Album Review: Ummagma- Lama Remix LP

So, full disclosure, one-half of the Ukrainian/Canadian dream pop duo, Ummagma, reached out to me via social media awhile back, and asked if I would take a listen to their forthcoming release, and review it for the blog here.

Once I obtained a copy of said album, I was a little surprised to see that it was, in fact, a remix album of the band’s song “Lama.” So it’s seven variations on a theme, with the eighth track being the original version.

This has been out for a minute, and usually I try to be a little timelier about reviews—especially if the artist has directly approached me. But I’ll admit that I was a little uncertain on how to proceed with absorbing, and then writing a review, of something that is, really, the same song, eight times.

The good news is that after easing my way in, and finally getting into the Lama Remix album, I found that I wasn’t going to be essentially listening to the same song eight times. While the remixes all use the same starting point, they are all drastically different enough as to create their own unique and refreshing take on the song.

The various remixes each approach “Lama” from a slightly different perspective—some focusing on maintaining the verse/chorus/verse structure of the original, while some opt to split up the vocal track, singling out specific lyrics, or omitting some completely. Musically speaking, these are all considerably distinctive. Both the “A Copycat” and “Sounds of Sputnik” remixes both add some very heavy 80s synthy/Goth vibes, but each in their own way, while the “Alexander Robotnick” take on “Lama” nearly turns it into a lost Everything But The Girl song.

Then there is, of course, the original version of the song.

I will say that it’s obviously very intentional on Ummagma’s part to include the original version of “Lama” at the very end of this effort—the song itself is originally from the band’s 2012 LP Antigravity. It kind of arrives as if to say, for those who are familiar with the band, “Hey, don’t forget what this song actually sounds like,” and for those who are new to Ummagma (like myself), “Hey, this is what this song actually sounds like.”

Certainly, a collection of eight variations on the same thing works best if broken up, so as not to overdo it—though the first two remixes are so different from one another, you nearly forget your are listening to the “same” song. The Lama Remix Album serves as both a nice introduction to the band, as well as an example of the endless possibilities in contemporary popular music. Where one may thing they’ve reached the end and completed a song, someone else may look at it and see merely the beginning.

Lama is available now via Emerald and Doreen.