There's nothing energiz-o-tronic about this

"From Her Lips to God's Ears" is the second song from Against Me!'s Searching for a Former Clarity to receive the 12" remix single, the first being Mouse on Mars's rendition of the album's first single, "Don't Lose Touch." It's too bad that the best thing about it is the cover art.

The A-Side of the 12" is "From Her Lips to God's Ears (Energize-O-Tron)" remixed by Adrock of Beastie Boys fame. When I heard Adrock was reworking the song I got excited, hoping his remix would carry some of the same fun vibe that a good Beastie Boys song can. However, I neglected to think that the Beastie Boys aren't producers. While they play their own instruments live, they don't make the beats for their albums. Adrock's remix is a dark and brooding one. If the lyrics are meant to leave the listener in a brooding mood, and they very well might serve that purpose, then Adrock's beats match that sentiment perfectly.

While the beats might match one way the song might make someone feel, they don't match the musical spirit of the original, nor Gabel's vocals. They're slow, oftentimes with one beat repeating and occasionally throwing in vocal fades and echos as well as a series of beeps. Gabel's vocals constantly seem to be racing ahead of the beat. There's a good reason why I don't write reviews for electroremixes.com, but as an Against Me! fan, this doesn't sit well at all.

The B-Side is the original version from Searching for a Former Clarity, a track which grew on me with every listen when I first picked up the album. Following Adrock's work, it's a friggin' gem.

I was a big fan of what the band did with "singles" from As the Eternal Cowboy. That is, providing two new versions of existing songs on the 7" format. Those acoustic versions did so much more to create a new feel for a song than the Adrock remix does for "(The Energizer)." Also, if the band's going to press a 12" instead of a 7", it would have been nice to see them throw some more material into the mix. I mean, even hip-hop singles come with more than this. But hey, at least this time around the band deided to throw some artwork onto the album.

I consider myself a huge Against Me! fan, and this is the first thing they've done that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. While the "Don't Lose Touch" single wasn't that great either, at least it was an interesting and new approach, but with "(The Energizer)," I hope they don't plan on making a habit out of it.