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The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 5, 2009

Updated: 02/05/2009 04:04 pm

MAROON 5:
CALL AND RESPONSE:
THE REMIX ALBUM (A&M/OCTONE) **

Maroon 5's sub-Justin Timberlake R&B is inherently uninteresting. So it's the presence of wild card remixers such as Of Montreal and Deerhoof that raises eyebrows and hopes. Usual suspects such as Pharell Williams and Mark Ronson, predictably, phone in their contributions.

Of Montreal, not surprisingly, makes an Of Montreal track out of "Little of Your Time," using tiny snatches of the original vocal and guitar for its psychedelic disco redo. Deerhoof's remake of "Goodnight Goodnight" is hardly so radical, but it gives the track a new sad and spooky atmosphere.

Cut Copy's "Galactic Beach House Mix" of "This Love," though, is the track assured to get bodies moving on the dance floor.

Download this: "Little of Your Time" (Of Montreal Remix)

Curtis Ross

THE BLACK GHOSTS:
THE BLACK GHOSTS
(IAMSOUND) ***½

When Game Boys party, this is what they dance to.

Driven by the irresistible 8-bit synth pop of singles "Anyway You Choose To Give It" and "The Repetition Kills You," The Black Ghosts' self-titled album is unmistakably a debut, but in all the right ways - it's full of first-album energy, first-album effort, first-album perfectionism.

And for a first album, "The Black Ghosts" is quite well-rounded. The duo delve into a lounge vibe on "It's Your Touch," strip down their sound for introspective toe-tapper "Something New," and hint that they could easily have a future in hip-hop production with "Some Way Through This."

As the group grows up, expect to see more experimentation, particularly with the acoustic guitar and jangly bass of "Full Moon," recently featured in the movie "Twilight."

Download this: "Anyway You Choose To Give It"

Emily Seawell

MARK OLSON & GARY LOURIS:
READY FOR THE FLOOD
(NEW WEST) ***

The Jayhawks, an early purveyor of the alt-country movement in the early 1990s, were more eclectic than most countrified bands.

They experimented with styles, including swampy rockers, sad country dirges and later, polished pop.

Mark Olson and Gary Louris formed the band's core, but Olson left before Louris took them in a more mainstream direction.

Here, they stick mostly to slower, somber songs on their new collaboration, "Ready for the Flood." It's a good album, if not a particularly inspiring one.

Longtime fans likely will relish the duo's songwriting. I was hoping for a little more oomph.

Download this: "Black Eyes"

John W. Allman

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