Björk: The Dull Flame of Desire

“The Dull Flame of Desire” is probably the least likely of any of the tracks on Björk’s 2007 Volta to be remixed. But Modeselektor’s reworkings of the plodding, brass-orchestrated duet actually come off as somewhat adequate reinterpretations of the Icelandic vixen’s standout. Unfortunately, the rest of the recent The Dull Flame of Desire single release is completely disposable.

Modeselektor’s two cuts — “For Boys” and “For Girls” — are drastically different from both the original cut and each other. “For Boys” is more similar to the original song, carrying the chamber reverb that showered Björk and Antony Hegarty over a scorched staccato keyboard. “For Girls” is a masterful dissection of the track’s vocals, as Modeselektor chop and screw Björk’s croons while riding crescendoing sysnths. Possibly the most intriguing aspect of either is the way Antony’s voice is manipulated. A signer who is known for his outwardly emotional melodrama, his vibrato croons are made to sound incredibly calculated and mechanical; his voice finally sounds at home rather than lost amongst eloquent, organic compositions.

The Dull Flame of Desire also carries a superfluous instrumental, album mix, and radio mix. The most disappointing aspect of the whole disc, however, is the inclusion of the Sinden remix of “Innocence”, which equates to a shoddy DJ speeding it up and mashing it together with a random, overwrought Justice track.