My Brightest Diamond’s Bring Me The Workhorse was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful albums of 2006, so much so, that it almost seems like sacrilege to subject its songs to ruthless chopping, cutting and pasting from various DJs. As grating as the idea seems, however, the 13 artists contributing to Tear It Down mostly steer clear from monotonous house beats, overly hectic jungle treatments and anything that might take away from the beauty of these tracks. Alias and Lusine both hone in on Shara Worden’s Portishead-like sound, merely soothing “Golden Star” and “Workhorse” (respectively) into a hypnotic downtempo realm. Bay Area bass freak Gold Chains puts some booty into “Freak Out,” which is refreshing among some of the more atmospheric treatments here, though DJ Kenny Mitchell’s take on the same track veers more toward the annoying. One of the most intriguing is Strings of Consciousness’ noir reworking of “Gone Away”, with reverb treated guitar and spooky synths fading in and out to create a much denser concoction. The collection wraps up beautifully with a lullaby-like electro-pop version of “Disappear”, proving the old adage that, even in remixes, less is more.
~ Jeff Terich
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