One thing to really admire about Tahiti 80 is that they’ve become almost as popular as Hot Chip, but they’ve retained their indie cred. The band makes electronic pop, but there’s still an authentic feel to it all. Yes, it’s smooth, glossy pop, but you can still feel the humanity in it. There are people in there.
Still, they’re a band that has yet to really knock me back on my ass. I wish I could say that their sixth(!) record, The Past, The Present & The Possible is the one that does it, but I can’t. But I can say it’s damn close. PPP is the first Tahiti 80 record I’ve listened to straight through in one shot, and it’s the first one I didn’t find boring at spots. And it’s the first one where I found myself stopping and rewinding a few times. On “Rain Steam Speed” there’s a very cool interplay between acoustic piano and synths that builds and transforms into a winding, electronic snake of sound that’s truly fascinating. In fact, maybe the album did knock me on my ass after all. This is a great song–no two ways about it. Yeah, it’s atmospheric–but is that really wrong?
The album’s also got a 7-plus minute version of their modest hit “Crack Up”–and if you like that song, you’ll probably love this techno remix. I like the band more when they update the sounds of 70s AM radio, as they do on “4AM.” A gentle song with acoustic guitar and lines like “I feel lost and it’s all your fault/I feel lonely wanna call you up”–sweet pop. You know what? I take it back. This isn’t just Tahiti 80’s best album. It’s a great album all on its own.
