Cocktail Party - Cocktail Party (2009)

Well... what to say about this? On first listen, I was expecting some acid jazz with a lounge/downtempo drumbeat and vibe to it. But that really isn't what it is. It's much less jazzy than I hoped - in fact, I think whoever at Lala put this in the acid jazz category was smoking crack. I suppose there are occassional moments, and even a few songs that are jazzy (Le Metro de Paris has a jazz flute playing through it), but really Cocktail Party creates some funky, spacey, downtempo, madchester influenced music. In fact, I would consider this a downtempo house album more than anything else (I think, I still don't know the difference between house and techno because I just don't care) because it has what I think are house bass and drum beats running through most of the tracks. In fact, this probably really isn't music you would want playing at a cocktail party either. There are some really good songs. Space Comet has some really good acoustic rhythym guitar, and an accordion part that strangely enough fits together perfectly with the bongos. (Yes, it is a little strange when you really stop to think about it). But when it comes right down to it, Cocktail Party creates an album here that combines elements of downtempo bands like thievery corporation, house music, funk, and bits and pieces of jazz all combined together. They definitely have their own unique style and sound; however, they don't really fit anywhere, and their sound just isn't good enough for them to make a great album. Sorry. It wasn't particularly bad though; agood one for when you're looking for something simple to put on in the background that's really upbeat and happy sounding.