Strange that a fashion house, Kitsune, would be releasing some of the most satisfying, most fun, and coolest compilations of the 2000s and 2010s, and that they’re on a satisfying number 11 in just six years is commentary on either the sad state or the exhilarating possibilities of the music industry in 2011. Just like the previous 10, volume 11 of the Kitsune Maison compilation series includes some artists to cherish, some artists to watch, and some artists to discard, all of which will be relative to the individual listener. Big difference here is that this “Indie-Dance Issue” ups the Indie in a decided effort to keep the label from being considered strictly dance. The opening “Let’s Go All the Way (Early Version)” -- a “Version” so “Early” the band doesn’t even have a name yet -- bleeps like the
Yeah Yeah Yeahs were a twee synth pop group and draws no more than a steady head bob. The bubbly remix of “Days” by
Creep with
the xx’s Romy on vocals is more for shaking in place than strutting across the floor, while “Sermon” by the Touch is micro-house-meets-glitch with ‘80s nostalgia driving the vocals. Familiar tempos come when
Nightbox and Cosmonaut up the bpms, and most everything else here falls in between, incorporating both “indie” and “dance” to varying degrees. Longtime fans who think of the series as a club substitute might find this a speed bump, but the fashionable Kitsune are still fabulous when they go for the headphones, and you could probably influence your scruffy DFA fan friends to shave and dress a little sharper with this one. ~ David Jeffries