Album Review: How to Dress Well- "What is This Heart?" Remix EP

In today’s modern landscape, the life cycle of a standard album is usually pretty short. You release one, maybe two singles in advance of the record’s release, and then maybe one more after if you’re lucky. You spend the next year or so touring in support of it, then you “head back into the studio” to shit out the follow up.

Sometimes, in an effort to “extend the life” of an album, special or deluxe editions of it are reissued within months of the original release. This often contains bonus tracks: like b-sides, live versions, remixes, etc. Sometimes they are tacked on to a second disc (if it’s a physical release.) Sometimes they are tacked onto the end of the album and repacked with new artwork.

Since some people don’t like buying the same thing twice within a few months, smart artists (and labels) will make these extras available digitally, so you can only purchase for a measly few dollars what you need via the iTunes store.

Such is the case with the “What is This Heart?” remix EP that dropped this week from the gawd himself, Tom Krell, AKA How to Dress Well.

As I’m sure you know, the original album was released in June. Maybe you are still recovering from it. What was done in an effort to presumably extend the life of the record as we speed towards the end of 2014, “What is This Heart?” has been reissued digitally including four remixes and two additional tracks—it’s worth noting that those two extra tracks were part of the special 10” record that came with the deluxe vinyl set (now out of print.)

So if you missed them in June—now’s your chance.

But what we really want to discuss here are the remixes.  Because they are dope.

Remixes, in general, are kind of eh most of the time, you know? Like, they aren’t usually that dramatic of a reinterpretation of the song, and rarely are you ever like “whoa this remix is better than the original.” In this case, all four of them work, and work well—some are more successful than others. And in one case, it’s as impressive, if not MORE impressive than the original.

Out of the original LPs 12 tracks, four are selected for the remix treatment on the EP, including two of the singles—“Words I Don’t Remember” and “Repeat Pleasure,” along with “Very Best Friend” and “Precious Love.”

It’s the “Repeat Pleasure” remix that starts things off, and it’s also the one that is the least successful of the four. Not that it’s bad—no, far from it. In the hands of A.G. Cook, the phrase “Even broken, my heart will go on” turns into the focus of this interpretation, as big club-ready synths build behind it.

The reason that it doesn’t quite work is that for three minutes and change, it feels like it s absolutely on the cusp of going someplace much larger than itself, but it never gets there. It just stops. It’s all tension with no release, or payoff.

Producer James Hinton, AKA, The Range, takes a stab at “Words I Don’t Remember”—scaling back the six minute running time of the original down to a concise four. Hinton also scales down the size of the song—the original continued to build until it exploded at the end in a wall of synths, vocal manipulation, and huge beats.

This remix from The Range, in contrast, is rather reserved, creating a slight build that eventually takes off with about 90 seconds left in the track, using Krell’s pitch shifted voice, and the phrase “these words I won’t remember” to create a rather solemn, serious tone, bringing out the uncertainty that’s buried within the lyrics.

Mark Glasser, AKA Dubbel Dutch tries his hand at the declaration of love “Very Best Friend,” and in doing so, switches up the electro-R&B slink of the original for a slightly different, more pop-leaning sound. He also adds in the vocals of Eva T, who chimes in on the refrain, and it’s a welcome addition, turning the song into a bit of a duet.

The best arrives last, with the Cyril Hahn remix of “Precious Love.” The original, of course, being the song Krell structured around the sample of on-hold music. Hahn, instead, builds the track around a laid back, minimal beat, bringing in a somber sounding electric piano to give the track a very soulful, very real emotional depth that was untapped by the light, playful tone of the album version.

In doing this, Hahn has damn near surpasses Krell’s original track, creating a very hopeful sounding song—a moment of transcendental magic that you rarely find in pop music; certainly one of the most outstanding accomplishments of 2014.

Releasing this stand alone digital remix EP comes off as less of  cash grab, thankfully, a more like a chance to both hear reimaginings of a few tracks from “What is This Heart?”, and also to give a new appreciation to the originals, noting what sets of fresh ears chose to focus on from the source material.

The "What is This Heart?" Remix EP is out now via Weird World, available in the iTunes Marketplace.