Silversun Pickups: Remixes EP

Four remixes of “Lazy Eye” and two of “Little Lover’s So Polite” later, you realize why that song inspired such adoration in the first place. OK, the release’s an iTunes-only, primarily-for-fans thing. But inferior as the reworkings are, we’re still reminded of the relaxed, addictive hook of the original “Lazy Eye”. Jimmy Tamborello (from James Figurine and Postal Service) gets two bites at the (juicy) cherry — a reverb-wrapped, big ’80s drums “accordian” remix and a pattering “pulses” mix — but misses on each. One’s too Postal Service, one’s too in awe of the original — the vocal’s pushed too far forward, the interesting electronic effects too subtle. In the end, it may be unfair to expect the reworkings of “Lazy Eye” on Remixes EP to best the original. Most of the remixers here tinker with backing sounds without changing too much of the tempo or “feel” of Silversun Pickups’ beach-drenched original. That’s a mistake, because the song has the potential to become some coiled dancefloor killer. The remixes of “Little Lover’s So Polite” are better. The version by One AM Radio is perhaps most successful, turning the original into a dirty, echoing electro-groove. But nothing here matches the original versions, and that’s a shame. We’ll just have to wait for Silversun Pickups’ next album to see if they can give us something as bracingly fresh as the first taste we had of “Lazy Eye”.