IT'S LOVELY (BUT IT'S GOT PROBLEMS)

I just got a hard copy of this in the mail, which was enough to remind me to write about it. I've been meaning to post about MSTRKRFT since this past summer.

I've been into Death From Above 1979 well before the rest of the goddamn blogosphere was; I bought Heads Up and Romantic Rights when they came out, I had the import picture disc 7" of "Blood On Our Hands", blah blah blah. I also was a fan of MSTRKRFT, the remix project from bassist Jesse F. Keeler and their producer Al-P, when I first heard their remix of Panthers' "Thank Me With Your Hands" sometime last year.

When I heard this compilation was coming out, I was hoping it would have more remixes from MSTRKRFT (other than remixes of DFA1979), but we have to wait until MSTRKRFT's first LP, The Looks, comes out, or maybe a compilation if possible.

I was going to preface this with an interview I did with the band at Intonation, including a lengthy conversation with Jesse F. Keeler about remixes (before the comp was announced). I just checked my minidisc and it seems that the part of the interview about the remix work is missing. This is sad since the rest of the interview was generally crap.

When it comes down to it, Romance Bloody Romance is a good record, almost solely because of the two b-sides it contains. If you bought the UK release of their first album, you already have those tracks. The cover of La Peste's "Better Off Dead" is thrilling, and "You're Lovely (But You've Got Lots of Problems)" is maybe the band's best song, and definitely a favorite of mine. It deserves a whole post.

With that out of the way, we look at the remixes. MSTRKRFT's remixes work just like if the band was a house artist and not a rock band, with "Little Girl" turned into a throbbing, beat your brains out fury of bass and synth. You can download MSTRKRFT's version of "Sexy Results" here. Also notable is Alan Braxe and Fred Falke's remix of "Black History Month". That is because Alan Braxe is a house music genius and everything he touches is gold. Keeler was bragging to me at Intonation by showing me Braxe's name in his cell phone book (as well as others, who, for his sake, I will not mention).

The rest of the remixes are generally not that great. I don't know why Vice is so into these remix compilations. Do people actually buy these? Whatever. I'm just glad to have those tracks on actual CD now so I can play them when I DJ. Time to go mourn the loss of that interview. Check out more MSTRKRFT remixes at their MySpace page.