This Shouldn't Work, But It Does

Ok, check this out. Sample a dizzying amount of random Elton John vocals/music from his peak period in the 70's and then create brand new melodies and remix them into moody dance music, and that is "Elton John vs. Pnau's" Good Morning to the Night. Pnau is a successful dance music duo hailing from down under who Elton has taken under his wing. This gimmick would be nothing more than a mere gimmick if the music were not so melodic, catchy and distinctive. It is a step ahead of merely sampling and adding dance beats, they actually wrote new music, painstakingly pulling Elton's vocals and music from an array of his tunes to help forge their own. For instance, the title track pulls either vocal samples or musical elements of Elton's from "Philadelphia Freedom," "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters," "Funeral For a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding," "Tonight," "Gulliver/It's Hay Chewed," "Sixty Years On," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Someone Saved My Life Tonight," all within a tight 3:21. And it is tight. If you don't include the remixed bonus tracks that you can download, the core record clocks in with eight tunes at slightly under thirty minutes. Pretty concise for dance music. All of the songs have something to recommend them, and they are each distinctive enough to where they do not blend into each other (as dance music often does). I especially like the lovely instrumental closer, "Sixty," which takes elements from three different versions of Elton's brooding "Sixty Years On." If you are a fan of Elton's 70's work, it is a fun treasure hunt to listen to these tunes and try and identify which of his originals were used. In the grand scheme of things, this is not a very important record, but it is quite infectious, and a fun concept that was successfully executed.

Here's the appropriately trippy video for "Sad"...



Dez's Rating for Elton John vs. Pnau's Good Morning to the Night: *** out of *****