Candiria - Toying With The Insanities Volume I and Volume II Review

Posted by Ben Czajkowski on 09.10.2009

A set of remixed works unlike any other, from the Brooklyn, New York, infused jazz-metal experimenters, Candiria.

Toying With The Insanities Volume I

01. Divided [Dub Trio Sincredible Mix]
02. Faction [Edgey Remix]
03. Pages [Return To The Forest Kayo Dot Revisitation]
04. Tribes [Budzy Remix]
05. Conjuring Spirits
06. Mental Crossover [Pole Remix]
07. Spectator
08. 3 X Again [Highkoo & Mr. Deleroid Mix]
Running time: 57:14

Toying With The Insanities Volume II

01. Paradigm Shift [Ben Weinman Ignite Remix]
02. Faction [Dalek Deadverse Remix]
03. The Radio Was Dead
04. Outerlude
05. Mental Politics [L.I.MA Mix]
06. Year One [Lacopa Remix]
07. James Brown
Running time: 38:25

Let me open by saying this. It's always hard, at least for me, to rate and review a remix album. I saw each of the tracks as an individual re-envisioning from people outside of the bubble of the band. And re-envisioned they are. These are two volumes of chopped, screwed, and Frankenstein-ed works that makes Nine Inch Nails' Y34RZ3R0R3MIX3D look like someone just fucking around with Garage Band. This is also a rapid departure from anything in Candiria's catalog and challenges my preconceived notions of a "remix album".

The albums' title come from the a track name on the 1995 release Surrealistic Madness. Personally, I would have chosen the title from two tracks later, "Chaos in the Middle of Perfectly Illogical Sense" because that's how I've always viewed Candiria's meshing of electronica, hardcore, hip hop, jazz, rock...however you want to categorize the band. To me, Volume I and II work together as a single body of work so I am reviewing them as such.

Volume I is a sheer mix of chaos, and from that comes beauty. It's music that you can put on and just chill to. I've thrown it on as a soundtrack to my web development lately, and maybe, subconsciously, it's impacted my work. Through my first experience of the eight tracks, I thought to myself that this would make a fantastic soundtrack for a horror movie of some type. Remixes like "Faction" are ghosted by lyrical passengers as a whispered underpinning, not as a flourishing focus. It's no longer about the message that Carley Coma and company (that's a fun alliteration) are trying to deliver; it's about the new thoughts of those like the Dub Trio, KayoDot, and more.

"Conjuring Spirits" is the standout track from Volume I. It's brought to you by the likes of Ghosts of the Canal, a Candiria, free-jazz side project, and it is over 11 minutes of instrumental, aural goodness. What makes " Conjuring Spirits" so special is that it was fully improvised and recorded and mixed on the fly. It's a very solemn, dark track with a beautiful cadence and vibe to it.

Ben Weinman's "Paradigm Shift [Ignite Remix]", from Volume II, is one of my favorite tracks from the first half of the collection (four total volumes). Immediately, to open the disc, electronic beats grabbed me by the ears; it got my feet tapping and head bobbing to the chaotically short remix. While it was almost impossible to follow along, lyrically, with the sped-up and mechanically enhanced vocals, there is a strong sense of cohesiveness between the lyrics and the instrumentals. And then, for almost a minute, it manically changes gears into a steady drumming with an electronic loop tacked on for good measure. When it was done, I was confused and wanting more.

My take-away track, the one that will follow me from the two volumes, comes from the beautifully and enchanting remix of "Year One". It had such a familiarity to it but I couldn't quite place it, like a moment of déjà vu or remembering the scene from a dream. Honestly, I hadn't been that taken aback by an instrumental track since "Iodine Sky" by Black Light Burns, several years ago.

All told, this offers about an hour and a half of solid listening in two formats (one digitally, one LP), with nothing I would really recommend skipping over. It grew on me, the more I listened and allowed my mind to take it in, once I was past my preconceived notions of Candiria. As unique as the band is, this adds another arm, leg, or head to their already monstrous catalog.

Both volumes are available digitally via iTunes and Amazon. Volume 1 is also on a limited CD release and Volume 2 is on a limited LP release. Look for Volume III and IV due out sometime in 2010.

The 411: Candiria's latest releases, Toying With The Insanities Volume I and Volume II, is a perfect blend of talent, electronic, chaos, noise, techno, virgin's blood, and a spoonful of sugar to make it go down that much easier. What makes it even better is that these are the first two of four remix collections that are set to be released by the experimental group. For anyone who likes electronic, instrumental, and weird-ass remixes, these albums are for you.

Final Score:  9.0   [  Amazing ]