Chewed up and spat out of the big beat gristmill in short order, the brothers Kahuna returned several years later with an LP of genre-spanning electro-disco reminiscent of
Lo Fidelity Allstars, another big beat survivor (and, ultimately, success story). Where
Lo Fi yearns for the days of
P-Funk and Northern soul, though,
FC Kahuna professes allegiance to robot-disco stalwarts from
Moroder and
Kraftwerk to Adonis and
DJ Pierre. "Growler" and "Glitterball" are stark, computer-game electro tracks that beat
Daft Punk at its own highly stylized game, and "Nothing Is Wrong" turns a doubly ironic eye on the glut of detached female vocalists à la
Miss Kittin. Really though, the Kahuna duo is all things to all electronica scenes -- the brothers close with a lengthy bout of prog rock recalling
Radiohead as performed by
Super Furry Animals, the title track has been taken to heart by electroclash heads, and the elegiac downbeat number "Hayling" (with vocalist Haftis Helde, formerly of
Gus Gus) was grabbed for several downbeat mix albums. "Bleep Freak" delves into seriously warped acid house, while the aptly titled closer, "North Pole Transmission," slots into the oop-north pastoral electronica of
Boards of Canada. If it's difficult to focus in on what
FC Kahuna does best, it's probably because it's all done well. [The American version of the album shuffled the track listing slightly, bumping up the chill-out hit "Hayling" to become the opening track.] ~ John Bush