Initially identified as a sludge or doom metal act,
the Body
's sound has evolved far beyond the point of resembling any form of metal, taking cues from industrial music and hip-hop production, as well as incorporating horns, strings, and operatic vocals into their phenomenally bleak compositions. For a group who take such a deconstructivist approach to creating music, the idea of passing their tracks off to other artists to be remixed seems so logical that it's almost too obvious. Yet it's clear that they didn't want just anyone altering their work, and so
Remixed
, released to commemorate
's 20th anniversary as a band, is filled with contributions from previous tourmates and collaborators, friends from the Providence music scene, and artists who have influenced their music. The album starts off with a remix by
Moss of Aura
, the instrumental chillwave project of
Future Islands
'
Gerrit Welmers
, and what's startling about the track is how
Chip King
's piercing shrieks are isolated and surrounded by lush synths and downtempo beats rather than cacophonous noise. Somehow his voice actually sounds far more disturbing this way. Of the overtly techno-influenced tracks,
OAA
's take on "Adamah" is more straightforward, with metallic clangs spiking the skeletal beat, and a chattering vocal loop fading in and providing the track with its most ear-catching element.
Container
's typically excellent contribution, a version of "Ten Times a Day Everyday a Stranger," is a carousel of meaty distortion spinning around an almost grime-like rhythm. On the album's most powerful track,
Moor Mother
proclaims herself to be "from the place of never-gots" and threatens "two bullets in the brain, dead cop" over her own mournful singing and slowly decaying drums. Elsewhere,
Andrew Nolan
's "Wanderings" comes close to the noise-saturated industrial hip-hop of
Scorn
or
Techno Animal
, while
Seth Manchester
's "Western Dub" is a faithful dub interpretation of the
Eek-a-Mouse
-sampling "The West Has Failed." Other tracks explore eerie dark ambient drone, and the release ends with
Lingua Ignota
repeating "Father does not judge" over the ominous pianos and swelling distortion of "Hallow Hollow."
is certainly worthwhile for fans of
, as it demonstrates the duo's open-mindedness towards collaboration and hints at where they could take their music from here, but anyone who hasn't heard albums like
Christs, Redeemers
No One Deserves Happiness
should start with those first. ~ Paul Simpson