Believe

A semi-distillation of the band's series of Club Mix singles from the previous year, the first part of the formal 4AD single release of "Believe" mostly concentrates on versions of other tracks. Besides the monstrous dark groove of the brilliant title track, three other songs appear. "Oh," appearing in its full-length version, is pure lounge revivalism of the best kind, not least because instead of simply re-creating it, the band aims at their own synthesis, low, almost whispered vocals snaking among the rhythms, sampled directly from Arthur Lyman. "Cold Breath '79 (Craze)" takes a more jazz-funk approach, but with the same careful balance between warmth and cold delivery that typifies the group's work, chillingly seductive. "Ghetto Belief" is the one actual remix of "Believe" that appears, taking some of the lyrics and putting in a new bassline and breakbeat to align the song more directly with hip-hop, though again with a strange, alien atmosphere.