BRAND NEW DAY FEATURING AIDAN CASSERLY
"Style"
BND Productions
Release Date: 2008

This CD single from electronic act Brand New Day features seven remixes of the song "Style," which feature Aidan Cassely on vocals. There are also two original compsitions by Aidan Casserly included on the single ("Born" and "Wild Butterflies").

In my opinion, the best remix of "Style" on the single is the "Nevarakka Mix." While this is the longest track on the entire CD (clocking in at five minutes and fourteen seconds), this very dance-friendly remix is so well done that the listener doesn’t realize just how much time has gone by when the mix is over. The other standout remix on this CD is the "DayBehavior Remix." It clocks in at five minutes and ten seconds, and the music track on this remix stands out compared to many of the other remixes included on the single. However, I must say that this remix makes "Style" sound more like a DayBehavior song (except for the fact that Aidan Casserly is doing the vocals instead of the vocalist from DayBehavior). Also, this mix utilizes some processed vocals, but I’m not entirely convinced that these processed vocals really added anything important to the mix.

The "Dust of Broken Heart Remix" clocks in at three minutes and ten seconds in length, and is the shortest track on the single. This mix sounds like it was influenced by the sound of the early 80’s new wave. This mix has a very promising start, but unfortunately, it falls apart about halfway through the mix. Around that point, the music on the track starts to overpower the vocals, and you have to start straining to hear Aidan. Also, the tempo of the mix seems to change at this point, and the vocals and music don’t mesh as well.

The "Sean Barron Remix" clocks in a four minutes and eight seconds. It incoporates a heavier bassline than the original song, but this mix feels like it focused more on the music than on the vocals. Unfortunately, the sound of the mix has nothing to really make it stand out and grab the listener, so if you’re not concentrating on the mix while you’re listening to it, then it’s a very easy track to tune out.

The "Machine Made Pleasure" remix is four minutes and six seconds in length. Like the "DayBehavior Mix," this one sounds like a Machine Made Pleasure track (but has Aidan’s vocals instead). This mix slows the tempo of the music down, and it makes for an interesting interpretation of the song. Unfortunately, Aidan’s vocals don’t mesh well with this arrangement, until a section later in the mix where Aidan’s vocals are processed. The processed vocals seem to flow a lot better with the slower tempo music. The "Eight to Infinity" remix, which comes in at four minutes at thirty-two seconds, also slows the tempo of the song down. However, the slower tempo of the music and the tempo of Aidan’s vocal delivery don’t mesh well; also, the music track for the mix feels like it’s plodding, and there’s not much of a hook to grab the listener’s interest.

The "Foretaste Remix" clocks in at four minutes and nine seconds, and there’s really not much to distinguish this remix from the original song. I think there may be some minor tweaking to the bassline, but that’s about it. This remix also appeared on the bonus disc of the Starting Over album.

The two Aidan Casserly original tracks on this single are both laid back tracks, but they were very enjoyable to listen to. However, I wish Aidan’s vocals were higher up in the mix (especially on "Born," because I really had to strain to hear the vocals on this song).

In the end, I felt that "Style [DayBehavior Remix]," "Style [Nevarakka Mix]," "Born," and "Wild Butterflies" were the highlights of this single. Most of the other tracks weren’t bad, but there were ways in which they could have been stronger. If you enjoy electronic or synthpop music, you might enjoy this single.

(reviewed by Lesley Muir Aeschliman on September 18, 2008)