You might recall that previously I wrote about Chromatics’ compelling new Lynchian single, “Shadow.” You might also recall I wrote about the maxi-single’s Sept. 18 release, which was followed by my kvetching when it didn’t come. Well, it’s here and it’s fantastic.
In addition to a radio edit of the song, the collection features versions of the cut that mold it so the song works in a variety of environments. There’s also an “in focus” mix of “White Light,” which was a hit when producer Johnny Jewel uploaded a version of it to his SoundCloud account a while ago.
There’s a “Michel’s Runway Edit” with a fat bass-arpeggiator treatment that gives the song a bona fide strutting quality. The dreamy and ethereal elements of the original, including Ruth Radelet’s breathy vocals, are intact, but this time the backbeat is more straightforward.
Michel is apparently an unknown artist or group who had sent an unofficial remix to Italians Do It Better, and Jewel liked the version so much he decided to include it in the maxi-single, according to Jewel’s manager, Alexis Rivera, who said there’s a chance the group’s original work could end up being released on Italians.
There’s also an “end credits” version that gives the song a treatment similar to what Jewel did to the Kill For Love tracks on Drumless: A distillation of key elements of the song to bring things like Radelet’s vox and the pretty, intricate synth parts to the fore.
The standout for me is the legitimately epic, nine-minute “Last Dance of the Night Club Edit.” Jewel fuzzed up the synths and added some massive percussion to the backbeat, along with some grand peaks and valleys that altogether turn the Angelo Badalamenti-inspired original into something cinematic and even more otherworldly. It’s in some ways Jewel’s pocket symphony.
You can buy the maxi-single for a dollar directly from the label’s Big Cartel site.
The other versions aren’t on SoundCloud, so here’s the original that was released earlier this month:
