There's so much great music coming out of Japan these days, but let's face it: Buffalo Daughter are pretty average. Though their albums sound nice and pleasingly eclectic, there's very little about them that can be described as memorable. I've listened to New Rock dozens of times and I can't name a single song aside from the infectious "Great Five Lakes." I'd sell it, but the swollen ranks of my local record store's Buffalo Daughter used CD rack tells me that a lot of people agree with me.

There are two versions of "Great Five Lakes" on the new Buffalo Daughter remix EP, WXBD, and both fall far short of the insanely catchy original. Kut Masta Kurt's take does little but unwisely clip the ringing two- chord acoustic riff that makes the song so great. (You know, Kurt's beat- making skills just don't make the grade, and I have to wonder, once again, how his name seems pops up everywhere; see also Kool Keith's solo joints.) And Cornelius has a rare dull track wherein he tosses in a played- out Yes sample and calls it a day.

So you wonder how, when my favorite song gets deconstructed and ruined twice, does this album still garner a 5.2? Surprisingly, there's some nice atmosphere going on elsewhere. Someone named Jopolo turns "Sky High" into a bubbly, underwater drone- fest, and Nardone's mix of "Socks Drugs and Rock 'N' Roll" strips it down into brooding downtempo. I also dig Elite Force's very technoized "R&B; (Rhythm and Basement)" with its churning 303 pattern, on- the- beat turntable scratching and positively booty- shaking breakdowns. And the trance- inducing vocal loop on "Jellyfish Blues" (remixed by Scratch Pet Land) lies atop a nice bed of digital cuddliness. Come to think of it, my favorite tunes here are the ones that feature less Buffalo Daughter and more remixer. But given the initial ingredients, I guess that makes sense.

-Mark Richard-San