Culling inspirations from only the most stylish of late-'90s dance acts (
Daft Punk,
Basement Jaxx,
Underworld),
<> focuses in on lush, filtered disco (with the requisite clipped beats and streamlined sound) as a pad for frontmen Jean-Philippe Freu and Patrice "Patou" Carrié to layer their accomplished guitar work. While the guitar lines occasionally sound gimmicky or muzaky -- closer to
Steely Dan than
Underworld -- the duo often succeed in transcending the boundaries of house-with-guitars. Though the opener, "La Guitaristic House Organisation," begins with a few clichés, the interstellar-overdrive effects near the end of the track rescue it from oblivion. And on several other tracks, added flute and Latin percussion make for some solid pan-global vibes. For all the lap steel, talkbox, bottleneck, wah-wah, fuzz guitar, whammy bars, E-Bow, and Spanish guitar in evidence, the programming work of Johnny Palumbo bears much of the burden. Thankfully, he's at least slightly ahead of the curve -- though it's easy to see the concept dating quickly and poorly. ~ John Bush