Kai Hugo has no hesitation in throwing some funny looking pills in your coconut sparkly water with his awaited Palmbomen II. Unlike Palmbomen, its sequel project (if I can call it that) is the result of a rather intimate, cozy production process.
It was brought to life in his mother's attic in The Netherlands, but came out with an outgoing twist. The overall sound calls to a ludic type of involvement, eradicating even the smallest speck of mature ambition and replacing it with cockamamie desires.
The eponymous release is a kinky rubbery delight. It sounds like ''tongue-in-cheek'' fetishists unzipping their shiny latex costumes while stumbling foolishly upon the hot beach sand. The costumes are all squeaky from the salty sea water and no palm tree shadow is large enough to take a rest from all this exuberant manifestation. Large colourful hats look as if they are part of a psychedelic trip in the blazing sunlight. The horizon line is decorated with laughing multicoloured moving shapes playing ball games, dancing, laying on the yellow sand. The sky changes colour and goes from vibrant blue to warm shades until nighttime.
The drums have a melting texture which makes you think of how slightly sunburnt skin feels at the touch... quite a special sensation since it comes wrapped in this picture perfect holiday frame. Deteriorated, dusty synths are the perfect soundtrack for a glitchy VHS tape of all the funny events recorded in a vacation.
I have that typical 90's image of a curvy boombox left out on the sidewalk of a beach, surrounded by dancing chicks with blow dried blonde hair, glossy golden earrings, caked up eyeshadow, clumpy mascara and visible lip pencil contour. There's also the tanned guys who visibly work out a lot and try to hit on the girls because they know their jaws are wide, eyes are blue and lips are plump. Perfect match!
The names of these boys and girls who are just spending some mindless time are the track titles. A bunch of 14 youngsters who don't think they'll ever be old are trapping their memories on this VHS we are watching when listening to the album. Leo Danzinger seems to be the the soft kind. He's the one who did most of the capturing because he knew at that time that what he was experimenting was to be cherished at any time.
Tracklist:
A1. Peter TanakaA2. Cindy Savalas
A3. Lorraine Kelleher
A4. Teena Mulder
B1. Carina Sayles
B2. Samuel Aboah
B3. Mary Louise Lefante
C1. Vic Trevino
C2. Gerd Thomas
C3. Caitlin Ross
D1. John Lee Roche
D2. Jesse O'Neill
D3. Rebecca Waite
D4. Leo Danzinger