Hail to the thieves.
Sorry, this is not a political entry, despite
the title. Finally, FINALLY, The Kleptones have released a new album of
delicious mash-ups. I am drawn to the genre, because it allows no-talent hacks
to expose their failures, and true geniuses to shine. Mash-ups reside in that
glorious and growing grey area between dj-ing and remixing, between messing with
someone else's music because you can, or because it needs to be messed
with.
The hit rate for most mashups is fairly low. But there are some nice moments on the Kleptones' release to be sure.
"24 Hours" chronicles an everyday Londoner's daily journey from wake-up to work, tea, lunch, afternoon, clubbing, etc. with each track title indicating the time of day. 33 tracks in all covering 2 cds. Here we are folks, our first prog "concept" album of mash-ups (If only they could do a live double-disc from Budokan or Bangladesh).
The thing that makes The Kleptones different is the way they add movie and TV dialogue to contextualize the whole affair. They also draw from 60s-90s sources indiscriminately, not wishing to just capitalize on the hot tunes of the day.
A few notes/standouts:
- Disc 1 Track 3 "Down on Bennies" I never listened to Elton's vocal as closely before. He could have been an amazing rocker, you know
- Disc 1 Track 11 "Quicksilver Manuva" I have to admit to knowing almost none of the source material here, but it just works as a mid-afternoon worker's lament.
- Disc 1 Track 16 "Careless or Dead" Funniest thing I've heard in months. Sending up "Top of the Pops", the lads smash Bon Jovi into Wham. This is like making a Pet Shop Boys video out of John Wayne footage. Naturally, it self-destructs halfway through, and gets educational.
- Disc 2 Track 3 Anyone who lays Goldfrapp over Jack Dangers is begging for praise
The rest of the second disc runs from a misguided club night to a soulful late night sesh, with a few more interesting moments, until we all drift off right before the alarm rings again...
Here you go, mash-up kids. Here's your "Sgt. Pepper's". Who's up for a "Pet Sounds"?
The hit rate for most mashups is fairly low. But there are some nice moments on the Kleptones' release to be sure.
"24 Hours" chronicles an everyday Londoner's daily journey from wake-up to work, tea, lunch, afternoon, clubbing, etc. with each track title indicating the time of day. 33 tracks in all covering 2 cds. Here we are folks, our first prog "concept" album of mash-ups (If only they could do a live double-disc from Budokan or Bangladesh).
The thing that makes The Kleptones different is the way they add movie and TV dialogue to contextualize the whole affair. They also draw from 60s-90s sources indiscriminately, not wishing to just capitalize on the hot tunes of the day.
A few notes/standouts:
- Disc 1 Track 3 "Down on Bennies" I never listened to Elton's vocal as closely before. He could have been an amazing rocker, you know
- Disc 1 Track 11 "Quicksilver Manuva" I have to admit to knowing almost none of the source material here, but it just works as a mid-afternoon worker's lament.
- Disc 1 Track 16 "Careless or Dead" Funniest thing I've heard in months. Sending up "Top of the Pops", the lads smash Bon Jovi into Wham. This is like making a Pet Shop Boys video out of John Wayne footage. Naturally, it self-destructs halfway through, and gets educational.
- Disc 2 Track 3 Anyone who lays Goldfrapp over Jack Dangers is begging for praise
The rest of the second disc runs from a misguided club night to a soulful late night sesh, with a few more interesting moments, until we all drift off right before the alarm rings again...
Here you go, mash-up kids. Here's your "Sgt. Pepper's". Who's up for a "Pet Sounds"?
Posted: Tue - March 28, 2006 at 01:44 AM
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Published On: Jul 06, 2006 01:24 AM
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Published On: Jul 06, 2006 01:24 AM