Yo La Tengo's Danelectro EP begins with two dreamy, gorgeous, but similar instrumentals, "Danelectro 2" and "3," built on the group's now trademark sound of atmospheric keyboards, reverbed guitar plunking, distant feedback and Georgia Hubley's always brilliant, subtle drumming. They seem to head further into an almost post-rock territory (albeit of the melodic Mogwai type) than their previous records. Still, the songs bear much resemblance to the hazy, dusky, organic atmosphere of And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out, during which sessions these songs were recorded.
The two songs lull me into a dreamlike state before I'm jarred awake by the intro of Danelectro's first remix, by the Arsonists' Q-Unique. As with any Arsonists track, it begins with terribly rote DJ scratching, and here, seems to follow the 'rock remix' formula to a T. Sorry, but the last thing these songs needed was rank turntablism. The track ends up a jarring contrast to the previous two, with quick cuts and electronic percussion, and within seconds has shattered the atmosphere established by the band.
Kit Clayton's remix opens Danelectro's second half, following the form of the previous, by simply abandoning much of the smooth texture of the original in favor of rough cuts and synthetic textures. "Danelectro 1" follows, which provides a smooth transition into Nobukazu Takemura's 11-minute remix of "Danelectro 2," the most effective remix presented here. He adds some subtle polyrhythmic percussion layers and keyboard effects which bring the whole thing closer to Tortoise brand post-rock. While it can't really be considered an improvement, it at least retains the atmosphere and feel of the original.
Nothing on this EP is particularly awful-- Yo La Tengo certainly can't be blamed for their efforts-- but sometimes things are better left unremixed. The sequencing is overwhelmingly tacky, and really, how often do you think you'll find yourself in the mood for Takemura's epic reworking of a vaulted Yo La Tengo instrumental? The record has its moments of beauty, but in the end, it fails to add up to a satisfying whole.
