Shirley Manson strokes a purring Felix Da Housecat
Gordon Grehan | 07/19/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"A nice Japanese import single, this CD is a must for Garbage completists as it is the only place to get hold of Felix Da Housecat's "Thee Drum Drum Mix" of "Androgyny". It's the last track on here and it's a sinewy, throbbing rework of the song. Shirley's vocal sounds either scuzzy and grime-coated or vocodered beyond recognition under the repetitious tribal drum loop. It's a fairly minimal mix and hardly a floor filler; Felix's other mix here is far more exciting. The first track here is the album version of "Androgyny", a little pop gem and the first single released from Garbage's "Beautiful Garbage" album. It showcased the band's new pop-with-edge direction and is more stripped down and beat friendlier than any tune they had thus far released. Shirley has fun with the lyrics about androgynous boys and girls in what could be considered, alongside the band's "Queer", another celebratory anthem for the disaffected and marginalised. "Androgyny" is one of those songs that worms its way inside your mind and starts running through your head at unexpected moments. The second track is Felix Da Housecat's "Thee Glitz Mix", six minutes and seven seconds of heaving, breathless, unashamed 80's dancefloor excitement. It's a retro rehaul of "Androgyny" treating Shirley's voice to a sex-robot make-over, adding thudding beats and throwing sirens, synths and electric guitars into the mix. It's fantastic.Also included is "Androgyny (The Architechs Remix)" which is a UK garage treatment of the song that positively shimmers with cocktail bar class. A high quality remix that rises above the perception of UK garage having been a shortlived trend. This holds its own in the company of Felix Da Housecat's superlative remixing abilities. All in all, a worthwhile single and, as I mentioned earlier, an important addition to the collection of any fan of either Garbage or Felix Da Housecat's remixing."
Track Listings (4) - Disc #1