Anne Garner’s a new name to this reviewer and
it is probably a new name to most people as Re-making
The Pearl is her debut. It is a remix album that
actually precedes the release of the original - such
is the speed of contemporary life... This arrangement
was probably prompted by the publicity to be garnered
from some of the big names who have submitted remixes,
including Richard H. Kirk
and Mixmaster Morris. I’ve no problem with this
way of doing things, but it does make judging the quality
of the remixes relative to the originals well-nigh impossible.
Re-making The Pearl reminds of another female
singer’s set of collaborations with electronica
artists: Nicolette
reached the apex of her fame when she appeared on Massive
Attack’s second album, Protection,
but subsequently her Let No One Live Rent Free In
Your Head laid out a series of fascinating musical
experiments with the likes of Roni Size, 4 Hero, Plaid
and Alec Empire. The dance music star is generally on
the wane and Re-making The Pearl is a low-key
affair, but it is still an interesting one.
Garner’s voice is fairly heavily treated on the
opener, Home, though her native Irish intonation
can still be heard. She tends to haunt tracks rather
than dominate them, this may be a function of her voice
of the approach of the remixers, but it does serve to
shift the emphasis onto the music. The majority of which
is dreamy and billowing with occasional blasts of something
harsher. It’s not a sit up and grab you by the
collar experience, but fans of the Cocteau
Twins or Clannad are likely to enjoy this outing.
Colin Buttimer
3/5 |
