My Brightest Diamond: Disappear

My Brightest Diamond
Disappear
Asthmatic Kitty
2006-12-05

My Brightest Diamond’s iTunes-only Disappear EP functions as a holdover between her two albums. It includes an album version, an alternate version, and two remixes of “Disappear”, as well as the b-side “The Lace Handkerchief”. While the main track here contains a quality Björk-influenced song, the remixes don’t do enough to stay interesting. The album version highlights Shara Worden’s voice above gentle produciton, and the string quartet version develops textures and dynamics fairly well while bringing the vocals down in the mix. Stakka’s remix subdues everything, increasing the dreaminess of the original even while adding heavier percussion. James McAlister takes a few more liberties, but neither matches the original in quality nor offers enough variance to be intriguing. “The Lace Handkerchief” merely does its job, fitting the feel of the EP while separating the title track from its partners. As a stopgap, this EP will satisfy fans, but is otherwise inessential.

RATING 5 / 10