Celtic Cross - Hicksville - Remastered & Remixed

Our friends Simon, Saul and Martin has released a set of remixes for our enjoyment. Not before hearing this release, and viewing the beautiful album cover have I realized the humorous undertones in this musical creation. Make no mistake, this is the perfect combination of Posfordian magic and redneck music (at least towards the end). I don't normally comment on particular tracks as that makes absolutely no sense giving you tons of romantiscized, metaphorical brainflutter about how the music sounds like, but I'll give it a go. First of all, it is important to read Youth's ideas and concept for this album, explained in the sleeve and around on the internet. Second of all, the remixes on this album are all new, although some of them are similar to previously released ones, such as Mundis Imaginalus (Tribal Dawn Mix) which is another name for Lapis featured on LSD's compilation Liquid Dub Volume Seven, and Mundis Imaginalis (Flowercolouredpowerchild Mix) released on the compilation "The Warp Experience" from the beforementioned label. Enough of this, let's get to it. This remix album is awesome. Awesome, you say? Yes, awesome. Starting off with Mundis Imaginalis (Tribal Dawn Mix), we're introduced to a version of Mundis Imaginalus without that screeching high pitch sound at the very beginning featured in the original one. Then it gets better. "Lapis" is a good enough reason to pay the 50 dollars or whatever you have to in order to get Liquid Dub Volume Seven. A bubbly version. The second half of the track goes into a much more beat-oriented screechy sound that is very enjoyable. Track 2, Khatmandu (Iona On The Ganges Mix) is naturally a remix of Khatmandu. Not too much changed here, some vocals and different mastering. Still enjoyable. Track 3, Jade Gates (Beauty Knows No Pain Mix) is one of my 3 favourites. Excellent, excellent guitar play, extended from the intro of Jade Garden, the beat is rearranged and more percussion added. It's longer and features some extremely well played violin parts, and some really great samples are used. Goodness, this is a great remix. Track 4, Mundis Imaginalis (Flowercolouredpowerchild Mix) is a stripped version of the original, more primitive and emphasis on the synthline we know very well from the original. A good remix here too. Track 5, Schwazz (Until Nothing Can Reach Us Mix) is a slight remix and re-arrangement of the original Shwazz (which is my absolute favourite Celtic Cross track). It's safe to say this is rearranged somewhat, and put together in an odd way, making it longer, but not very different. Some odd choices here leaves me puzzled. For the better, I think. On to track 6 Straight For The Jiggular (Crystal Journey Mix) which is an energetic remix of the track Hicksville. It's more primitive and features some heavily Posford-chopped sounds and vocals, and an extension of the guitar play. Track 7, Mundis Imaginalis (The Acoustic Mix). This is my second of 3 favourites. The acoustic parts of Mundis Imaginalus stretched and amazingly etched together with a 3rd guitar playing over it. Towards the end we're introduced to familiar synths and melodies. Great stuff. What a remix! Track 8, Khatmandu (Short Cut Mix) is remastered heavily, and rearranged in a very interesting way. Synths added and eerie vocals here too. Jummy. Track 9 seals the deal with Digajigg (Babba G Mix), which is the third favourite of mine. This is something very, very, very different. This is a Darshannon remix. Extremely trancey, this sounds like something that could come out of a friendlier version of "The Lone Deranger" hadn't it been for the.. hicksville of it all. This is, ladies and gentlemen, Rednex featuring Hallucinogen. Remember those guys? Well, we've got the Hallucinogen baselines, the "chicki chicki chicki chicki" Hallucinogen percs we know so very much twiddling in the tweeter area, the redneck yokel "yeah yeah yeah yeah" in between the beats, we've got Posfordian chopped vocals (oh, how we love those), we've got Darhsannon Violin play, and the rest needs to be experienced first hand. What a track. This is the crown of the album, and I can only imagine the laughs the guys must have had while making this track. There you have it. A set of mature, well produced, well mastered, well psychedelic remixes to our fantastic Hicksville release released 9 years ago.

This is great from start to finish, and a very, very worthy set of remixes of the near untouchable experience that is Hicksville.