What is it that remix records have that standard releases don't? It seems obvious enough: remixes! And if Buffalo Daughter's Captain Vapour Athletes wasn't weird enough for you, come to remix country.

Socks, Drugs and Rock and Roll contains six variations on songs from Buffalo Daughter's 1996 debut release by folks like Alec Empire, Money Mark and U.N.K.L.E., making this collection of songs pretty goddamn diverse.

And, maybe it's me, but some of these remixes just don't sound like Buffalo Daughter at all. I mean, here's "Dr. Moog" remixed by Alec Empire. (He's titled it "The Destroyer Remix." Isn't that cute?) I don't remember samples of folks yelling "Destroy!!!" in the original. Ah, well. I guess if you've got a trademark...

Then again, Socks contains a few remixes that not only do the original tracks justice, but actually enhance them; it's something you don't see very much of on these types of compilations. In the hands of Money Mark, "Big Sunday" becomes a laidback, lazy afternoon in the sun and "LT303VE" gets spaced-out in the lunar bliss of U.N.K.L.E.'s stylings. Even 25 Ton's re-invention of "Daisy" makes like Parliament in a Japanese discotheque.

All told, Socks is a pretty remarkable remix experience, aside from a couple of shoddy tracks. Don't expect it to be in heavy rotation in your discman.

-Ryan Schreiber