Album: alchemist rats beg bashful (remixes)
Artist: glass beach
Label: Run For Cover Records
Non-Airable Tracks: "yoshis island (world 7x7 mix)", "glass beach (ornamental ver)", "cold weather (GWIZ '180mph on the 405' Remix)"
Description: First! This review has some required listening. The homework is to listen to glass beach’s the first glass beach album (2019). This album is great—maybe one of my all-time faves. I find myself revisiting it every few months, each time leads me to appreciate a different aspect. alchemist rats beg bashful (remixes) is a remix/cover album of TFGBA.
Second! Where the heck did this album come from. What a pleasant surprise from the glass beach gang and their merry remixers/coverers (herein referred to as “glass beachers”). While this album certainly doesn’t surpass the impact of its parent album, it’s fun for: 1) those familiar with the original and/or 2) those familiar with the glass beachers involved. I fall most significantly into the first category but dip into the second with my affinity toward Skylar Spence (Listen: “Fiona Coyne” (2015), “Private Caller” (2013)) and Dogleg (“Fox” (2020)).
As for my familiarity with the original album, ARBB(r) actually shines most with some of TFGBA’s weaker or understated moments. This is not to say that songs like Jhariah’s cover of (the already perfect) “classic j dies and goes to hell part 1” isn’t a strong yet different take. But instrumentals like “(rat castle)” and “forever?????????” off the original get complete makeovers as the bouncy nu-disco “Rat Castle (Skylar Spence Remix)” and “(FOREVER!!!!!!!!!) [WOW OK Remix]” which just sounds like “SUGAR” by BROCKHAMPTON (in the best way possible). The instrumental of “soft!!!!!!” gets equipped with a beat and rapped over in Dre Dupre’s “LOST!!!!!!”. “calico”, which may be the most forgettable song on the original album gets the Skatune Network treatment—yes, the YouTuber who covers various soundtracks and songs but ska (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5bYrVHa9zQ). With these, ARBB(r) is at its best. Though this isn’t to say that the album is fully successful in reimagining its predecessor. NNAMDI’s “Orchids Reimagined” takes and neuters TFGBA’s grand finale and it's not even worth mentioning the aptly named “bathroom community”.
If you like glass beach or a fan of any of the glass beachers, this album is fun DLC. If you’re new to them, listen to TFGBA a little more. If you’re just not that into glass beach, you might be wrong!
Listen if you Like:
PUP
Weatherday
Jeff Rosenstock
Recommended Tracks:
jhariah dies and goes to hell
(FOREVER!!!!!!!!!) [WOW OK Remix]
Dallas (jackson from online cowboy billionaire mix)
Rat Castle (Skylar Spence Remix)
LOST!!!!!!
Neon Glow
Reviewer’s Name: Tobias Kochenderfer
Date of Review: 3/11/21