Pure Happiness

(last time I used the chalk was for Klaxons photos)

Break out your passport and maracas, we're going on holiday. Destination: the white sand beaches of falling in love again... and again and again and again and again (much like what Charlotte Gainsbourg coos in the Metronomy remix of "5:55"). Actually falling in love again and again as many times as you can press repeat on this track. Just as "time stops still when you've lost love," time stops still when you've found it.

Metronomy brings this Goldfrapp track to life. Literally. Finding Allison and co.'s latest output a little too mellow and Coors-y? This re-imagining of "Happiness" is much more lively. I totally get Goldfrapp's desire to evolve and challenge themselves, but part of me wonders if they could've employed even a few of the same dynamics. Just because Goldfrapp have ditched their basslines doesn't mean the quirkiness has to go too and this remix proves it. I think this is going to make a lot of people happy...

Excuse me while I geek out, but this remix is just so cinematic.

It's a lively nostalgic rumination on love lost; this remix existing almost as an oxymoron with the music and lyrical subject matter nearly contradicting each other, but more complementary than anything else.

"Happiness" Metronomy remix of Goldfrapp featuring the Teenagers

I'll go as far as saying that maybe Metronomy's remix can't even be compared to the original because the songs are that completely different. Listen to Goldfrapp's original "Happiness" on the Hype Machine (you know when it's getting yanked off zshare that maybe direct linking isn't the best way to go)

The percussion of this track makes me want to dance around doing the mambo. The founder of the dance passed on today. Something else that occurred today? Another blog posted this track -- before me! Grr... Arghhh... This track has been racking its way up to the sixth most played track in my itunes since February!

Update: I was first to post this track as this and the one that appears on Austin Martin are different versions. Download both. The one here is the original mix. The one over there is shorter and doesn't finish with Alison's vocals.

Metronomy mastermind Joseph clued me into it as soon as he'd finished it via an unexpected myspace message in February. I replied that I thought it was going to be my new crack and lo and behold I've been addicted to it since it arrived in my inbox a day later.

Ever so modest, Joseph says 'he just did his thing' in relation to writing all new music and scrapping the idea of his own spoken word verses before calling in the "the spoken word specialists" in the form of Teenagers, but it's seriously new levels for Metronomy in many aspects. He's added his vocals before (see: Kate Nash remix and his remix of Roots Manuva "Awfully Deep") but to by bringing in a guest vocalist into a remix of his... that's new territory. While he did omit a verse from Kate Nash's "Foundations" in his remix, this time around he exorcises all the verses from Goldfrapp's original, retaining only enough of Alison's vocals to constitute a chorus. Michael of the Teenagers steps up to the pitch with two spoken word verses of his own in French.

The funny thing is, Michael hadn't even heard it yet; I was the one to send it to him. Pretty much the second his vocals kicked in I had to leave a comment on his facebook page about the awesomeness on first listen. I received a message back near instantly enthusiastically asking for it, so I quickly sent it his way. His thoughts upon hearing it? That he sounded "like a perv" and that is was better than the original. Michael didn't tell me what he was saying, but while playing it during SXSW, Chloe translated it and wouldn't you know - in English his lyrics still sound exactly like a Teenagers song: "We saw a movie. It sucked"... The jist is he asks a girl out, they go out, she says she'll keep in touch, she doesn't.

So yeah. I'm a little in love with this track. I played it ten million times during SXSW and every single time the person present had to stop and ask again "who is this?" in awe. Go down for a chat at Nemo Design about possible employment? Yeah, I guess I can say something about my photography, but let's actually talk about Metronomy's latest remix - I can go on and on. TRUE STORY hahahahahaha. I can't stop gushing to anyone and everyone.

So, it's more than a bummer I didn't break this as an exclusive. [Actually see update above. I was first for this mix] Joseph suggested I wait a bit before posting it, probably implying only a week or so, but if I'm going to wait, I'm going to wait with reason so I decided, "Hey, I'll post it in conjunction with his own single release on March 17th!" Only it then got rescheduled to the 31st. It was hard enough waiting the month until the 17th, but the 31st wasn't that much farther in the future so I held strong to my convictions...

Do we all know what we're doing on March 31st? Purchasing a vinyl 7 inch of Metronomy's "My Heart Rate Rapid," his first single from forth-coming LP Nights Out, which is being mastered this very moment.

And you know what? Getting first listen was beyond special enough... This track is up there with "Atlantis to Interzone" and "La Ritournelle" in terms of Metronomy's remixes. And those aren't just my fave Metronomy remixes, they're my favorite remixes period.

In January I made the presumption in a conversation that 2008's best song and/or remix would go to Metronomy. Who knows yet if this is the one, but it can only lend itself to that surmise...

Comments

[Metro-Sexual]

anyone got a fresh link to Metronomy's Atl->Interzone remix? I missed the boat on that one!

www.mediafire.com plzzz

[Lin]

Ta-da!
So good.
http://www.mediafire.com/?avddiwxdkjc