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Of Montreal

Satanic Twins

(Polyvinyl; US: 22 Aug 2006; UK: Available as import)

It was only a matter of time that Of Montreal would have a remix album out, particularly given their recent critic-courting new wave leanings that just happen to fall further on the side of melody than the band’s early years ever suggested.  Satanic Twins is that remix album, its title betraying its combination of tracks from both most recent albums The Sunlandic Twins and Satanic Panic in the Attic, and for the most part, the remixers actually decided to stay pretty true to the moods of the original songs involved.  “The Party’s Crashing Us” gets the niftiest of the makeovers (this one from I Am the World Trade Center), taking Of Montreal’s recent new wave leanings to their logical conclusion by turning the pleasant little song into a synthpop anthem, complete with octave-jumping bassline and lots of bendy synth solos.  Other highlights include IQU’s meditative take on “Forecast Fascist Future”, and Rory Phillips’ transformation (perhaps the most drastic on the entire disc) of “Climb the Ladder” into a dark, buzzy dance anthem.  For the most part, the remixes are enough to keep Of Montreal’s fans entertained, even if they’re not drastic enough or impressive enough to replace the originals in those same fans’ hearts—even so, the double-vinyl format of the release suggests that Satanic Twins was meant for the club anyway, and as a collection of club tunes, it does just fine.

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Mike Schiller is a software engineer in Buffalo, NY who enjoys filling the free time he finds with media of any sort -- music, movies, and lately, video games. Stepping into the role of PopMatters Multimedia editor in 2006 after having written music and game reviews for two years previous, he has renewed his passion for gaming to levels not seen since his fondly-remembered college days of ethernet-enabled dorm rooms and all-night Goldeneye marathons. His three children unconditionally approve of their father's most recent set of obsessions.


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