Incorporating raw, euphoric catharsis with impressive layering and unique electronic sounds, this rework encapsulates the real art of their music.
Opening with Bug Teeth’s remix of ‘Albatross’, we are introduced to intricate yet successful layering of sounds that persists throughout the album. Piano melodies and distorted basslines create a sense of distance and fragment. Daniel Avery’s remix of ‘The World’s Biggest Paving Slab’ follows this feeling. The track is gritty and raw, intensifying its layering. The essence of the original track echoes throughout, as though a distant memory. English Teacher and their collaborators amplify this lost feeling in the first tracks, which aren’t felt in the original album.
‘Broken Biscuits,’ remixed by band member Lewis Whiting, offers a bit more energy while sticking with a familiar, raw sound. The track intensifies the original vocals, making them quicker and choppier to build more movement. Layering helps to create an intense build-up, before the removal of these layers slows the track down to its finish, leading to Water From Your Eyes’ remix of ‘I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying’. We are served six minutes of melodic emotion tied with more tempo and rhythm.
The album then has a dramatic shift from stripped-back, guitar-based sounds to tracks with heavily electronic roots. SHERELLE’s version of ‘Mastermind Specialism’ feeds listeners the classic jungle sound we all know and love, but with a deeper, meaningful edge. Lily Fontaine’s soothing vocals allow the track to be both dreamy and energetic.
The iconic Baxter Dury’s rework of ‘This Could be Texas’ is brilliantly creative. He mixes high energy drums with unique, electronic sounds to evolve the track into an electronic dream.
Two tracks particularly striking to the ear are Max Cooper’s ‘R&B’ and Matt Maltese’s ‘Nearly Daffodils.’ Cooper’s mix of ‘R&B’ manages to perfectly capture the original energy of the track. It’s raw and melancholy with a mix of synths, creating the cathartic energy the original track aims for. Maltese’s rework of ‘Nearly Daffodils’ completely slows the song down as he uses his own, soft vocals with the original lyrics allowing a relaxing, emotional shift.
The album finishes with the sonically captivating ‘Albert Road,’ remixed by Blossom Calderone. It signs off the album with an uplifting vibe and jazzy undertones. It embodies the entire premise of the remix album – artistic, layered, visionary and raw.
English Teacher haven’t just created an album of remixes; they’ve worked with collaborators to create an extension of their sound. It’s vibrant, experimental, and admirable, something unseen from many artists in the current scene.
Emma Monaghan
Image: ‘This Could Be A Remix Album’ Official Album Cover
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