With Rainbows and Robots, former
Sukia members
Craig Borrell and
Ross Harris -- aka
DJ Me DJ You -- pick up where their old group left off. Comparisons between the two projects may be unfair, but they're also unavoidable. Unfortunately, this album lacks much of the sleazy sense of humor and creativity that made
Sukia's Contacto Especial Con el Tercer Sexo a kinky, quirky triumph. What's left is a collection of sample-friendly, pseudo-funky analog synth-pop that sounds a bit like backing tracks for the next
Beck album. Not that that's a bad thing in and of itself, but it makes
Harris and
Borrell seem like followers instead of innovators. Though Rainbows and Robots is stretched a bit thin at 14 tracks, there are many fun and funky moments on the album. "Earth People," a slinky safari based on samples from a record of the classic children's story -The Little Prince; the wittily named space rock epic "Pink Freud"; the loungey, trashy,
Sukia-esque "El Pollo Amante"; and the sliced-and-diced robot uprising "Because" are among Rainbows and Robots' most distinctive tracks. Though the rest of the album is entertaining, samples from vintage reference and instructional records, synth bleeps and bouncy basslines just don't sound as fresh as they did a few years ago. Here's hoping that
DJ Me DJ You's next album pushes the envelope of electronic pop music instead of draining its dregs. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
