I'll be the first to admit that I've been wrong before. I was sure that the Beatles were pop garbage for the first nineteen years of my life. I then bought Revolver and became an avid Beatles fan. I had never really listened to electronica before I decided to review Eenie Meenie Record's Dimension Mix release. I still don't care for electronica. The Dimension Mix disc serves as both a tribute to Dimension 5 and a fund raising effort for Cure Autism Now, as a portion of each sale is given to this charity. Ross Harris and Eenie Meenie Records should be commended for their effort to wrangle some of the better groups in the business for this compilation. Artists such as Beck, Stereolab, The Apples in Stereo, and Eels grace this mix, among a host of lesser known bands.
Perhaps we should start with the good. There are several listenable tracks on the disc. The opener, Beck's take on "Funky Lil' Song", has a very groovy melody. Beck claims, "Everything's so right that nothing could be wrong", and you can't help but agree with him. Oranger's "Catfish", "Army Ants in Your Pants" by Irving, and the closer, "Nothing to Do" by Danielson Famile are all decent tracks in their own right. However, the real masterpiece on this album is "Jelly Dancers" by Eels. This track is propelled by an Arabian beat that builds as the song does. The composition and execution are exquisite.
Although the disc has a decent beat throughout, most of the tracks don't even seem danceable. There isn't a great deal of substance in most songs, and there is very little that sticks with you by the end of the album. "Jelly Dancers" is a song that most people will enjoy, and a portion of the sales do go to a noble cause. With that being said, unless you're feeling charitable, or really dig Dimension 5 Records and electronica as a whole, this may not be for you.
