As I rip this killer record 20 years after its release, my initial thought is how much I loved the album this song came from. I was already a hardened Six By Seven fan, so to have a Swordsmen remix was just a tasty frosting on the cupcake. The original version is here and still kicks serious butt, with guitars screeching and electro drums pounding the sound into a throbbing headache of madness. This band was criminally ignored, and their name should have been a much more well-known commodity. As it happened, this was their most popular album, and rightly so. But that’s another blog post.
The Zan Lyons remix is okay but doesn’t really stick with you. Probably not exactly fair to review it as I have no clue who this guy is other than he was a violinist. The remix is a drone version, literally, which isn’t exactly my thing. I’m glad I have it in the archives, but I can’t imagine ever listening to it again. Maybe I’ll make a drone DJ mix someday? Yeah, that must be it.
Now, the Swordsmen mix is a thing of beauty. I can’t quite remember if “Tiny Reminders” had come out yet, but they had already ensconced themselves firmly into the electro camp when this single came out, and damn, do they murder the original. It sounds more like a Radioactive Man track which is no bad thing as Tenniswood is a master of technique and execution every bit that Weatherall was. The only bit they keep from the original is an electro guitar riff that almost disappears in the original, only to be amped up to 11 here on the remix. Add some face-punching electro beats and a weird demonic voice grunting, and you’ve got one of the best remixes the Swordsmen ever delivered. They dub out the vocals completely and focus only on the groove — a nice choice. They also punctuate the remix with just enough change to keep you moving throughout the six minutes it lasts; they do some stop/start tricks and little melody tweaks to keep the dynamics yanking at your brain strings. Damn good groovy shit here.
File this into the “must-have” pile if you’re either a Six By Seven or Swordsmen fan. It’s super cheap, too, and by my recollection, this was an edition of 500 12″s only. Get on it!
Occasional Feel Good 