Richard Jankovich (a.k.a. Pocket) is not only famously known for his work as the principle creative force of NYC-based outfit the Burnside Pocket, he’s been lately known for his work remixing tunes by Beck, Of Montreal, Radiohead, Joanna Newsome and a lengthy list of famously known artists – to critical adulation and praise on websites and in print. Jankovich’s latest project involves a series of collaborative efforts with a series of artists such as Robyn Hitchock, Craig Wedren of Shudder to Think, Steve Kilbey of the Church (whose work I just love – but we’ll get into that later), Mark Burgess of the Chameleons UK and of course, Tanya Donnelly of Throwing Muses and Belly. Based on Jankovich’s own work there may be some fair comparisons to the work groups like the Chemical Brothers, the Crystal Method and Gorillaz have done with artists as diverse as Liam Gallagher of Oasis, Richard Ashcroft of the Verve and now of the United Nations of Sound, Scott Weiland, Mos Def, Del the Funky Homo Sapien and a countless list of others. And those were the projects that immediately came to mind. So, surely, in some ways that may erase some of the originality and freshness of the project
Stranger still is the fact that several of the remixes reminded me – and hopefully other audiophiles – of several different artists simultaneously. The first version of “Jars of Fireflies” has Donnelly’s breathy, ethereal voice floating into and around a synthesizer, guitar, bass, drums and assorted blips, boops and other electronic flourishes. On every one of the remixes Donnelly’s voice sounds haunting and arresting. Plus, alongside Bjork and Thom Yorke, Donnelly has the most unique phrasing I’ve heard in modern music at the moment. As the song hits the bridge, the word firefly is stretched out to at least 6 syllables. Although the song reminded me a bit of Portishead and of Seal (mainly his first two self-titled albums come to mind), it’s danceable and has an insistent hook that’s hard to forget. “Sleep When You’re Dead,” featuring Django Haskins of the Old Ceremony has more of a new wave/post punk/electronic feel and Haskins voice eerily sounds so much like Bernard Summers of New Order, that I almost thought it was a New Order track on random play of the ol’ iPod. The Mount Sims Remix of “Jars of Fireflies” has an industrial, dirge-like march towards death. However, the most haunting and strangest version is Rick Moody’s remix which strips the song to a very sparse and repetitive bass line, Donnelly’s voice and scratching noises in the background. It’s trance-inducing and trippy.
Sure, the release may have a bit of that “been there, done that,” feel – after all, there are so many how many remixes and collaborative remix efforts out there – but Donnelly’s voice in a series of very different contexts is what makes this effort so unique. It may not hit the best releases of the year list but what it shows is that 2010 is already off to an intriguing start.
Track Listing
1. Pocket feat. Tanya Donelly – “Jars Of Fireflies”
2. Pocket feat. Django Haskins – “Sleep When You Are Dead”
3. Pocket feat. Tanya Donelly – “Jars Of Fireflies” (Mount Sims Remix)
4. Pocket feat. Tanya Donelly – “Jars Of Fireflies” (Rick Moody Remix)
5. Pocket feat. Tanya Donelly – “Jars Of Fireflies” (Scott Milton Remix)
