One time Fridge bass player Adem Ilhan was roundly applauded upon his arrival on the scene as a solo artist. His debut album Homesongs was a brilliantly realised piece of work, and perhaps it is no surprise that his latest album Love and Other Planets hasn't been as warmly welcomed as it should have been.
Admittedly, there hasn't been a massive progression, (the unadulterated album version on this single is testament to that) but there is something loveable about Adem's stoned drawl and barely conscious guitar playing. His metaphors are also clunky beyond belief, yet somehow he gets away with it. Launch Yourself speaks of a departing lover in terms of a space rocket hurtling through the atmosphere, off to discover new planets. It may well appear clumsy in the extreme, but yet is filled with an innocence that is curiously pleasing.
The most satisfying element of this single can be found in the remixes. Four Tet and Hot Chip both get a crack at Launch Yourself and both expand and improve upon the original. Four Tet take you to an alien world full of wooden wind chimes, which isn't quite as annoying as you might expect, whilst Hot Chip slow things down and almost turn the song into a electro-tribal exercise. Most importantly though, is that these remixes may well indicate where Adem is heading for next time around.
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