In conjunction with the release of their expansive "Edits: 1999 - 2014" 2xCD collection, Slow to Speak duo Paul Nickerson and Francis Englehardt offer two of their finest new reworks not included on the CDs with an exclusive release on the medium they've spent their lives fighting for – the 12" single. And it's a good thing they did, because these two mesmerizing, shadowy journeys demand the highest quality listening format available. First up is "Into the Silent Waves," a breathtakingly beautiful, slowly ascending shoegaze/techno dirge. Taking the ghostly, feedback-drenched title song from the collaborative album by metal bands Nadja and Pyramids, Nickerson and Englehardt contribute a blend of perfectly sculpted percussion and delayed synth notes to the mix that marvelously compliment the track's spacious textures and give its nebulous shape gravity and force. A haunting masterpiece to get lost in.
On the flip, Nickerson and Englehardt apply their track-enhancing wizardry to "Sell My Soul," an early 80s deep cut by disco god Sylvester. Here, they take what was originally a fairly straightforward jam and restructure it into something far more ominous – a suspenseful, cinematic cruise through desolate nighttime city streets, scored with big, creeping drums, nifty 70s rock guitar, twinkling piano melodies, wavering strings and a burst of emotive city sax. It builds and builds and builds, and then unexpectedly crests with a shockingly brief vocal outpouring of self-sacrificing devotion that, in just a few short bars, headily merges faith, desire and spiritual crisis. By extending the original's instrumental parts, tossing out most of the vocals and repositioning the intro as the climax, Nickerson and Englehardt shed light on the brilliance of Sylvester's arrangement and cut right to the tune’s dark pounding heart. Aided by these wise treatments, the musical genius of Sylvester now burns even brighter.
| A | –Pyramids W/ Nadja (5) | Into The Silent Waves (Slow To Speak Edit) | 10:02 |
| B | –Sylvester | Sell My $oul (Slow To Speak Extended Dub) | 7:06 |
