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Bloc Party
Intimacy Remixed
Wichita
Out May 12th
[72]
[Rating Scale]
[rating:72/100]
After the success of Silent Alarm Remixed I think Bloc Party (pretty clearly) wrote Intimacy’s songs with the back-of-the-head idea that they were also gonna get the remix treatment. I mean, listen to the original “Mercury.” It’s full of loops, sequencer beats, and vocal cuts. It’s a pretty good idea, although the source material still needs to be strong for it to actually succeed.
The album opens right with “Ares (Villains Remix).” It’s night & day from its prickly sister song off of the original, and I like it loads more. The Villains remove some of the sharpness, and replace it with tone and bass highlighting “Ares’” strengths. There was a lot of texture in the original, in fact, I think there was far too much. The remix, while not taking away any of the excitement of the original, gives it some needed consistency and smoothness (although, I do miss the echo chants).
“Signs (Armand Van Helden Remix),” to me, is far and away THE track on this album. I don’t necessarily like this version better than the original, but I love the creativity employed here and the direction AVH took it. From EQ dead zones to naked snares, it’s an absolute success. The introduction of a driven backbeat to such a depressing subject is stylistically and musically solid.
If you wanna talk about frenetic change of album pace, take a listen to “Trojan Horse (John B Remix).” This is what it sounds like in the delivery room when euro-disco and Bloc Party have a lovechild. It’s a great beat, and it seems to fit the mood of the lyrics. One of the highlights of the song is the bridge about 1.30 in that introspectively slows things down (without killing tempo a bit), before ratcheting things back to the breakneck emotional world that the song actually lives in. One thing I love about this album, is that it’s full of songs that are ready to get you pumped up. “Trojan Horse” would be a great song to throw on before heading out for the night.
Bloc Party makes pretty dancey songs, but the remix album gives the new artist a second chance to refine the rocky parts that found their way into the original. It’s always cool to see the subtle enhancements of an already good song. “Talons (Phones R.I.P. Mix)” is a perfect example. With synthesizers-a-plenty, the song loses a few of its sharp edges, but gains an awful lot of danceability with the change. I like the fading synths and the uneven voice manipulation that the Phones use. Unfortunately, besides Talons, the back side of the album is definitely weaker than the front half and I found myself moving through these songs much more quickly than I did “Trojan Horse” or “Ares.” Don’t know if it’s album bias on my part or not (the idea that the best songs are always front loaded), but I think the record certainly begins to decrescendo after “Signs.”
I actually like Intimacy Remixed more than (the good) source Intimacy but less than either of the great Silent Alarm albums. I applaud Bloc Party for the continued desire to push the music (fans love this sorta thing) and for making their music available to be remixed, but the album ultimately feels a bit shallow when listening all the way through. The first half is full of highlights, but towards the end the songs begin to feel tedious with too much euro filler. I know DJ’s like the long lead times (it gives them a lot to work with), so you can’t really blame anyone for mixing it that way (and to be fair, almost any of these songs would play well in a club). Still, if you’re listening at work, in the car, or at home I think you’ll eventually find the disc spinning a bit tired by the time you reach the end.
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Tags: Bloc Party
Some great takes, on an already great album!!!
I agree that Signs is THE track of the album. It is a song full of creativity and lives up to the original.
The album is sick!
The album was definately a way to see the stuff on Intimacy through a different lens. Keep the remix albums coming!
These remix’s are epic! Definately the best I’ve heard so far, they give a great spin without tarnishing the original album. Epic
(slightly biased, love Bloc Party)
Loved the original. In agreement with the above, I think both this and Intimacy tail off towards the end; with the exception of Your Visits Are Getting Shorter but the remix has yet to grow on me. Standout tracks are Signs, Ares and One Month Off. Not impressed by Banjo or Freakout’s efforts here, but they’re ones to watch.
I really liked “Intimacy”, it’s an album that finally got me listening to Bloc Party, so I was waiting impatiently for this remix album, expecting something more than just generic dancefloor-oriented remixes. Turns out it’s a solid collection of remixes, but some of them are utterly disappointing. Most interesting remixes in my opinion – Ares, Mercury and of course Signs. One thing I can’t understand – how could they left out Flux? They really should have it remixed and release it on this album!
This album got me introduced to Bloc Party and made me a huge fan and the remixes have driven the point home. Fantastic work.
really enjoyed the remixes – signs is by far the best though!
YEah this album is pretty sick IMO,
favourite tracks being:
SIGNS
MERCURY (Unbelievably good remix)
ARES
TALONS
i gotta say, i don’t like ‘Better Than Heaven’ all that much…It sounds worse than original
Some pretty good, if unremarkable, remixes – though the normal Intimacy album is far better for listening to in one go. However, the mix album for Silent Alarm took more risks, and as a result is more rewarding. The high energy dance oriented remixes such as Ares are much stronger than the later tracks – by the time we get to ‘Ion Square’ ‘Letter To My Son’ there’s little creativity left, just what sounds like standard keyboard effects and beats. 7/10.
Enjoyed some of the mixes on this album. Signs tops it all in my opinion.
My favorite is the remix of Biko, but it is a pretty sick remix album overall. 8/10.
The remix album looks so great, I really want it..!
Ares Villains all the way! the rest is decent
the one month of remix is the greatest
I like it.
I like bloc party’s remixed albums, silent alarm was great, and now intimacy, I hope they continue to do so with their later albums and could still do a weekend in the city and/or mercury.