This isn’t the first time Metronomy has handed the remix reigns over to The English Rivera, but it should be the last. “Everything Goes My Way” is the third single from the Mercury Prize nominated album to receive an EP of remixes. Artists Psychemagik and Jesse Rose are each given a chance, along with producer Ewan Pearson’s two remixes, one an elongated dub version as the closer. A highlight of The English Rivera with the addition of vocals from Veronica Falls‘ Roxanne Clifford, the easygoing original becomes an EP of long-winded listening.
The fault doesn’t lie with Metronomy, but the chosen remixes can’t match what was already created. Psychemagik gives the single an cosmic sendoff with twinkling keys, the magic of Clifford’s inclusion lost to moments of twisted vocals distorted into a foreign tongue. Jesse Rose works with the shell of the song, adding quiet trills, voluminous drums, and flairs of horn-like effects.
“Everything Goes My Way” gets an after-hours dark side by way of Pearson. The subtle addition of electronic drums and chilled drops of keys flourish into a suitably prominent ending, with instrumentals transforming to underlay Clifford’s smooth oooh’s. But the places where Pearson succeeded in creating a remix opener are later lost in a dub version that tosses away much of the main vocals in favor of groovy keys and an eruption of drums. After essentially listening to the same song four times, a drab closer that’s basically instrumental is a perfect moment for listeners to exit early from the recording.
A remix album isn’t meant to upstage the original but rather complement what has already been created. This EP is a mixed bag with no one particular remix really stealing the show. Metronomy’s brand of bouncy electropop is perfect for a series of reworks, but it requires the right elements, none of which are found here.
Essential Tracks: “Everything Goes My Way” Ewan Pearson remix
