Ida - Shh…
Time Stereo
Quiet-core New Yorkers IDA started releasing records in 1994 with "Tales of Brave Ida" on Simple Machines. Mistakenly labelled "folk rock", it took years of constantly touring punk dives and house parties to clue the American rock scene into the truth about their beautiful, dense, dissonant, sad, and sublime musical language. 
A brief relationship with Capitol records (1998-2000) allowed for an unheard of and nearly infinite amount of recording time for extreme artistic experimentation. A large scale major label merger left the band in legal limbo, only to be bailed out by hipster-powered indie TIGERSTYLE records, who have already released two brilliant records from these sessions: WILL YOU FIND ME and THE BRAILLE NIGHT. 
"SHHH..." is the result of producer Warn Defever being handed the tapes, stacks of tape, boxes of tape, piles of tape, miles of tape, and given free reign to mix/remix/re-design any song whose title begins with the letters "S" and "H". Warn says: "I liked the strings, the dubs, the instrumentals, the small parts, and the quiet parts. I took the bad parts out and looped the good parts." 
Some of the highlights include SASHA FRERE-JONES (UI, The Wire) electro remix of SHRUG and Warn Defever's contemporary R&B mix of SHOTGUN. Also worth noting is the super child-friendly cover art by TIME STEREO's DAVIN BRAINARD. It features photographs of a worm who goes to bed at night and then wakes up in the morning!!!
1. Strings
2. Shhh…
3. Shotgun (Warn Defever remix)
4. Should’ve Called
5. Shrug (Sasha Frere Jones remix)
6 Shrug (Trina Shoemaker mix)
7. Shotgun (Trina Shoemaker mix)
8. Shrug (Dub)
9. Shoreline (Truxtun park mix)
10. Shrug (LA Blues mix)
Total Time : 56:03
“Ida's new remix album, on Warn Defever's excellent Time Stereo 
label, is essentially a double single (in CD format), with three 
versions each of two of Ida's best songs, plus some bonuses. 
Rather than deconstructing Ida's beautiful pop melancholy for 
their own purposes, the remixers (Defever, Sasha Frere-Jones, 
Trina Shoemaker) act as classic pop producers attempting to 
elevate the tracks (both released in other versions on previous 
Ida albums) beyond their origins. An exciting prospect, as to me 
Ida has always been a group whose sugary pop is best enjoyed live. 
Although several of their tracks have begged for full blown AM 
radio/top 40 production, the songs have not quite had their full 
say in the studio. This record does something to rectify that with 
soulful, subtle, and slightly psychedelic takes on two hopeful 
classics. In a world where remixers rule, these artists have taken 
a gentle hand to originals that needed tweaking, not re-finishing, 
with great results.†[JM]
- Other Music
Mundane sounds
A few weeks ago, I lamented the art of the remix album. Dismissed most of them as being nothing more than inside jokes, and that most listeners would have to know both the artist and the remixer in order to fully appreciate the material, and I stand by my original thoughts. Most bands really don't deserve the remix treatment, and it seems rather puzzling when certain bands release remix albums. Thankfully, most bands don't indulge in this once-common rip-off.
Of course, exceptions do exist, and Shhh... is most certainly a lovely little exception. At first glance, Shhh... looks to be a most interesting, fascinating little collection, if not a little unique. Every one of the songs start with the letter S, and all but one of them start with "Sh-." Heck, even two of the remixers have names that start with the letter S as well, though that may be a happy little coincidence.
In a weird way, this is the Ida that you've grown to love and respect, with a few nice little curveballs. Most of the remixers have stayed true to Ida's sad, atmospheric folk, and have simply added their own touches here and there. Warn Defever's R&B remix of "Shotgun" not only fits the song, but it also makes Ida sound a lot more emotional. Sasha Frere-Jones (of long-quiet Ui) throws in some atmosphere and beats to Will You Find Me's "Shrug," and helps to show that Ida's also not too far away from electronica. Trina Shoemaker, producer par excellence, throws in some noise to the aforementioned songs, making Ida sound rougher, slightly rawer, yet somehow more produced. Then, there are two total, utter curveballs. Truxton Park's remix of "Shoreline" makes this little song into a thirteen minute long Autechre-style electronic drone, relentless in its continual beat. It's interesting, but perhaps a little bit redundant. And as for the final track, the LA Blues Mix of "Shrug," the listener can only be surprised at the utter schizophrenic episode that takes place. Shhh... also contains three outtakes, two instrumentals, "Strings" and "Should've Called," and a nice homegrown number, "Shhh...," that, while nice, is slightly forgettable.
I think the artwork is the key to Shhh.... It's Mr. Worm, and he's sound asleep and having a pleasant dream. He looks content. On the back, he's waking up, refreshed. These lovely scenes were made by Davin, whose distinctively simple artwork has been the definitive trademark of his Time Stereo label--which fits in nicely, seeing as Ida are a quite distinctively simple band. The fact that this is a homemade record, to fill in the gaps between last year's The Braille Night and their next album, shows that Ida really cares about giving their fans music. This is both a remix album and a compilation album, seemingly from those quiet years when Ida was "on" Capitol. Shhh... fills that empty place in your heart and soul, and, unlike most remix albums, is far from self-indulgent. This is a nice, slightly imperfect album that stands on its own, even in the face of experimentation. No wonder Mr. Worm is smiling.
--Joseph Kyle
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