You would think that a remix album would be a pretty simple, straight-forward project for a band to release. Like many things Melvins, this is not the case. First off, the Melvins did not give their remixers a song each to remix, but an entire album from which to construct a song from, which is pretty conceptual in itself. I haven’t been able to figure out the source material from much of this fifteen-track album, and I’m pretty familiar with their dense catalog. This isn’t a bad thing. Far from it. It gives the album a bit more identity than a standard remix album which usually seems to be filled with songs at least of a slightly lower quality than the originals. It kind of sounds like the Isis remix stuff from a few years back, but way better because its the Melvins.
The album opens up with an instrumental drum-heavy Bullhead remix by Eye Yamatsuka (Naked City, Boredoms). Japanese noise pioneer, Merzbow created a hodgepodge that I really can’t decipher where source material was taken from (although at points, I almost do). Sometimes-Melvin, David Scott Stone remixed the baritone vocal droning from Prick. I don’t know who Matmos is, but they got their name from Barbarella, which is fucking cool. No Duran Duran remix, though. Lee Renaldo (Sonic Youth) probably made the most songlike track with his condensed Eggnog.
All in all, its a very eclectic album. I’ve left you with a preview track of Queen remixed by Panacea, which sources tell me, is either a DC hip-hop group or a Greek Goddess.
01 - Washmachine Sk8tronics (Remix by Eye Yamatsuka)
02 - Emperor Twaddle Remix (Remix by Christoph Heemann)
03 - She Chokes Her Dying Breath and Soes It In My Face (remix by v-vm)
04 - AAHHH: (Remix by John Duncan)
05 - Linksh¤nder (Remix by Matmos)
06 - Eggnog Trilogy (Remix by Lee Ranaldo)
07 - SNOW REM REM IBVZ (Remix by Merzbow)
08 - Prick Concrete Revolution M (Remix by David Scott Stone)
09 - Queen (Electroclash Remix) (Remix by Panacea)
10 - The Silky Apple Butter of Youth (Remix by Sunroof)
11 - 4th Floor Hellcopter (Remix by Kawabata Makoto)
12 - Disp_Tx_Skel_Mach_Murx (Remix by Farmersmanual)
13 - Overgoat (Remix by Void Manes)
14 - Over from Under the Dog, Girl & Boy Treatment (Remix by RLW)
15 - Hard Revenge Milly Bloody Battle VS. the Melvins Ozmatized Gore Police (Remix by Speedranch)
