For those of you whose image of Christmas is — like that hellish, Wham! video/monstrosity — adorned with quaint portraits of roasted chestnuts, mulled wine and other things people pretend to like around this time of year, here’s somewhat of a musical digression.
Fenech Soler have just ripped the wrapping paper open to reveal what can only be described as an absolute monster. Their remix of the Marina and the Diamonds chart botherer, Hollywood (available below), sees them trade-in their traditional trancyness for utter, buzzsaw-synth-induced brute force.
Anyone familiar with the BBC or Guardian’s ‘hotly-tipped for 2010′-esque lists will be familiar with Marina and the Diamonds. I took particular interest in the starlet as, although now living in London, she hails from my hometown of Abergavenny. This surely makes Fenech Soler’s remix the best piece of music to have origins in this suburban ville.
Although I’ve nothing too positive to say about the overblown theatrics of the original record, Fenech Soler augment the positive features the 23-year-old Welsh-Greek artist does possess — they make one feel as if Hollywood was recorded specifically with their rework in mind. Marina’s uniquely-strong voice makes for a perfect foil to the rasping, compressed bass. And while, in the original, her brash “Oh my God” was a little annoying; here, it gleefully-heralds a small field-trip for your speaker cones, and, no doubt, another boost in notoriety for the precocious Fenech Soler.
“Hollywood” (Fenech-Soler Remix) – Marina & The Diamonds on Neon Gold.
