Pitchfork

Ssion (pronounced "shun") have been getting hailed as next big things for years, but with new album Fool's Gold on the way next month, their chance to prove themselves should come soon enough. The Kansas City collective's frontman, Cody Critcheloe, designed the artwork for Yeah Yeah Yeahs debut Fever to Tell and directed the video for Liars' "There's Always Room on the Broom", so it probably won't be just publicists getting Ssion's name out. Like Glass Candy, who've remixed finger-snapping disco track "Clown" for a 12" on something called Sleazetone Records, Ssion have taken some time to find their sound. In fact, as recently as 2005's "World's Worth" 7", Ssion's music had more in common with the sleazy proto-punk of the Stooges than with anything electronic.

Glass Candy's "Clown" remix completes Ssion's transformation to sleek dancefloor fillers from the campy concept-rockers of 2003's Opportunity Bless My Soul-- "Flipper feedback, Ricky Wilson rhythm guitar, roller-rinky-dink organ, Strokes and Pavement and Pussy-Pussy-Pussy Galore shoutouts, and allusions to 'I Love L.A.', 'Like a Virgin,' the Minutemen, Ugly Kid Joe, Frank-N-Furter, and '60s barrio-rock are all sideshows," the Village Voice's Chuck Eddy wrote at the time. Where the original "Clown" is full of sproingy disco guitars and divebombing video game synths, this version is as stark and noirish as anything on Pitchfork's #26 album of 2007, the After Dark compilation. With two minutes to go, Critcheloe confides: "From across the room, I can't see if you're laughing, or crying, but I know one thing: You look reeeeaaal funny." Don't cry, Smokey Robinson-- "I'm funny, too," Critcheloe adds. Luckily, yucks are secondary to moody atmosphere on this one. (Note: the band's MySpace page says that they are on Geffen, but that's apparently just a joke related to Critcheloe's Courtney Love obsession. More yucks!)

MP3:> Ssion: "Clowns (Glass Candy Remix)"
[original track from Fool's Gold; due 02/12/08 on Sleazetone]