I'm usually extremely wary of remix albums, especially where indie artists are concerned; the meddling/mastery (delete where applicable) of some random DJ or uber-cool artist rarely, if ever improves upon the original. An excellent case in point is last year's Bloc Party remix album, which did nothing but beseech me to listen to the original posthaste. Despite last year's Guero containing some of Beck's best work to date, the nature of Guerolito means that it cannot be judged strictly as a stand-alone volume of work, and so unsurprisingly supplies a substandard and often tiresome companion to the original. Taking Guero's quirkiest moments, it either re-hashes them entirely and renders them completely unlistenable, (Shake Shake Tambourine) or transforms a pop gem into something that will appeal only to dance enthusiasts (Girl). Admittedly, there are some moments here that provide adept alternatives; notably Air's superb interpretation of 'Missing', 8-Bit's enjoyable hip-hop take on 'Hell Yes' and Boards of Canada's dreamy stab at 'Broken Drum'. However, while Beck's innate quirkiness is almost enough to get away with it, the artists he handpicked to remix (Ad-Roc, EL-P and Dizzee Rascal amongst others) primarily do nothing but generate that impulse to listen to its superior source material. One for ardent fans only.
