Dutch electronic music act Tinlicker reinvigorates indie favorite The Boxer Rebellion's "Diamonds" into a sound that's simultaneously familiar yet stunningly fresh. Titled "Diamonds (Further Than I Ever Was)," the reimagined version, now available on Remember The Future/[PIAS], is an excellent bridge between aching memories and forward-thinking sound design, one that you'll cross time and again.
They've already forged a creative bond with Nathan Nicholson, the iconic vocalist of The Boxer Rebellion, and they bring the same magic to a handful of highlights from their recent album, "Cold Enough For Snow." But this time around, it's more intimate, more concentrated. The collaboration goes deeper, extrapolating the facets from the original "Diamonds" and draping it in a fresh, emotional architecture. If the original veered toward indie-folk melancholy, with Nicholson's voice drifting over sparse guitars like a memory hard to shake, its replacement could be the slow-burning elegance of a little Steely Dan. Tinlicker builds out the track with a patient reverence, with "start to fade" serving as a looping invocation, its lonely chorus implying a more human read on guzzling God's booze. Whispery synth chords flower like headlights through the mist, mirroring the song's theme of loss and longing.
Don't confuse subtlety for gentleness. When the beat arrives, "Diamonds (Further Than I Ever Was)" makes its pulse known. Glistening breakbeats and elaborately textured percussion propel the track forward, instilling tension without suffocating the atmosphere. Tinlicker strikes a masterful balance here, the dancefloor is never out of sight but never at the expense of depth. What feels especially wonderful about this release is its certain restraint. Tinlicker doesn't reinvent "Diamonds" they elevate it. The plangent guitars remain. Nicholson's emotive performance remains as good and gut-wrenching as ever. But now there's a feeling of motion, of a gentle conveyance somewhere new, maybe farther than we've been before.
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