Singles

Archangel - Loud and Clear

Richard Wink 19/03/2010

Rating: 3/5

The purpose of a remix is to add a dash of life to an otherwise imperfect track. Sometimes a remix can make an average track into a good one. Take La Roux's 'In for the Kill', on its own it was alright enough, but Skream's Let's Get Ravey remix managed to turn the song into a completely different monster, one that was spiky and magnificent, providing an edge to an otherwise anodyne artist.

Archangel needs a good remix for 'Loud and Clear' because the radio edit just doesn't satisfy these ears. A plodding, limp elecdie droop across the wilds of Wiltshire. Nick Webber, the multi-instrumentalist behind Archangel delivers an optimistic vocal performance, moving into falsetto at will. The worry for Webber is that musically the song is lacking, the chorus reaches a peak, however the flag does not flutter triumphantly at the summit. The percussion stutters along, the guitars almost hesitant. He needs help.

Four remixes save the day, each one significantly improving 'Loud and Clear', building upon the bare bones set by Webber. First of all the house beats of the TLGB Remix which soothes, smoothing over the erratic radio edit, next up the James Delay remix which is a little more eighties, containing heavier beats and some synthetic claps; then comes the King L Remix a sugary glut of drum and bass that abruptly warps, and finally The Dirty DiscoM remix which sounds a little Benny Benassi-like. What this suggests is that maybe Webber needs input from other creative voices, people to build upon his foundations.

Release Date: Out Now