Tiger & Woods - On The Green Again

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  • If capturing lightning in a bottle is hard, doing it twice is nearly impossible. Âme, for instance, have done fine work over the years, but it would be hard to argue that Kristian Beyer and Frank Wiedemann have ever again matched the crystalline beauty of "Rej." Think of Metro Area's dilemma: how can you follow up a near-perfect track like "Miura" without simply creating a carbon copy of it? After that sound-defining number topped RA's Top 100 Tracks Of The '00s, Morgan Geist confided that he came to resent its success. And then there's Tiger & Woods. Since 2009, Italian producers Marco Passarani and Valerio Del Prete were crafting '80s-referencing white-label winners, but they zeroed in on something ineffably wonderful in 2011, when they released "Gin Nation" on Running Back. With its languid groove and hypnotic vibe, the tune—simple in construction, liberally borrowing from Imagination's "Music And Lights" and a little from "Just An Illusion"—was a boogie-sample hit. Fun and otherworldly, it would prove to be a hard act to follow. Passarani and Del Prete try to recapture that magic with On The Green Again, the follow-up to 2011's Through The Green. Largely eschewing samples and taking in a broader array of influences, these songs are more fleshed out than the pair's earlier work, which can feel a bit unnatural at times. After a short, flamboyant intro, "RockMeLoveMe" has a vague Italo sound, with squiggling synths and effusive piano propelled by a bright, electro-funk bassline. Bouncy low-end, loping rhythms and a joyous horn section give muscle to "Bestissimo," and the horns reappear on "Endless Affair," weaving their way through subdued keys and a sea of oddly emotive sounds. On The Green is full of glittering moments, from the Devo-esque synth line in "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden" to the gorgeous, uplifting chords in "Ginger & Fred" and the Talking Heads-ish throb that kicks off "Phoenix." But the jolt you get from Tiger & Wood's best work is missing. Perhaps the songs are too ornate, or maybe they're too similar to so much other retro-themed club fodder. Tiger & Woods haven't lost their spark, but their music shines less brightly than before.
  • Tracklist
      01. Intro 02. RockMeLoveMe 03. Bestissimo 04. Ginger & Fred 05. Phoenix 06. Come & Get My Lovin’ 07. Endless Affair 08. Radio Tiger 09. Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden 10. Outro 11. The Stopper 12. Balloon 13. No More Talking
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