Sinister Nostalgia

by Dean CarlsonAlthough the prospect of a Switchblade Symphony remix album promised a welcomed update to what the band had touched upon in the semi-electronic Bread and Jam for Frances, the idea was a great deal better than the results. Particularly disappointing was the fact that Razed in Black, Endanger, Rosetta Stone, and Nitzer Ebb's Julian Beeston seemed to treat the challenge as a chore. The most complicated reinterpretations were ones with pointless reverb-drenched hi-hats or portentous 4/4 house beats and none of them renewed any interest in the under-appreciated neo-goths, which was assumed necessary in exercises like these. In the end, the thrill of hearing the Sandman-reading Shirley Bassey growl of Tina Root in a new context evaporated quickly. Only Meegs Rascon's Tricky-designed "Cocoon" remix played to the band's strengths rather than countermined them.