Originals don't need tampering

Pass up this remix and wait for Minus the Bear's next album.

By Meg Walsh

Published Feb. 23, 2007

When I hear the word "remix," I usually hear it from the booming voice of some faceless disc jockey with an echo effect right before the rave-tastic version of a song kicks in. I imagine my pupils being violated by a flurry of lasers and strobes. For this very reason, I was wary of the Minus the Bear remix album, Interpretaciones Del Oso, an album consisting entirely of remixed versions of the 11 songs from the band's breakout album, Menos El Oso.

My nerves were not put at ease when the album opened with an electronic clanging that increased in pace. Oh shit, did I just stumble into some strange love child of the indie rock and club scenes? I knew the classic "Drilling" wasn't entirely destroyed once Jake Snider's vocals kicked in. In the remix, heavier bass and beat are prominent, giving it more overall danceability. Upgrade. But the first track was deceiving.

The second song, "Memphis & 53rd," starts with high-frequency electronic buzzing that continues throughout the track. Most of the charm that exists in the original's easy-going guitar rifts is lost. Downgrade.

The new version of "The Fix" starts with a very sci-fi intro that would be more at home on some over-produced industrial album. Snider's vocals echo and sound distant. The song does not have a very distinguishable beat or melody and loses its quirkiness. Downgrade.

One of my favorite tracks from Menos El Oso, "The Game Needed Me" is turned into a dissonant, echoey mess. Downgrade. The original version of "The Pig War" featured electronic elements, so the remix ops for a monkish chant-like vocals and a much slower beat in addition to an oboe line throughout. The original is pretty much lost. A similar remix, "Fulfill the Dream," turns into a mess of bleeps and blips with most vocals nowhere to be found.

"Michio's Death Drive" stays true to the original with Snider's vocals just as prominent as the other instruments.

The album isn't bad, but the originals just didn't need tampering. Minus the Bear doesn't need high productions like this. Minus the Bear's sound has always been laid back, and these remixes add tension.

The remixes that add a dance beat are enjoyable, but most just add an other-worldly sound that is more confusing than pleasant.

Just wait for Minus the Bear's next original work and pass on this stop-gap.