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Mindless Self Indulgence
Shut Me Up: The Remixes +3

Metropolis Records

Posted: Friday, December 08, 2006
By: Ilker Yücel
Editor

After the gratuitously long affair that was the Straight to Video release, Mindless Self Indulgence has thankfully kept things much shorter and simpler for Shut Me Up: The Remixes +3. Never ones to shy away from chaos and humor, "Shut Me Up" does contain the lyric, "I like my coffee black / just like my metal," a line that never fails to bring a smile to this writer's face. Presented here are four new versions of the track, all different in their approach, keeping a freshness to the song that most remix sets tend to lack given enough time. Metal producer Ulrich Wild starts us off with the aptly titled Groandome Metal mix, breaking the song down to a bare bones rock track that is not terribly dissimilar from the original, but does get things going with a kick. VNV Nation's 1200XL remix is par for the course for VNV, full of those fat synth bass lines and pumping percussion they are known for, making for some enjoyable EBM, while Tommie Sunshine's remix is much more disco/house-oriented. Finally, we get what is called the "Original Crappy Demo" version, with different lyrics and some rather gritty electronics and production. Interesting, but no less enticing, this version could easily stand up to the final album version. As a bonus, MSI gives us two more remixes of "Straight to Video," a dubious choice given the superfluous number of remixes on the previous release, but these mixes do add to the overall variety of the CD. The More and Faster remix strips the song down to a straightforward punk rock song, while Tommie Sunshine makes a second appearance with another disco-style version. As if that weren't enough, we are treated to two all new songs, including a cover of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa," done in MSI's typical quirky electro-punk style, while "Adios Amigo" glitches things up with spastic beats and 8-bit electronics, typical of MSI. In the end, Shut Me Up: The Remixes +3 is a great addition to the band's discography, full of all the stylistic mayhem and audio chaos the band revel in; sure to please everyone from longtime fans to people who just like a little variety.