Witching Hour: Remixed & Rare

Recording information: Elevator, Liverpool; Sahara Sound, London.
Photographer: Dean Chalkley.
Witching Hour took Ladytron's electro-pop in directions that were dreamier and more dancefloor-oriented than their previous music, and these remixes expand on the album's extremes. Somewhat perversely, none of the clubbiest reworkings of the breakthrough single "Destroy Everything You Touch" are included here; instead, Hot Chip and Playgroup respectively emphasize the fragility of the melody and the song's robotic underpinnings. Similarly, Simian Mobile Disco turns the mournful "International Dateline" into something sleek and hard-edged, while "High Rise" is transformed from claustrophobic to kinetic. This willingness to experiment results in a few misfires, but overall Remixed & Rare offers an intriguing mirror image of one of Ladytron's finest albums. ~ Heather Phares