Remix

Given the synth-driven joy that informs so much of Color Filter's work, it was no surprise at all that a remix album eventually surfaced, with a variety of songs reworked by fellow travelers in the Darla/dream pop universe. It's both a fine adjunct to Color Filter's regular albums and an enjoyable experience on its own — any fans of acts like Technicolor, Junior Varsity KM, and Sweet Trip need to get Remix posthaste. In an interesting touch, at two points the same song is presented with one differing remix after another, allowing for a bit of instant compare and contrast. "Children of Summer" appears three times, starting with an amiably relaxed drum'n'bass mix from Click'n'Cycle, Apollo moon mission samples and all, while Junior Varsity KM's mix is more straight-up breakbeat revamp. In contrast, Sweet Trip's own take on the song runs more aggressively at the start with a fine, somewhat distorted breakbeat before downshifting into a minimal series of loops and, strikingly, a solo piano turn, the vocals sliding in the background. Meanwhile, "Sad Gray Sky" is the other repeat appearance song, first popping up with an unsurprisingly grand Flowchart mix, the Philadelphia group's transforming into ambient techno/IDM demonstrably clear (the midsong rhythm shift is an especially worthy touch). In a fine twist, Japanese indie pop folks Sugar Plant handle the other remix, stripping out most of the rhythm aside from gentle burbles and pulses to emphasize the enjoyable, drifting core melody. Of the remaining tracks, the Buzz revamp of "Let Me Sleep" makes a reasonably fuzzed-up guitar stomp, Sick Cat's "Lullaby" is a lovely glitch/drone combination that softly coasts alone, and Technicolor's "Sleep in a Synchrotron" variation makes for a sprightly enough trip into a dreamy '80s never-never land.