At first a collaboration between Phoenix and Gesaffelstein seems pretty random, but oh wait, they're both French. Still, indie rock and electro are miles apart on the musical spectrum. No matter, one of the greatest things about collaborations is how two disparate artists can find an interesting middle ground.
That's exactly what Gesaffelstein does here with his rework of Phoenix's "Bankrupt!" The original track is wordless for the first half of the song, but the French electro fiend moves them right up to the beginning of the track, weaving his demonic synth tones around the original song's structure. This is pretty restrained for Gesaffelstein. Rather than turning "Bankrupt!" into an all-out banger, this remix has a moody vibe, always threatening violence but never going quite that far. What's most impressive is how well this malevolence fits with the sweet, almost summery vocals of Thomas Mars.
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