popwreckoning

.Lady Gaga – “Bad Romance”
Now I’m not a huge fan of this track. It starts off with creepy “Ra Ra Ah Ah, GaGa” gurgles, followed by Lady GaGa singing in a deep, tough voice. The music is subtle, with a hefty drumbeat and subtle keyboards for an eerie feel. The song certainly picks up during the chorus, becoming more poppy with Lady GaGa singing in a lighter tone, matched to lighter music.

.Grum Remix
Grum does a great turn on the song. He leaves out the creepy gurgles and focuses on the poppier side of the music while simultaneously adding his thick electronic tweaks. They come in fast forms and slow, churning, thick forms. He adds to the song rather than altering it much, highlighting its better parts to something more suited for normal people.

.Starsmith Remix
The Starsmith remix is the most dancey of all of them and only because it’s the quickest. It features 80s sci-fi laser sounds, plenty of synths, electro pops and light percussion. It speeds through rather fast till the end, wear it slows for a typical trance build up, bursting into an odd rap.

.Hercules & Love Affair Remix

Hercules & Love Affair turn this into a style that is a complete aesthetic of what they do. They slow it down, bring it to a walking pace of cool disco and funk beats. The one bubbling bass line pours throughout the song, added by light xylophone taps. The mix really showcases Lady GaGa’s vocals as they are louder than anything else in the mix. It’s a softer and perhaps more pleasant working.

Lady Gaga: website | myspace

Gossip is a three-piece indie rock outfit from Washington, fronted by Beth Ditto. They released their fourth studio album, Music For Men, this past summer and “Heavy Cross” was the first single released. Their sound is a mixture of vocals that are soul and gospel and music that is funky punk and dance.

Gossip – “Heavy Cross” (watch video below)
Heavy Cross starts off with quiet staccato strums and soft ‘oohs’ from Ditto. Though peaceful, there’s a slight urgency to the music that builds up and eventually breaks through with aggressive guitars and dancey percussion. Ditto’s voice, powerful and diva-esque, carries the entire track, from her whispers to her screams, the music matching all the highs and lows. There’s a touch of synth splattered throughout for a retro feel.

“Heavy Cross” (Yuksek Remix)
Yuksek does the best remix in my opinion. The song is structurally the same though layered with creativity. The first addition is stadium thumps and claps surrounding the staccato and the vocals, eventually Yuksek plays with distortion by adding in electronic and house beats. The result is a quicker more dangerous track.

“Heavy Cross” (Burns Remix)
Similar in structure to the original and Yuksek’s mix, Burns adds his own flavor as a layer to what already exists. His mix is tremendously faster and concentrates on percussion which is a driving force, thick and heavy. He plays with that throughout on different levels. Burns allows for a slower build up in the beginning before bringing all the noise in.

“Heavy Cross” (Fred Falke Remix)
Though not the best, Fred Falke does the most diverse of the remixes, the one that sounds nothing like the original. He strips the original melody and inserts his own, ethereal, light synthesizer sound. Mr. Falke then adds in speed via a thick bass line that snaps around like a rubber band for an original sound. It’s a ligher and faster track, the most appropriate for the dance floor.

Gossip: website | myspace | interview with

The Shoes is a French duo that recently released their EP People Movin and will be coming out with their debut album shortly. “People Movin” was done in collaboration with Primary 1.

.The Shoes – “People Movin”
People Movin is a minimalist electronic track that brittles with a shiny pop. It has that subtle cool evident in much of the French scenesters. The vocals are extremely soft and charming, akin to an R&B sound. Light synthesizers permeate portions of the song that fit the aesthetic of an old Nintendo game. Amongst the marching band-esque drums is a filtered sound that is reminiscent of background music in French New Wave cinema.

.“People Movin” (Monsieur Monsieur Remix)
The MM remix is a proper transformation into a more electronic track, with thick dubs, recycled vocals, bleeps and sequencers. The pace of the song, however, is extremely slowed down, so this doesn’t become a dancey tune by any means. Most of the vocals are replaced by instrumentals, and a thick, syrupy drum machine pounds a muffled beat through the track. Another mix that works more for background music rather than as a focal point, which is what the original really is.

.“People Movin” (Siriusmo Remix)
There is hardly a change from the original to this remix. I’m struggling to note much dissimilarity. The Siriusmo remix is a little faster, a touch more electronic, the vocals seem slightly stripped down and raw. Musically the percussion remains fairly static, synthesizers appear more frequently, but for the most part Siriusmo could’ve tried a little harder.

.“People Movin” (Arbogast Remix)
This is probably one of the better remixes of this song. It’s quicker, lighthearted and permeates an essence of youthful adventure and recklessness. The fast pace of the vocals bring a much needed energy into the song, particularly after the above remixes. Arbogast’s remix does maintain a similar structure to the song in that it doesn’t transform it to a dance floor, electro pounding anthem. It keeps the similar percussion and guitars.

The Shoes: myspace