Pizzicato Five are modern day kitsch, somewhere between novelty foolishness and thickly- layered, tightly- produced space- age lounge music. Their sound is distinctly retro, and the atmosphere is one of 1960s television product endorsement. The band's lyrics-- sung almost entirely in Japanese-- add immensely to the ultra- modern, internationale feel of their overwhelmingly good vibrations.

This disc of remixes of tracks from 1997's Happy End of the World (euphemistically entitled Happy End of You) transforms some already finger- snapping tunes into downright amazing pieces of art, reducing once- happy pop ditties into melancholic soundscapes almost indistinguishable from the original compositions.

Some of the standout tracks include 808 State's take on "Trailer Music" in which the cartoonish and stereophonically pleasing organ melody is laced with liquid bass and stuttering, layered drum tracks; the edit from Icelandic artsy types Gusgus takes a haunting speech from "Porno 3003" and lays down an oh- so- deep house track, complete with a throbbing and finely- tuned bass line.

Sean O'Hagan steps in with a remix of "My Baby Portable Player" that's composed of heavy organ grooves and doodling electronic effects which are in sharp contrast to the Oval mix of "Happy Ending," which has the German engineers marking their territory with their trademark CD skippage and wind chime effects.

Happy End of You is notable for the variety of takes on the quirkiness we're used to from these Asian auteurs. It's not for everybody, but it's definitely a suggested listen for any self- respecting Carte Pizzicato carrier.

-Sandy Hunter