I'll get this out in the open right off the bat: I am not a fan of remix albums; I am not a fan of the numerous reimaginings of already cracking pop songs on 10-track EPs with each mix becoming more and more mind-numbingly tedious (Yes, I mean you, Madonna). Fact is, I could probably count on one hand the number of truly superior song remixes, and most of those would belong to Delerium, a group with an almost preternatural ability to select remixers for their already fine tracks. In my experience, which granted, is stunted at best, the dance remix that outpaces the original is a rare occurence indeed.
Sadly, Goldfrapp's WE ARE GLITTER does nothing to convince me of the error of my words. Don't get me wrong; there are some good mixes on here, chief among them Benny Benassi's pumped-up take on OOH LA LA, and the We Are Glitter Mix of STRICT MACHINE. Scoring the offbeat Flaming Lips to put their shine on SATIN CHIC, one of two versions of the song on this disc, was quite the accomplishment, and shows a definite attempt to stretch the material. The thing is, though, the original SATIN CHIC was a heady blast of electronica and Wild West spunk. In the two versions presented here, the song is reconfigured into chilly, lifeless confections, devoid of the original's flavor. It's as if all of the energy has been bled out of it.
The problem is, none of these mixes do anything more than skulk in the mighty shadows of the vastly superior originals. GOLDFRAPP are, by definition, a heavily-produced band, with each single reaching its fullest possible potential before assuming its place on their stellar albums. So, if what I've stated here holds true, then this album is nothing more than a space filler, and when you are an all-star original like GOLDFRAPP, that, to me, smacks of a cardinal sin.
