Various

I may have mixed feelings about the calibre of their storylines, but one thing’s for sure — Gregg Araki films have cool soundtracks. Doom Generation had a stellar line-up and Splendour really puts the icing on the cake. The compilers clearly have a fetish for old-school UK, shoegazers and groovy DJs. Still, how can you beat hearing great tracks from the past few years with an A-list of remixers spicing them up? Some real treats are included here, such as a Locust remix of an early (and outstanding) track by Slowdive called “Shine.” Suede remixed by Lionrock, Blur remixed by Moby, Hurricane #1 remixed by Mo’ Wax kingpin James Lavelle for U.N.K.L.E. and (wow) Lush remixed by My Bloody Valentine. Even the long-vanished Chapterhouse are resurrected by the Mad Professor on “Mesmerise.” The list refuses to weaken: Fatboy Slim, Air, House of Love, Chemical Brothers and Everything but the Girl. Although slightly more influenced by underground dance than goth this time around, the Araki soundtrack rep remains firmly in place. These are clearly handpicked tracks, and although the material isn’t exactly hot off the presses, the unique combinations work well.