Full Of Your Love

Thrushes “Heartbeats” (Dthenextlevel Remix) – Let’s be really really really really real about this: Most remixes are total bullshit. I’d estimate that maybe 99% of all remixes are terrible, and out of that number, about half are utterly unlistenable. The market is saturated with shitty remixes, and it’s only going to get worse as more bands emulate Radiohead and Nine Inch Nails by getting the multitrack recordings of their songs in the hands of amateur producers.

Still, every once in a while, you get something like this remix by Dthenextlevel. It’s the kind of remix that does what a remix ought to do — take a song that is already terrific, switch up the arrangement, and unlock its full potential. The melody and emotion of the song isn’t just intact, it’s enhanced by the electronic beats and synthesizers. Whereas the original recording hid its potent hook and plaintive vocals behind an overbearing drone and a beat that self-consciously referenced Jesus & Mary Chain and every other band who ever nabbed the rhythm of “Be My Baby,” this remix is bolder, brighter, and about ten times more beautiful.

Basically, this is one of those remixes that dares the band to be better. I mean, they don’t have to become a dance act, but they should know that this sound definitely suits them well, and that foregrounding Anna Conner’s voice is a very good idea, and that the shrieking guitar feedback is more breathtaking when it’s not totally dominating the arrangement. This track is such a thrill; I really do hope they move more in this direction because for them, it’s the difference between being a nice little shoegazer band, and becoming one of the most promising pop bands in the country. (Click here to buy it from Thrushes.)