Pigeonhed's Flash Bulb Emergency Overflow Cavalcade of Remixes

Album Review

Shawn Smith's unique falsetto threatens to simply overpower Pigeonhed and Flash Bulb Emergency Overflow Cavalcade of Remixes, but the equally powerful presence of famed producer Steve Fisk and a long list of qualified remix artists not only maintains the musical balance on this 1997 Sub Pop release, it renders every beat supremely listenable. Many of these alternate versions — culled from Pigeonhed's release from the same year, The Full Sentence — out-funk their predecessors with nifty dancefloor arrangements and well-utilized sonic bells and whistles. Highlights include the Lo Fidelity Allstars' treatment of the famous "Battle Flag," a track that LFA took to the heights of alt-radio success when they released a rendition of the song on their Columbia debut. Two versions of "Marry Me" also stand out, the space funk "Fisk-Goodmanson Prenuptial Trash Heap" remix and "Dave Ruffy's Blissed out Ambient Mix" with its expansive '80s soul and disco. All moments of over-experimentation aside — a common problem with many rock and soul remix collections — Flash Bulb Emergency Overflow Cavalcade of Remixes is an outstanding effort that fans of Smith, Fisk, and modern funk (in its many forms) should find very satisfying.