by Heather PharesOn their debut album Trip Tease, the electronica-lounge duo Tipsy seem to get as much pleasure from playing around with their music as they do playing it. Given that Tim Digulla and David Gardner were involved in industrial and ambient projects previously, it's not a surprise that there are bizarre juxtapositions of mood, tone and texture on this album. What is somewhat surprising is how well the group's blend of state-of-the art editing and retro-exotica-sci-fi kitsch works. Songs like Liquordelic, Mr. Excitement and El Bombo Atomico go beyond the intellectual, studio experiments they could have been, blossoming into hothouse hybrids that transcend genres and just sound good. The weightless keyboards and slide guitars on Space Golf and Nude On The Moon wink at the Atomic Age's preoccupation with living in outer space, while Oops! and Grossenhosen sound like a collaboration between Carl Stalling, Raymond Scott and the Orb. Tuatara, Fuad Ramses and Something Tropical nod to the exotica trend of the '50s and '60s. The album's remarkable arrangements feature bouncy drums, sitars, harps, horns and all sorts of unclassifiable space effects that jell into a collection of songs that are retro and cutting edge, bachelor pad and launching pad. A must for sound geeks and space age bachelors alike, Trip Tease is an invigorating debut that only gets better with each listen.