(Oh the good ol' days)
OK so first off, every track title here ends with “(Flipped)”, for your sanity and mine, I’m not going to acknowledge that. This album starts off with “The Fear”, and this very downtrodden, slow pace is not doing anything for me right off the bat. I have to say, if “Heartworms” was a weird album for you, this album is going to be downright bizarre. If you told me The Shine would be reduced to this, I really wouldn’t believe you. The heavy reverb on James’s voice most of the time really doesn’t do more than make it really hard to make out what he’s saying. That could be really cool, and there are some tracks on here that James has actually improved. But for “The Fear”, these effects and this ridiculously dragged out pace is just not doing anything for me. However, HOWEVER, I do have to say, I get what James was going for, and in the right capacity, it could have been cool. On the other hand, I actually think the reworked “So Now What” comes off genuinely cool. James has turned this sweet and hopeful love song into an undead waltz. It’s actually eerie in parts, and James’s vocals here make it sound like he’s calling out to his love from beyond the grave. There’s a real sense of innocence to it though, showing that there really isn’t any danger. One element that is alive and well, however, is that Psych Pop feel of “Heartworms”. That real zaniness is still there, even if it is stifled ridiculously. “So Now What” is a sweet tune, and I don’t really mind this reimagining. Honestly though, one of the tracks that James outdid himself with completely was the title track, “Heartworms”. The original version of this was one of my least favorite tracks on “Heartworms”. But the pulsating beats and more upbeat feel to this one actually gives this a little bit. Not to mention, James’s performance is at his more punchy and fiery in his performance, which is something I really never get to say. In a case like this, this is a bizarre b-side and I can totally see the point. And while I’m not into this album as a whole, I certainly can appreciate this. On the other hand, I didn’t care for “Dead Alive” to begin with, and I don’t really care for this revision. This very slow, dull, passionless version is doing nothing for me whatsoever. The strings on this one accompanying James aren’t flattering at all, and quite frankly sound like they were ripped directly out of another tune. James doesn’t even sound like he’s into this. And to be honest, this really sounds like it was one of the last revisions made to this album, “flipped’ at the very last minute. Not because he wanted to, but he had to. Tracks like this, make this project simply put, a novelty.
Now, call me nuts, but cheery and almost Reggae vibes on the revision to “Half A Million” honestly comes off fantastic. It makes this already very snappy tune even catchier in the long run. James’s performance also comes off a little more tongue-in-cheek, which I totally dig. Not to mention, the synths actually come off wild and just as “zany” as James really thinks this album is. The last thing I thought I would think to listen to this was “I’m having fun”, but that’s certainly the case with this one. But moments like “Rubber Ballz” aren’t fun at all. On the other hand, tracks like this are a chore to listen to. All of a sudden, I feel like James really doesn’t have as much control as he lets on. While some of these alternate versions are interesting at best, “Rubber Ballz” once again sounds like it was thrown together at the very last minute. It’s not nearly as likable or as catchy as it’s predecessor. Not to mention, James in cases like this just really doesn’t sound interested. Now, “Mildenhall” is completely different than it’s original version, and I don’t really mind it at all. This originally was one of my favorite tunes on “Heartworms”, and it showed James could write a damn good folk tune. But here, James sounds completely unhinged, dare I say wild. The atmosphere is a bizarre one, with those backing vocals coming off as cartoonish, and maybe the most bizarre thing about this album. But, it’s moments like this that make me think this project could have actually been really cool. James put so much effort into this version of “Mildenhall”, and he really did completely “flip” this one. If he put as much as an effort as he did into this, he may have come up with an album that’s more than just a novelty. On the other hand, “Fantasy Island” doesn’t even sound “flipped”. This just sounds like James desperately grabbing the sound he once mastered on “Chutes Too Narrow”. Here, he takes a perfectly fine melody from one of “Heartworms” deep cuts, and just makes it ridiculously cheesy and doesn’t make it sound half as nice. This may not be the worst track here, some of the softer tunes are much worse. But listening to this, I really just don’t see the point. This isn’t some radical re-imagining. This entire project could have been an EP with just a few tunes re-recorded. No, tracks like “Fantasy Island” sound like they were “flipped” because James had to, not wanted to.
Thankfully, the re-recorded “Cherry Hearts” has a little bite to it. There’s some actually really interesting playing going on with that bluesy riff, and James sounds 100% invested in this. You can even hear him his performance that this track is just so different for him. Honestly, I haven’t heard this passion in his voice the entire album. All of that being said, “Cherry Hearts” remains the sweet sentiment filled with Pop-Sensibility that the original was. In this case, this is a totally viable re-work, and for a few short minutes, I have nothing bad to say. It doesn’t last though, because “Painting a Whole” may be the worst re-work here. I hate to say it, but it really is all of these more mellow, “psychedelic” tunes that end up rubbing me the wrong way. It’s not exciting, but even more than that, James sounds like he’s mere seconds away from falling asleep. That’s not to say that he doesn’t have his impressive vocal moments. But honestly, this just feels like once again James “flipped” this track because he had done it to every other track, not because he wanted to. And James is so kind, he saved us that absolute worst for last. He just had to take the best song on “Heartworms”, and one of my favorite singles of last year, and make it the ugliest and most unpleasing tune here. It’s just not a good re-imagining, that’s all there is to it. The original version proved that at the end of that day, James Mercer could write a damn fine Pop song. But this, THIS, makes me want James to stop and never write another one. The synths are ugly, and James literally sounds like he can care less.
Rating: 6.2/10
Give A Listen To: “So Now What (Flipped)”, “Heartworms (Flipped)”, “Half a Million (Flipped)”, “Mildenhall (Flipped)”
Genre: Indie Pop from Beyond The Grave / Psychedelic Pop / Post-Alice In Wonderland
Overall Thoughts: If you thought last year’s “Heartworms” was disappointing, let me tell you, this is even more disappointing. James Mercer had this concept of sending an album he already recorded and “flipping” it, reversing the track list, making fast songs slow and vice versa. The only issue with that is, James only really keeps up with that concept for a select few tunes here. His re-imaginings of tracks like “Mildenhall” and “Half a Million” show that this could have been at the best, an interesting counterpart to “Heartworms”. But the rest of these tracks show James really dropping the ball in a big way, not “flipping” these tracks for any artistic value, but more than anything seemingly doing it just to fit the concept of this album. If this was a short EP with a handful of re-works, this could have been really pleasant. But it just get’s out of control really fast, and James doesn’t sound like he can handle it.
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