Your Thorn Remixes
Towards the end of last year Japanese electronic musician Cokiyu released her second full-length release “Your Thorn.” In our review of that album, we cited a work that successfully married the experimentation of electronic sounds with the accessibility of pop music. In support of the release “Your Thorn Remixes” was assembled, offering fans of the avant-garde a dedicated long player of songs from the album reworked by some of the genre’s finest craftsmen. Now we’ve let the dust settle on “Your Thorn” let us touch on what one can expect from this accompanying release.
Taking eight of the nine tracks from the original record, “Your Thorn Remixes” features seventeen songs in total, with a number of the original versions reworked by different artists. The most popular of these is title track “Your Thorn” which is featured some six times, and it’s interesting to look at the offerings on display here. For example, the rapidly synthesized drums of the 1000 Names version varies greatly to the acoustic guitar backing of the version provided by Turalica. Similarly the minimalist instrumentation of Noah’s reworking contrasts greatly to that of crackling percussion of Geskia! & Pawn’s version.
Elsewhere, one can enjoy the Scissors and Sellotape remix of “Textured Clouds.” Here the stripped down qualities of John McCaffrey come into play as remnants of the original track are processed and played with to great effect, offering light glimmers of the familiar with something that on the whole sounds new. This microscopic approach to sound design contrasts greatly to the beat heavy cover of “Textured Clouds” by Praezisa Rapid 3000, whose thumping drums and intricately processed vocals offer something altogether different. Yet, both tracks stay true to their title, producing songs with great textural qualities.
Among the other artists on show are Japanese musician aus, who in typical fashion takes the ominous sounding “Gloomy Monday” and turns it into an effervescent and uplifting mix of beats, vocals and synths. Similarly, multi-instrumentalist Vieo Abiungo injects his penchant for marching percussions and world sounds into his own version of the song. Tokyo Bloodworm, Opiate, Girl With The Gun, A Lily, Remote Viewer, NETWORKS, 34223 and Polyphonic Parachute are some of the other artists on hand. Shigeto completes the roster, with their cover of “Drag the Beast” a personal favourite.
“Your Thorn Remixes” is a great record to own alongside the original. It allows a strong group of musical talent to play with what was a solid foundation and develop their own inspirations from it, whilst also catering to fans that may seek a greater infusion of experimental music compared to the more pop-laden original workings. – Recommended!