Crystal Castles - Celestica (Thurston Moore Remix) + La Roux - Lazerproof

Last month we posted how we’re not particularly in the habit of posting remixes at Breaking More Waves - the blogosphere is awash with the things and your average blog reader is more than adequately catered for. Yet the 'remix via blog model' is very much one of the ways that record labels, PR companies and artists now promote their music. It’s a win-win situation for both remixer and artist - the remixers profile and status can be boosted by a quality re-working of an already well known artist - probably the reason why these days so many new acts are given the opportunity to sprinkle some remix magic dust. The artist can gain credibility through association with a hip new remixer, as well as find new audiences through radical reinterpretations of their songs. One such example in recent times of this win-win was the Skream remix of In For The Kill by La Roux, which expanded her sound, gave her a hip edge and ensured that Skream wouldn’t be out of work for a fair time. Now La Roux is doing it again stateside with her free mixtape collaboration with Major Lazer which is also mighty fine - you can grab the whole thing below if you haven't done so yet.

Crystal Castles are probably as hip as you can get. In the past we have described them as ‘style over substance’, but their second album is a dense, dramatic and very deliberate album that transcends their debut by a significant amount. They really don’t need any remix endorsement. Sonic Youth certainly don’t either. Which is why we were intrigued when this track came to our attention. What could Sonic Youth guitarist and vocalist Thurtson Moore do with Celestica, a rather revelatory dance pop tune from Crystal Castles ? On the original Alice Glass dropped the blood curdling screaming that she is renowned for and instead laid an icy reverb-laden pop vocal over gentle ambient dance-floor synths. Thurston Moore keeps that vocal but largely ditches the disco replacing it with scratchy, wonky, gurning guitar. You can judge the results for yourself below by downloading or streaming the track.

So, that's a post about not just one but two remixes. We're just so full of contradictions.

La Roux - Lazerproof Mix Tape

Crystal Castles - Celestica (Thurston Moore Remix)

Crystal Castles - Celestica (Thurston Moore Remix) by Breaking More Waves