Few albums illustrate the increasing thin line between electronica and rock music at the end of the '90s better than Splendor. North America's most powerful electronica label, Astralwerks, assembled a strong collection of remixes that add an aura of electronica's broad spectrum of possibilities to some rock songs that truly deserve to be described as alternative. Some of the rock artists getting the remix treatment include Blur, Lush, the London Suede, and Slowdive. Blur's "Beetlebum" gets a massive re-working courtesy of Moby, who strips away most of the song, leaving only lead singer Damon Albarn's delicate whispers lost in a swirling sea of transcendental strings and a subtle, underlying percussive rhythm track. My Bloody Valentine's remix of Lush's "Sweetness & Light" elevates this already canonical dream-pop to new levels of bliss with thick layers of cacophonous rhythms capable of transforming this song into a chugging dancefloor-worthy monster. In addition to these wonderful remixes, there are also special mixes of otherwise wonderful electronica songs such as the Micronauts' "The Jag," Air's "Kelley Watch the Stars," and Armand Van Helden's "Flowerz." Though the included version of "The Jag" is only the compact radio edit rather than the full 11-minute epic, the song still deserves acclaim. Similarly, Van Helden's edit of "Flowerz" just isn't as satisfying as the full-length version, but no one can argue that this song doesn't function as a climatic penultimate moment for the album. Of course, Astralwerks saved the original precedent-setting merger of electronica and rock for the album's finale with New Order's "Bizarre Love Triangle," reaffirming this innovative group's growing influence. The only solid low points of this album occur when the listener wishes Astralwerks would have included the full-length version of the many radio edits found on Splendor, yet the consistently strong label compensates by cramming as many tasty songs as possible in exchange. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide