PeeP on PoP- Tahiti 80

Tahiti 80- The Past, the Present, & the Possible (Human Sounds/IDOL-2011)

~by Gabe McBride 

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Given that they’ve been around for almost two decades (the band formed in 1993), Tahiti 80 get no respect. Like fellow Frenchies, Phoenix, singer/guitarist Xavier Boyer and the rest of Tahiti 80 deal in  disco-centric, easy-listening indiepop . Unlike Phoenix, they’ve been plying their trade in relative obscurity, at least here in the United States (Their debut album, Puzzle went gold in Japan!). To be fair, Phoenix took the sound T80 had a hand in creating and ran with it, taking the look, and ethos, and making it cooler and well, better than their contemporaries, making Tahiti 80 the less talented, although not unlikable older brother. Think “Everybody Loves Thomas Mars”. 

So where does that leave The Past, the Present, & the Possible? Not doing too badly, thank you very much. Tahiti 80 have not exactly evolved a great deal over the years. They have some good albums (Wallpaper for the Soul) and some less good ones (Fosbury, which still wasn’t a flop- get it?), but have soldiered ahead, and tPtP&tP keeps the same upbeat, Saint-Tropez beachside disco atmosphere as their previous efforts. It’s not hard to listen to, and is hard not to like. It might not be the deepest pool at the resort, but the drinks are good, the girls are beautiful, if kinda dumb, and everything is, just fine. 

For Fans of: Phoenix, ELO, Steely Dan