"Rendezvous in Okonkuluku"
Waitiki, 2007
The Boston-based tiki
band Waitiki is back with their second release Rendezvous
in Okonkuluku, or RIO for short. Waitiki
is part of a new group of tiki bands who draw their inspiration equally
from the old masters as well as the new generation of tiki bar dwellers.
It seems for them nothing is better than listening to old Martin
Denny records while putting their tiki mugs to work.
There’s a rum-soaked
pleasure in Waitiki’s music. In fact, listening to RIO
is like spending a night at the tiki bar. You start off with soft sounds
and Mai Tai’s and before you know it you’re knocking back Fog Cutters,
Singapore Slings, and other strange concoctions. In your alcohol-fueled
haze, the puffer fish start winking at you and the tiki idols start singing
along. And for many, this is pure heaven. The song “Pineapple Lilt” is
almost a literal translation of this effect with a Don Ho-inspired
singer taking you through a musical tour of the famed Malakai
bar.
Like Waitiki’s
debut album Charred Mammal Flesh,
RIO
keeps true to it’s exotica roots with covers of Martin Denny’s
“Voodoo Love,” Paul Conrad’s “China Clipper,” and Les
Baxter’s song “Tiki.” Waitiki then mixes in their own brand Polynesian
pop and the result is, well, intoxicating. The album was produced by Brother
Cleve of Combustible Edison and DelFuegos
fame and his audiophile sensibilities show. At times the album feels like
a musical gem discovered in a dusty record bin at a thrift store.
Whereas Charred
Mammal Flesh had moments of head-scratching weirdness, RIO
is a solid listen from start to finish. Waitiki has matured
musically and the new album is filled with subtle displays of funk and
moments of breathtaking beauty. That’s not to say RIO doesn’t
have its playful moments. Granted these moments are more fun with a few
drinks in you, like the song “Wadada” which start innocent enough then
creeps up on you and before you know it you’re surrounded by monosyllabic
bird-calling primal chants. Fans of “Plamingo Flagoda” from their first
album will be happy to see a follow-up, of sorts, on this album titled
“Plamingo Merengue.”
As a special bonus,
Waitiki
is also releasing RIO on vinyl. It’s a 12” limited pressing
that features different artwork and includes a bonus track called “Akaka
Falls.”
Whether you’re spending
the summer camped out at your backyard tiki bar roadtripping to professional
drinking establishments, make sure to take the sounds of Waitiki
with you. And if you ever see them play live, make sure to buy them a drink.
Check out this interview
with Waitiki recorded for The
Bachelor Pad Radio Show at Tiki Oasis 2008: Waitiki
Interview
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