Shad & Dallas: "Live Forever (Math Rosen remix)"

It’s not uncommon that a remix will simply tweak and reconfigure a mediocre song until it resembles something passably interesting. But for a remix to completely overhaul and thus legitimately salvage an otherwise fundamentally weak track—that is, for a remix to establish a framework within which the basic elements of a given song work better—well, that’s no something you stumble across very often. Math Rosen’s superb reimagining of “Live Forever,” lead single from the completely bizarre one-off collaboration between Canadian rapper Shad and that emo dork from City and Colour, happens to be exactly that sort of rarity: abandoning the forgettable pallor of the original’s backing instrumentals entirely, Rosen manages not only to make Dallas Green’s crooning seem mildly appropriate—a pretty astounding feat in and of itself, frankly—but to finally lend Shad’s characteristically tight flow the compliment of a beat that actually suits him.

Although it’s probably the primary reason for his continued popularity with the CBC set, Shad’s pervasive nice-guy image is always going to stand in the way of serious recognition or acceptance from the rap community at large, particularly if he’s going to make a point of collaborating with guys like Dallas Green. Which is fine, I guess; I’m sure K-os sells a shit load of records to soccer moms, and there’s plenty of pie to share in that market. But it’s a little disappointing, given the guy’s obvious talent, to see Shad resign himself to the forgettable pall of non-beats like these. Which is why this remix is such a revelation. Here, thanks to what started as one among innumerable remix contest entries before landing a spot on the official Shad & Dallas: Two Songs EP, is a taste of what we might have more regularly if Shad actually allowed himself this much freedom aesthetically. Turns out all he needed were a few deep synth sounds from the Oneohtrix Point Never playbook, as well as a vocal effect courtesy of Kanye’s “Gorgeous,” and Shad’s suddenly steeped in swagger. And that extra synth flourish at 2:22? That single gesture is more interesting musically than any set of sounds found on TSOL (2010). Here’s hoping that there’s more where this came from.