Elton John's inspired pick of the Down Under electro dance duo Pnau to recreate his 70s musical magic has paid off with an impressive effort in 'Good Morning To The Night'
ELTON JOHN VS PNAU / GOOD MORNING TO THE NIGHT
When legendary singer-songwriter Elton John chose Australian dance duo Pnau to rework his classics, everybody was flabbergasted, mainly because Sydneysiders Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayers are still relatively unknown in the mainstream music industry. When it comes to indie cred, however, the following that Pnau have built up resembles something not unlike a cult. Their four studio albums and their critically acclaimed musical side project Empire of the Sun have led many to regard them as among the most inventive indie acts around.
With this in mind, it's really not such a surprise that Sir Elton John decided to allow Littlemore and Mayers to rummage through his vault of materials circa 1970 so that they could refashion them into something fresh, current and relevant to today's musical trends. The end result is Good Morning To The Night, an eight-track compilation of John's reworked masters that brilliantly maintains the essence of all artists involved.
Now, don't go expecting dance remixes of Crocodile Rock or Can You Feel The Love Tonight?. Good Morning To The Night is way craftier than that. Take, for instance, the title track which meshes together snippets of eight of John's lesser-known tunes. Uplifting and inspiring, this has club anthem written all over it. A rehash of John's hit ballad Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word quickly follows on Sad, where the guys appropriate the original's refrain ''it's sad, so sad'' to use as a hook. The island vibe on Black Icy Stare is welcoming, and we love the sounds of the trumpet and organ sneaking in the background.
While the mid to fast-tempo offerings are impressive in their own rights, the album's stand-outs are slower, more mellow numbers like Foreign Fields, Telegraph To The Afterlife and Sixty Years On. All three tracks share similar dynamics and together they create a perfectly laid-back atmosphere best played when the party is finally winding down.
Good Morning To The Night does a respectable job in giving Elton John's otherwise dated sound a refreshing spin. It's not hell-bent on trying to dominate the dance floor or compete in the buzzing EDM scene. The beauty of this compilation lies in the fact that this is not a remix album in the truest sense, but rather the work of a highly involved and painstaking process adeptly handled by Pnau. Props must also be given to the Rocket Man himself, who, frankly, could have just hired the likes of David Guetta to do the job and called it a day.
THE PLAYLIST
Noah's Tape / Addicted
Produced and fronted single-handedly by Bangkok-based Thai-French vocalist Jessica Nay, Noah's Tape has been slowly gaining recognition in the local indiesphere by playing at monthly shindig Popscene, headlining festivals and, most recently, opening for American punk-rock outfit Black Lips. The first cut from her White EP, Addicted, is a sombre acoustic number that puts Nay's forlorn voice to the fore. What wins us over, though, is the simple yet powerful line "You fall in love like leaves off a tree," which brilliantly sums up the sentiment of the whole track without giving in to the usual cliches.
Alicia Keys / New Day
On her latest single, New Day, American R&B darling Alicia Keys (pictured) lets us have a glimpse into her grittier personality _ something we haven't really seen from her past oeuvre. The track rides on a dynamic piano melody and rousing percussion. "Party people say, party people say ayyy/ It's a new day/ It's a new day," Keys croons with refreshed energy far removed from her balladry heyday. Fans of her slow jams like If I Ain't Got You and Empire State of Mind might be taken aback by its blatant contemporary sound (Jennifer Lopez, Beyonce and Rihanna came to mind), but the song does suggest a new direction in which she's taking her music and we couldn't be more excited for her.
Muse / Unsustainable
For a band with an inimitable flair for drama like Brit glam rockers Muse, it's no surprise that they would decide to embrace the musical trend du jour that is dubstep. Taken from the band's forthcoming sixth studio outing The 2nd Law, Unsustainable, like the lead-off Olympic-themed single Survival, is full of orchestral theatrics plus plenty of ear-wrenching wobbles to boot. This will not sit comfortably with some of their fans, and it got us wondering whether Muse has finally jumped the shark. We shudder at the very thought of it.
Mumford & Sons / I Will Wait
The British folk rock bunch is back with I Will Wait, the lead-off single on their highly anticipated second effort, Babel. If you recall (of course you do) the previous smash hit from the group's debut, Little Lion Man, this new track doesn't break from that winning formula. You know the drill _ banjos, check, violins, check, sentimental lyrics, a big cheque. But while it's not going to reinvent the wheel, I Will Wait will have no trouble making their fans swoon and sing along at music festivals.
Ellie Goulding / Anything Could Happen
Given the recent breakthrough of her single Lights on the US charts, British songstress Ellie Goulding is making the most of the popularity spike by releasing a new single, Anything Could Happen, from her second album Halcyon. The song kicks off with distorted vocals promptly followed by scintillating synths and brewing base lines. But amid the glossy production, she manages to outshine all the electronic elements and make the track sound more sincere and human with her unique tone of voice.
