Praise is due to IQU leader K.O. for his unique vision in assembling a sample-based, beat-driven band with a highly entertaining live show. But if things don't work out for IQU in the long run, he has no one but himself to blame. Despite early promise, IQU has stumbled badly in establishing any kind of momentum, a trend that continues with this, their second consecutive ho-hum EP stuffed with remixes. Last year's Girls on Dates EP was a noble experiment, attempting to weld the surreal spoken word performance of Miranda July with IQU's rhythmic backdrops. But it was also a failed one that got boring after a few listens. And this new effort is only slightly more successful.

Here, IQU have taken a single new song, the admittedly great "Teenage Dream," and offered it up to a half-dozen remixers, most of whom couldn't muster the energy to re-think the original track. Some of the mixes are decent, but most are average, at best. As this release comes more than two years after IQU's last full-length, it seems like nothing so much as annoying filler.

But we still get IQU's "Teenage Dream," which sums up everything that makes the band interesting in a single seven-minute track. Starting with a 4/4 bass thump that's more techno than anything they've released in the past, the song folds in standup bass and primitive, electro-style synth lines. But the kicker comes when IQU transforms a sample of a Japanese children's choir singing what sounds like a traditional folk song into a brilliant vocal hook, and then drives home this inspired pop moment with forceful power chords. It's a fantastic track, and one can only hope that their next full-length contains other cuts of similar caliber.

But then come the six remixes. Stuart David of Looper is certainly a kindred spirit, so his take is interesting, though ultimately too similar in tone and execution to the original. Fat Cat recording artist Lexaunculpt hands in a very abstract, Autchre-style mix-- complete with harsh laptop tones-- that feels too heavy-handed, despite its skillful programming. Seattle's Team 714 streamlines the beat and adds some Middle Eastern accordion drones. DJ Tomas piles on the percussion and mixes it with some groovy piano to his radically reworked "Dub ID" mix. The laidback, spacy cut by Take One & Red Clay is straight-outta-Ninja Tune hip-hop. And finally, Concentrick (the electronic handle for Fucking Champs guitarist Tim Green) offers perhaps the most interesting interpretation-- a dark, claustrophobic piece that employs the sampled voices of the original for ghostly contrast.

Teenage Dream also contains two versions of "Can't You Even Remember That" from IQU's first album. One is a head-nodding downtempo take by K.O., the other a more abstract and chilling interpretation by Sonic Boom. That's one (great) new track and eight (okay) remixes for those keeping score at home, which makes this one a bit hard to recommend.

-Mark Richard-San