Customer Reviews

Lagoon

5 star:		(2)
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3 star:		(1)
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The Lounge revival of the Mid-Nineties saw not only renewed interest in adult pop and Exotica of the late Fifties and early Sixties but also the emergence of a number of new groups dedicated to recreating or reinterpreting the cocktail nation vibe for modern day tastes. And it doesn't surprise me that at the time of this writing, September of "08, there seems to be another big uptick going on in interest in Lounge music. After all, the music simply has too much style, too much variety and novelty, and is just too much fun to go away for too long.

Don Tiki (a group, not the name of a person.) is perhaps the best known of these modern day Exotica groups but there are several other very worthy ones. Waitiki is maybe the closest to a present day version of Martin Denny and Arthur Lyman, Kava Kon does a sort of Exotica meets ambient techno melding and makes a highly successful effort of it, and a third must have for your Lounge collection is this album, the second from the group Clouseaux. Clouseaux's sound, like Waitiki's, starts with the same classic Exotica of Martin Denny or Arthur Lyman and then mixes in a certain amount of surf guitar into the proceedings, two genres that meld very smoothly, along the lines of a cocktail like the Sidecar or Scarlet O'Hara, where two or three quite different ingredients blend together to make an altogether new and appealing taste. Think Denny or Lyman with a little bit of the sounds and energy of the Aqua Velvets stirred in and you'll have a good idea of Clouseaux. They then blend in a slightly sinister or malevolent undertone to some of the proceedings...Yes, the beach may be sunny and beautiful and the palm trees swaying in the breeze but behind the beach is the jungle and ten feet in the jungle is something that wants to snatch you and tear you to bits. A fresh and nervy concept, one that avoids any suggestion of the cloying or excessive prettiness which sometimes crept into the originals.

A good concept without the execution can add up to very little, however, and here is where this album excels. A while ago, I reviewed an album by supposedly professional musicians that sounded amateurish enough to be decidedly queasy listening. No such problems here. This is all well and energetically played, sometimes very energetically, but still never sounds frenetic or rushed beyond comfort. A few of the songs, like every Exotica album, have a slightly generic quality to them, but at "Krakatoa", we arrive at the memorable and move from highlight to (mostly) highlight after that. "The Kiss of Ku", "Krakatoa", and "Noctopia" are especial stand-outs and immediately move into the canon of great Exotica songs, but the whole album has that lush and sensual quality about it that we love in our best and most stylish Exotica albums. And while a prior reviewer faulted Clouseaux for not having the songwriting abilities of Les Baxter, and while that's perfectly true, I think the criticism is a little unfair, simply because, with the possible exceptions of Henry Mancini and the Beatles, no one else from that era, and very few people afterward, were the gushing fountains of good tunes that Les Baxter was. It's a little like saying Vermeer wasn't as good an artist as Rembrandt because he didn't create as many paintings. Quantity doesn't often equal quality and Clouseaux delivers in the quality department. Good modern sonics, as well.

You can tell I like this album a lot. And if you collect Lounge or Exotica, you'll need this too. It's a standout of the genre. Then after you get it, pour yourself a Scorpion or Mai Tai into your best Tiki mug, garnish it with a long pineapple spear and sit back to the exciting and transporting sounds of Clouseaux.

Lagoon is a brilliant album.
Mix "Blue Hawaii" and "Kill Bill" and this is the soundtrack.

It's best listened to as a whole piece. Each song flows into the next with the enjoying twists of a jungle cruise.

It's smooth and relaxing like a Hawaiian vacation, but, behind the tropical tones, the players know that someone is going to, sooner or later, have to be sacrificed to the tiki gods.

So, sure, have another Mai Tai. And, later on, we'll go for a walk in the jungle down by the lagoon, and I'll show you the ruins of the old heiau...

Whatever be your musical cup of tea, all of the great melodies have been written and recorded. Les Baxter essentially created the exotica genre and if I had to pick ten exotica CD's for that deserted island (and I can't think of better music than exotica for such a setting), at least nine would be Baxter's exotica offerings on Capitol from the 1950's and early 1960's. I can only slightly commend the efforts of Clouseaux, a neo-exotica group that attempts to honor the good doctor with a collection of music to drink Mai Tais by. However, as to be expected, the great melodies are simply nowhere to be found.

I'd rather hear Clouseaux in a darkened lounge, playing nothing but faithful recreations of the great music of Les, the master. Now that would be an enjoyable experience. However, if you are one of those post-Boomers who believe that only new is cool and, typical of your generation, have zero sense of cultural perspective that comes from an appreciation of what came before you, Clouseaux may just be your thing. Many listeners 40 and under simply must have their music recorded in the digital pristine sterility of a modern recording studio and may find some value in these original compositions, which sound anything but. I feel no reason to champion new compositions of any type of music simply because it is new, and any exotica beyond Baxter is basically redundant. So if hearing Clouseaux actually creates an appreciation of Les Baxter, or any exotica from the golden age of the 1950's and early 1960's, therein lies the real value of this CD.

Personnel:
Jay Brooks (vocals, bass guitar); Tomas Escalante (vocals); Kelly Doyle (guitar); Steve Ruth (trumpet, percussion); Aaron Koerner (flugelhorn); Ryan Gabbart (trombone); David Cummings (keyboards); Claudio De Pujadas (drums, percussion); John Daniels, John Best, Andy Salmon (percussion), Daniela Friedl, Miss Formica Dinette, Steffany Johnston (vocals); Corey Lareau, Marcos Melchor (saxophone); Johanna Harris (unknown instrument).