Don’t fight it, give into this adorable cat and come in for Bempology 2008 – Part 1. This was the first year I really started mailing mixes out and labeling songs at dangerously OCD level, including artwork, track number, etc. Started off a little remix heavy in the beginning, but they’re classics (‘classic’ in the sense that they probably hit top 10 on the Hype Machine for a day or two back in that year). Above anything else, Aeroplane’s take on Friendly Fires ‘Paris’ defines why I love the indie electronic remix scene and why I continue to wade through the bogs of peat moss that charade as remix attempts on the ol’ blogosphere these days. Friendly Fire’s version of ‘Paris’, while not poor by any stretch, is the equivalent of Lane Meyer’s 1967 Camarro in ‘Better Off Dead’ – deep down a beauty, but one that could use some work. In said example, Aeroplane is the sexy French exchange student from across the street who swoops in and changes the game. With Aeroplanes production on the back end and Au Revoir Simone injecting delicate, whispered vocals, Friendly Fire’s nervous anxiety is replaced with an aristocratic European savvy. This is the kind of music that makes you feel disproportionately cooler than you are It’s the kind of music to soundtrack an expensive shopping montage in some other life. It’s why remixes matter. Other standouts here go to Fleet Foxes ‘Mykonos’ ( finally reclaiming the term ‘brother’ for white flanneled, academic types), Frightened Rabbit ‘The Twist’ (this band dominated my 2008 playlists thanks to the insanely consistent ‘Midnight Organ Fight’), and We Are Scientists ‘After Hours’ (that drum beat might as well be a car motor, this song moves).
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