When you think of
Death Cab for Cutie, the things that come to mind are likely sensitive, thoughtful songs and
Ben Gibbard's gentle voice. Despite
Gibbard's foray into electronic music with
Postal Service, the last thing you’d expect is to hear a
DCC song remixed into a dancefloor-filling glitterball confection with
Gibbard sounding for all the world like a sleepy
Neil Tennant. Thanks to
Cut Copy's remix of "Doors Unlocked and Open," that unlikely thought is now reality. That mix and six others from the group’s 2011 album
Codes and Keys are included on
Keys and Codes Remix EP. The rest of the songs don’t quite live up to the jaw-dropping wonder of the
Cut Copy mix, but they do a good job of injecting some bounce, groove, and punch to the songs. Rac Maury adds some nasty bass and a pounding glam beat to “Some Boys,”
the 2 Bears give “You Are a Tourist” a dorky video game soundtrack overhaul, and
Yeasayer turn ”Codes and Keys” into a (pretty good)
Yeasayer song. The only track that doesn’t work is the clichéd-sounding house mix of “Unobstructed Views” done by
Unicorn Kid. Apart from that mix, the rest of EP is a lot of fun and shows a totally different and unexpected side of the band. ~ Tim Sendra