on second thought, that la dispute remix record doesn't disassemble in as difficult a manner as i initially hoped - while there are some high points, much of it sort of floats by. and, while the lyrics are pushed to the forefront, they're also frequently cut-up or abridged. i was hoping that the stronger moments would overpower on subsequent listens, but it's more the reverse.

it's certainly a step in an interesting direction, but i'd interpret la dispute more as a neo-rem than as an appendage to nin (although both arguments have merit); dreyer has had points of reznorian lyrical embarrassment, but he is, overall, an incomparably more talented wordsmith. rem's discography is more diverse than people give them credit for, but they never delved very far into industrial music. is that an interesting projection, though? well, i think it's what i wanted to hear.

i would admittedly love to hear something as simultaneously complex and challenging as those mid-90s remix records, but this really isn't it, it's maybe what i wished it was.

i'm not slamming it - there are high points, and i don't find myself skipping anything. i'm more stepping back from and acknowledging my own misperception, rooted in an unjustified projection. that is to say that it maybe wasn't fair to imagine this as something it isn't.

i'd still give it a B or something. but i'm still waiting for my sequel to those ridiculous 90s remix discs, and i might, in truth, be waiting forever.