without a single Top 10 album or #1 hit.