reax music magazine :: music + culture » Reviews » Waitiki - Rendezvous in Okonkuluku

The floral-shirted exotica specialists in Waitiki aren't really from the island paradise of Okonkuluku – they made that shit up, along with an entire mythology that turns their lounged-out South Pacific sound into an entire sensory experience. The guys might be from Boston, but their vibraphones, trembly, trebly wind instruments, eccentric rhythm toys and yes, even bird calls inspire visions of tiki-torched midnight jungle parties; you can almost taste the Mai Tais. This, the band's second full-length effort, is a bit more meandering and stylistically diverse than its predecessor. It's still firmly rooted in the traditions of Les Baxter and Martin Denny (whose “Tiki” and “Voodoo Love,” respectively, are recreated here), though, and more than capable of making the listener believe in a fictional Polynesian Eden where the rum never stops flowing, and the fun just never stops. (waitiki.com) – Scott Harrell