Much of Tallows 2013 album, Memory Marrow, seems ripe for the remix treatment. Soft Water, however, would probably be the most daunting prospect for a producer to tackle, if for no other reason than its probably the records most organic, guitar-driven song. Enter rising electronic artist PLSTKNOVA, the alias of 19-year-old Edmondite Ethan Strange, whose dopamine-drenched downtempo complements the originals anthemic zest better than you might expect.
Not that the two versions are anywhere in the same realm. Strange smartly plucks from the originals quieter passages for his rendition, which is part of the recently released Memory Marrow Remixes cassette tape, beginning with its melodic, Rhodes-esque electric piano hook but quickly turning it on its head. Singer Josh Hogsetts shrill vocals are doused in reverb, setting up the songs drowsy yet hard-hitting rhythm section.
Stranges greatest trick, however, is taking the aquatic elements of the original and transfiguring them into something more glacial. His approach is decidedly more chilled and favors atmosphere over climactic exultation. Stranges remix never sacrifices melody for stiffness, although the results are often numbing.