Harbour Boat Trips, Vol. 1: Copenhagen (Mixed By Trentemøller)

Album Review

When you hear about a producer/DJ releasing a new mix CD, what you most decidedly do not expect to hear is a collection of quiet singer/songwriter fare, much of it in largely acoustic settings. And yet that's pretty much what you get on this album by Trentemøller, though the reality of the program is actually a bit more complicated than that: in amongst wispy offerings like Emiliana Torrini's "Lifesaver" and Grouper's weirdly ethereal but strikingly pretty "Heavy Water/I'd Rather Be Sleeping," are startling entries like a Raveonettes version of Joy Division's post-punk classic "She's Lost Control" and some kind of large-ensemble version of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love," both of which are excellent. There are also two songs from the back catalog of Suicide, Alan Vega's old band. This is the kind of collection that is bound to have a few clunkers, and sure enough, there are some doozies here: I Got You on Tape performs a weird and pretentious near-choral tune called "Somersault," and Four Tet remix of Caribou's "Melody Day" is similarly silly. But for the most part, the languid, semi-acoustic ambience that prevails through most of the program creates a quirkily enjoyable mood, and most of the individual songs are really quite good. The inconsistency is a problem, but not a deal-breaker.