Too Much Information For One Brain To Sustain

Peter Morén “Social Competence” – The funny thing about this song is that even though Morén is expressing angst and frustration with a variety of social situations, he doesn’t sound poorly adjusted or incapable of functioning. Maybe that’s why it’s called “Social Competence” and not “Social Incompetence.” Either way, it’s a bit more interesting to hear someone sing about how they manage to hold together despite persistent stress and strain — for one thing, it’s not quite as common and exhibitionistic as a “help, I’ve fallen apart!” tune, and it can be rather instructive to learn a bit about how successful people cope with mundane problems. (Click here to buy it from Touch and Go.)

Sally Shapiro “Hold Me So Tight” (The Cansecos remix) – Most Sally Shapiro songs — whether they are album tracks or remixes — tend to be extremely cold and aloof, to the point that the tunes become monochromatic and bloodless. The Cansecos go for contrast on their remix by setting Shapiro’s thin, nearly affectless vocals to a warm, dynamic disco track carried by a bouncing bassline, a smooth keyboard groove, and filled out with a buzzing synth drone and barely-there acoustic guitar strums that complements her low-key persona. It’s quite a revelation — taken outside the context of a white-on-white arrangement, it’s easier to notice the subtleties of Shapiro’s phrasing, and the sudden shifts in the percussion highlight hooks that get buried in other versions of the same song. (Click here to buy it from Paper Bag Records.)