Monday, January 4, 2010

SOTD 1.4.09

I don't know what's going on. I'm going to hell with myself. Another Radiohead post? And a remix at that? I never thought I'd see the day when this Thom snob would even consider a mere remix surpassing the original, but I guess there's a first time for everything. Just take this as the official kickoff to 2010 (twen-tē ten), the year of the Muzjiks...

The word "mash-up" evokes an acne-faced computer nerd who thinks that an off-tempo combination of Ying Yang Twins and Ke$ha called "(Wait 'Til You See My) DiK ToK" is just the funniest, most ironic thing ever. This isn't a mash-up, though; rather, this is a subtle—albeit genius—reworking of an already near-perfect piece of music. Combining the In Rainbows opener, "15 Step," with Dave Brubeck's ubiquitous 1959 cool jazz number, "Take Five," is "5 Step" by the no-name French bootlegger Overdub. Shrewdly having recognized that "15 Step" is in 5/4 time just as the famously asymmetrical "Take Five," Overdub allows for strength of "15 Step" in its unadulterated state to preside, simply interpolating Brubeck's sexy piano and saxophone as an accent to further the musical interest. If I didn't k
now better, I would think that the classically-inclined Jonny Greenwood had infused this jazz element himself. It works that well. Better than the original? Debatable. A remix indicative of a clear appreciation for and knowledge of music in general? Definitely.

Radiohead vs. Dave Brubeck: "5 Step"
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