The EP has not been a terrifically common format throughout the history of recorded music. It has received marginally more usage in punk and indie than other areas, often as a band's first recording (Buzzcocks, Joy Division, Pavement, Spoon, Interpol, etc.). There's a great deal of potential in the medium, particularly now that iTunes has become the largest music retailer in the world and the notions of the full-length and single are in flux.
However, most bands and record labels still use the EP as a tool to hold onto fans' interest (and cash) in between albums, even if the band hasn't created any new songs yet. These EPs rarely have the same promotion or standards of quality as full-lengths. One of the worst examples of this was Radiohead's Com Lag EP, which was filled with unimpressive remixes and outtakes and, to add insult to injury, had serious audio glitches.
of Montreal's new EP is composed of “First Time High,” a “reconstructionist remix” of “An Eluardian Instance,” and a remix of “Gallery Piece” by accomplished producer Jon Brion. Brion's forte is lush orchestral instrumentation, but “An Eluardian Instance” already sounded like it could have been a Brion production. It's honestly incredibly difficult to pinpoint any significant differences between the original and Brion's remix. Some of the instruments have been raised in the mix in areas, but the song is almost the same and its feeling identical. Brion does more to alter “Gallery Piece,” adding chiptune beats and warm, sparkling synth washes. It's an entirely fitting formal triumph for a song whose protagonist wants to become some sort of sex machine, to make his lover “cum two hundred times a day.” Besides the two remixes, there is an acoustic version of “First Time High,” an extended version of the “Gallery Piece” remix, and an instrumental version of “Gallery Piece.” These songs don't seem to serve any purpose but to pad the album's length and monetary value.
All of these problems are compounded by the simple fact that Skeletal Lamping ranks fairly low in of Montreal's discography. A departure from Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer's tightly focused confessions of love and mental illness, Lamping instead introduced the world to Georgie Fruit, a fictional black post-op transsexual, through hyper-sexualized cliché and willfully insular and obscure depictions of his fractured mental state.
In the end, the Remix EP doesn't so much fail to provide an entertaining listening experience as it does a compelling reason for its own existence. Consumers have a far lower tolerance for filler now that they can pick and choose which songs to buy. That an album this pointless, so obviously contrived to keep the band relevant and profitable between albums, comes from a band with a proven indie track record is even more disappointing.
1. First Time High (Reconstructionist Remix of "An Eluardian Instance")
2. First Time High (Of Chicago Acoustic Version)
3. Gallery Piece (JB Remix)
4. Gallery Piece (Long Version)
5. Gallery Piece (Instrumental)