Give Maroon 5 this much credit: What other mainstream
pop-rock band would ask Deerhoof for a remix? The San Francisco avant-rockers
are among the 18 remixers—a strikingly well-rounded survey of late-'00s
artists that includes Mark Ronson, David Banner, Of Montreal, Cut Copy, and The
Cool Kids—who get to grips with the L.A. R&B-rockers;' back catalogue
on Call And Response. The results are
uneven, which is nearly always the case with remix discs: Producer C. Tricky
Stewart (Rihanna's "Umbrella") clunks up "This Love" by making Adam Levine's
vocal over into a distracting rush to match his glittering, gigantic synth beat
(a strategy shared by Bloodshy & Avant's version of "Little Of Your Time"),
while Just Blaze recasts "Makes Me Wonder" as a ponderous ballad. But the
better stuff here works splendidly, from Ronson's reworking of "Wake Up Call"
into whomping live-band R&B; to Pharrell Williams's cheap synths and subtle,
deep beats making "She Will Be Loved" into an imaginary soundtrack for Three's
Company's Regal Beagle. And though the
indie bands' involvement seems unusual, Of Montreal's beat-heavy explosion of "Little
Of Your Time" and Deerhoof's delicately swelling retake of "Goodnight Goodnight"
fit in just fine.