Tahiti 80 - Extra Pieces - Minty Fresh

Review by: Jennifer Perkins

Although Tahiti 80's Extra Pieces gets better every time I hear it, it is still no Puzzle. On first listen I was disappointed because besides the sunrise version of "When the Sun" the whole CD sounded like a bunch of out takes, and I could tell why. None of these songs were up to the caliber of their debut and I was feeling disappointed.

Out takes and re-mixes is exactly what this disc is. With the outtakes you can tell why these tracks were left off the record. While not bad, they are not as stand out as any of the ultra addictive ditties from Puzzle. There are three new songs offered up here, and not a one of them holds a candle to even one song off Puzzle.

The remixes are the strong point of the CD. The "Heartbeat" remix is done by Cornelius. The remix is more stripped down than the original and a middle Eastern spell is cast over the song. I think they even added some zills to the mix. There is a live version of "I.S.A.A.C." from a radio appearance. Then there are alternate versions to "Revolution 80" and "When the Sun".

I recently had the privilege of seeing Tahiti 80 perform some of these songs live at an instore during SXSW. This CD reminds me of how that event sounded, like they couldn't get all their goodies set up and something was missing. The instore was jaded by the fact that I had seen them live and in full swing before, so I knew they could do more. Their latest CD Extra Pieces is much the same way, I have seen what this band is capable of, and out takes and remixes are not going to cut it with me.

Read a review of Tahiti 80's Puzzle here.