Remixing is so hot right now! So hot, in fact, someone thought it would be a good idea to remix the work of a stagnant, frozen artist like Sarah McLachlan. Sure, she has a gorgeous voice, but she sings adult contemporary music AKA where music goes to fall asleep and die. Unless you either mix the shit out of her songs, or are talented enough to disguise it, the result will still be a horrible adult contemporary track.
There are two approaches to remixing a vocal-oriented album like Bloom: either lay new beats under original vocals, or hopefully, cut/chop/warp the original vocals into a new artistic creation. Most tracks on this album fall into the first category, and are thus disappointing.
Twice the album succeeds in making something out of McLachlan’s beautiful but stale vocals. The remix of “Dirty Little Secret” is standard Thievery Corporation hotness, with smooth, stylish, and funky house music seeping out at every turn. The Junior Boys remix of “Fumbling Towards Ecstasy” is easily the most intelligent and creative track on the album. They take McLachlan’s rounded voice and drop it over gnarly synth, melodic ’80s keyboard riffs, and electro-drums to create a unique and well-balanced sound.
Other highlights are Tom Middleton’s remix of “Vox,” a ’90s dance party beat with the aforementioned stale vocals capable of simultaneously inducing hysterical laughter and vomiting. Bloom ultimately fails on its premise alone; only those who are able to enjoy adult contemporary music while being cool enough to understand what a remix is will appreciate this album–a number as small as the good ideas found upon it.