What started as an eerie, plaintive, half-sung, half-whispered tune by The Long Lost comes out as two excellent, sparkling remixes in the hands of LA producer Flying Lotus.

Woebegone (Flying Lotus's Luckiest Charm) stands on its own as one of the finest electronic singles for fall/winter '08, with perfect timing for the cold weather. Flying Lotus's drums stutter and skip atop a simple guitar line, and he adds just a hint of processing to Laura Darlington's translucent vocals to make the whole thing icy and delicately textured.

Woebegone (Fly Lo's Like Woe) ups the tempo and adds a deep bassline, synths, and claps -- it's hardly a dance track, but feels much more like a "remix" than the previous one. The line "luckiest charm" is looped and chopped up to serve as the only vocals, and the emphasis is squarely on Flying Lotus's rich production.

The original, Woebegone , only shows up at the end of this single. Like seeing a movie after having watched its teaser trailer over and over, the melody of "Woebegone" is already familiar after the two Flying Lotus remixes, but much less comforting than you might think.

Pared down to its breathy vocals, Laura's brother Alfred Darlington on acoustic guitar, and a wandering toy piano that falls somewhere between Amélie and The Exorcist, the song ends up being much more chilly and unsettling than its electronic counterparts. Hearing the remixes and original back-to-back, it's almost as if "Woebegone" is addressing itself in its lyrics: "Would you pep up and not be so glum?"

Released this week on Ninja Tune, The Long Lost's debut single is a small taste of what looks to be a fantastic album -- hopefully with many more remixes to come.

Featured Tracks:
The Art Of Kissing
Woebegone (Flying Lotus's Luckiest Charm)