"wild and fun" "evocative and beautiful" "absolutely stellar work"
My remix for Goldfrapp’s Drew got some glowing reviews, so I couldn’t resist making a video to go with it. The original song is haunting and nostalgic, and I added a grandfather clock, an oboe and mandolin. Happy memories and lost time are the main themes here in my short film, and I combine found footage with a visit to the Norfolk holidays of my childhood.
Click on the image to watch the movie
For weeks I’ve been scratching my head, trying to remix Drew from Goldfrapp’s Tales of Us album. The roots of the song are John Barry and Scott Walker, with a dash of Ennio Morricone and all rendered by a large orchestra. How do you compete with that? The simple answer is you don’t. Some songs just can’t be cajoled onto the dancefloor, and remixes are as much about reinterpretation as tapping feet. Whispers and grandfather clocks feature in my version which lurks in the shadows of a deserted ballroom, echoing with the memories of past dramas. I tried to use just the vocal from the original, and built my own sound using shivering strings, oboes and a church organ. There’s even a choir in there somewhere…
The dust is settling in Manchester after a storming performance from Goldfrapp at The Albert Hall, showcasing their new album Tales of Us.
Due for release in September, the new songs whisper and tiptoe deceptively before soaring on epic choruses, leaving the audience stunned. There’s the wistful romance of old black and white French films and noirish nostalgia, magical and sinister as Goldfrapp leave behind their abstractions for character sketches and love letters. The lyrical veil is never quite lifted, and that’s fine because Goldfrapp are at their best when they’re being mysterious.. The sunny warmth of Clowns, from the Seventh Tree album, seems to shine through most of the songs, balancing the shadows, but an aching sense of loss makes the spine shiver, as Alison appears to ponder her past with quiet ambiguity.
The grand old chapel was the perfect setting for the album reveal, and the effect of the sun setting behind the stained glass windows was bewitching as the orchestra flowed and the choir soared to to a climax which took everyone by surprise. Old trouper Caravan Girl was transformed into a towering gospel anthem.
The last time I heard an album so rich with emotion was k d lang’s Ingenue, the glowing end of the perfect post-coital cigarette. And just on the evidence of Drew, which you can watch above, Tales of Us seems destined to be a classic.
Listen to one of the stand out songs, Stranger here
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© My artwork, photography and music are copyright Mark Wallis 2015
You may download and save my material but not redistribute without clear credit or a link back to The Vibes.
Music mixes containing copyright material owned by others are included here under Creative Commons License and no infringement is intended.
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