Customer Reviews

Mixed Signals

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like "Dream Signals in Full Circles" you should defintely get this album as well. It includes great remixes by Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins), Styrofoam, Randomnumber (ex-hood), and others. The remixes styles range from ambient to IDM so all music tastes will be satisfied. Get this album!

Most remix albums are rehashes, sparse with ideas that stand on their own and short on long-term replayability. What makes Mixed Signals stand out from the flood of remix albums is most of these versions easily stand on their own and even enhance the sampled parts of the originals. By focusing and expanding on the introduction of the song, Wendy & Carl's take on "Opiate" creates a new sense of gorgeous morning haziness from the original. The new version of "Casio" is catchy glitchy laptop techno pop. And Cheetah's "Diagram of Suburban Chaos" is arguably better than the original - it's not hard to imagine Tristeza themselves sounding like this with a couple albums more worth of progression.

While not every track on here hits the level of these, and it's not as ultimately fulfilling or cohesive as a new Tristeza album, there are enough inspired tracks here to make this worthwhile for Tristeza fans. Considering Tristeza's own output is frustratingly sparse, I'm happy this got released at all.

As a new electronica release: 3 stars

For Tristeza fans who like electronica: 4 stars

Well if your looking for another CD like Dream Signals this is not it. But the album isnt realy bad or anything it simply goes down a different path than the Dream signals album (Which it should because it is the remixes if the that album).
Mixed signals goes down an interesting path thats kind of a cross between ambient and something else. With very interesting sounds and the occasional melodies to go along with thim. The songs are very down tempo and are quite interesting if you have the patients. But for me I dont think this CD is something you cant put on and listen to unless its in the background or if your in the specific mood. I was dissapointed when I got the album, I just thought that the remixes would be a lot cooler and more listenable. I do not get the same listening enjoyment from this album as i do other Tristeza releases.

I have certainly heard worse remix albums, but this one still hardly would justify a purchase, Tristeza fan or otherwise. There is a reason that we have hardly heard of any of these remixers, and despite a few standout tracks it becomes increasingly evident amongst a formless, shifting majority of ambient filler. Electronically, the album starts off decently enough, not so much paying homage to this textured instrumental band as they are using a few riffs here and there to expand whatever brand of knob-twiddling they are fond of. A few of these artists manage to reinvent their work under a compelling new pulse, while others merely demonstrate a particular knack for making something sound bouncy, but all together there are too many noise-centric collages that go nowhere by artists who cannot maintain that sort of ambiance which distract from the few worthy remixes to make this album a standout remix delivery.

I became a fan of Tristeza's after hearing "Respira" on a Better Looking Records sampler. After purchasing Dream Signals in Full Circles followed by A Colores, I decided to try this remix album on for size.

After listening to it all the way through, Styrofoam's "Casio" stands out among the rest as the best track on the disc. Picture Tristeza writing the score for an NES game and add some beats.

Like one reviewer said, this album isn't for every occasion, but most good albums aren't. You wouldn't throw on "The Moon & Antarctica" at a party, would you?

Dream signals in full circles is a great album, but this is terrible! it ruins one good song after another. Well, it gets two stars though, there are two-three pretty good songs on the album... but I prefer the original.