The antithetical pairing of a cappella and an instrumental is, the mash-up; becoming a reinvention of two binary opposite sounds, blended together toward an inviting, unexpected synergy. Mash-ups, bootlegs, cut-ups; call them what you like, are fantastic because they shouldn’ work, but, somehow, manage to come together. The list of mash-ups is vast. Of particular fame is Danger Mouse’ notorious Grey Album (a mash-up of The Beatles White Album with Jay Z’ The Black Album). Having previously applied his sweeping production style to the largely successful Syd City Mixtape, Sydney-based producer/DJ Jack Prest has scuffed up music from Crowded House’ self-titled debut and mashed it with the Australian street poetry of the Herd’ brilliantly crafted album, The Sun Never Sets. The end product: Crowded Herd. The nonsensical title could just as easily refer to this album’ temperament.
Though Crowded Herd is a clever concept – by removing the vocals of Crowded House singer, New Zealander Neil Finn, Crowded Herd is (almost) an all-Australian affair – it is, unfortunately, pretty disappointing stuff. Crossing into sleep-induced territory before the halfway mark, “19 in the River’, falls on the wrong side of engagement from the start. The Herd’ original, “I was Only 19′, gets to the point much faster, revealing itself with murky guitars and a harmonica that the eerie synth riffs of Crowded House can’ compare to. Conversely, “Don’ Dream You’re Under Pressure’ is a finely balanced amalgamation; the inclusion of a forward-marching, propulsive beat pushes this track along while simultaneously retaining the hypnotic quality of Crowded House’ original “Don’ Dream it’s Over’. Also, the last track “Love You Effortlessly’ opts for a complementary approach, balancing caustic hi-hats and a booming kick drum that the rhymes of Urthboy and Ozi Batla flow over with an impeccable ease – however, the inclusion of English MC Braintax in this track removes the all-Australian element. Mash-ups are risky business. The underpinnings of the mash-up are problematic; the uneasy crossover of musical genres is a tough undertaking. Indeed, Crowded Herd has it’s moments, but this mash-up – as it was intended – just doesn’ sound right.
Available via Download Only: http://www.jackprest.com or http://www.myspace.com/jackprest
Anthony Pollock
