The Pinker Tones: Singles 2001-2011 + Amigos & Friends

Greatest hits/singles albums are rapidly losing worth in our iTunes world. By the time the Rihannas and Pitbulls release one, listeners have already built their own — .99 click by .99 click. Led by Mister Furia and Professor Manso, Barcelona's alternative pop band The Pinker Tones' plainly titled Singles 2001-2011 + Amigos & Friends is a sprawling, crazed, and completely massive attempt at making a dreaded retrospective to indulge long-time fans. The first disc features 19 reinterpretations by PT colleagues, including Berto Romero, Tom Tom Club, and YOB. The second disc is 14 singles pulled from PT's decade-long tenure. The rub is that you've got to be either a fan of PT's compadres or so in love with PT that you'll take their music in any form. For the rest of us, it's good in small doses. The mechanical synth-funk of hit "S.E.X.Y.R.O.B.O.T" becomes breathy, chilled Latin jazz in the hands of singer Virginia Labuat with producers Matias Sorokin and Max Miglin. Meanwhile, the kitschy walking pop of "Estirado al Sol" is a Roy Orbison homage in the hands of Pecker (a real Spanish pop musician). Yeah, like I said, small doses.

★★ 1/2 (out of 5 stars)