Since the Sugarcubes came and went in such an audacious flash of bizarre originality (and especially since Björk slowly became one of the biggest international crossover success stories of the '90s), one isn't shocked to find the number of reissues and clumsy collections quickly outnumbering the band's actual output. Yes, the Sugarcubes are becoming much like an Icelandic Sex Pistols these days. Which explains It's-It: a mood-testing, dull nightmare of a remix album that almost destroys every fond memory of listeners' Icelandic friends. How bad is it? For starters, schooled big beat artist Justin Robertson shows up twice here. Once to add an abstruse, '90s disco beat to the lovelorn, alien, mystical (and never to be surpassed) lament of "Birthday" and again to modify "Motorcrash" into a KLF-styled swagger. Neither are too exceptional. Both are actually about as good as this album gets. In the rest of the album, the band's two-pronged vocal gymnastic act of Einar and Björk is usually muzzled throughout simplistic beats and over-processed guitar riffs. For every fun, "let's turn Björk into a feral, growling hip-hop singer" moment (the Marius de Vries mix of "Pump"), there's about a half-dozen others that reduce the shambolic oddity of the band into sub-B-52's disco fests (Tony Humphries, S1000, etc.). It's as if these remixers seem to be shaking off a post-acid house haze and getting nowhere fast. Luckily, the Sugarcubes do their own remix of "Regina," which -- apart from some accented accordions and echoes -- has relatively conservative changes. No wonder it sounds worthy of being here. Even better, true fans will also enjoy the Bryan "Chuck" remix on "Water." This take is probably the only version that still seems to recognize the band's knack for frazzled unpredictability without completely missing the point. Which highlights how the rest of the entire contrived album is that much more of an insult to the band. The Sugarcubes might not have lasted long in the world of pasty-faced indie, but they deserve far, far better than this.
© Dean Carlson /TiVo