Production Thrills: Marin & Riena “Love Train”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hkMaDkjDpU”]

Few tracks try so hard to sabotage themselves. “Love Train” features so many potential landmines…chief among them that style of “pop rap” that gets under my skin like no other and an over-sugared chorus…that it’s a miracle it doesn’t collapse into one big pile of J-Lo pop trash. Yet the production on “Love Train” kills it. The main beat bounces around, cheerful bleeps managing to keep the otherwise unthrilling verses intriguing. Even more thrilling…and show-offish, but “Love Train” needs it…is the way whoever produced this decided to just sorta flip out at about the midway point and break out all there tricks. Turntable scratches lead to vocal samples lead to Marin and Riena’s voices going through even more bizarre manipulation. It’s brief but absolutely thrilling moment that resurfaces a bit near the end. Here’s one of the better produced J-Pop tracks of the year.