Elton John vs. Pnau - Karmatron

"I can see it very well"

I'm really in love with this new album by Elton John and Pnau. Technically, I guess it's actually by Pnau, since they're the ones who re-swizzled Elton's master tapes into modern dance music. But Elton's vocals are all over these songs, so it's really his 70's persona that comes through most clearly. Anyway, I'm obsessed. My only complaint is that, at only eight tracks (one of them instrumental), the album isn't long enough. My favorite tracks, unsurprisingly, borrow from some of my favorite Elton songs. Karmatron is an absolute marvel. It takes some of his most bombastic recordings, like Funeral For A Friend and The Ballad Of Danny Bailey, and makes something even more dramatic. This song simply explodes. It reinterprets Madman Over Troubled Water like you wouldn't believe. And oddly, it doesn't sound miles away from something that could've been included on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, way back in the 70's. Excellent job, Pnau.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Elton John Versus Pnau - Sad

"I used to know this old scarecrow"

I don't generally post radio rips (which this is), but I'm so taken with this project that I can't help but get excited any time something new is released. I'm a big Elton John fan, and a big Pnau fan... so seeing the two combine in a dance/electronic/mash-up project is just really cool. Sad is what I assume will be the next single from the yet-to-be-released album, and it's more laid back and lyrical than their first. While it includes samples from Nice & Slow, Crazy Water, Curtains, Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word and Friends, it's likely the lyrical chunks of Curtains (some included above) that you'll recognize first. Luckily, Curtains just happens to be one of my favorite Elton album tracks. It's wonderful to hear it reinterpreted as a slightly jazzy, new age electronic piece. It has a very soothing feel to it, which honestly I didn't expect to enjoy as much as I am.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Elton Versus Pnau - Good Morning To The Night

"Turn around to say good morning to the night"

We've got a really cool project on our hands here. Australia's Pnau, who had my favorite single of last year, have been granted access to Elton John's masters from his back catalog. Given this incredible wealth of material, they've been charged with reinterpreting/remixing his hits. An album is forthcoming, but for now we've got the first taster. Good Morning To The Night is a reswizzling of the classic Elton track Mona Lisas & Mad Hatters, though to be honest you're not going to hear much from the original melody. It's really just a line from the chorus, and not the one you'd probably expect. I hope that further tracks utilize more pieces of John's indelible melodies, but this is still very cool. I need to hear the rest of the album NOW.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Follow their soundcloud page here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.