ctually, no, I can’t see the music. I don’t have a DVD player, so the DVD that accompanies the CD to give it some nice visuals is going to waste. It’s too bad though, because I can just imagine how colourful it must be, considering I can almost see the music when I hear it.

Hailing from L.A., this duo (formerly known as leftfield weirdos Sukia) of Craig Borrell and Ross Harris (a former child actor who featured in Airplane!, and shows such as CHiPs and The Love Boat) have soaked up the California sun and splurged it onto their third album, Can You See The Music?. A platter of fried funk, weird hip-hop and noodley pop music, Can You... is an easy reason to see why Beck, the Prodigy, and Money Mark have used their talents in the past.

Viewing music as a collage filled with an unlimited selection of funky beats, sexy vocals and numerous samples, DJ Me DJ You present a musical coloring book designed to chill and thrill simultaneously. However, like their peer Beck, the lines between cheesy and unbelievably hip are often blurred continuously on the record. Can You... never quite reaches the level of synthetic Velveeta that Midnite Vultures was oozing in, but it does have plenty of moments where you ask yourself, “What the hell were they thinking?” In fact, it takes no time to ask it. On the first track, “People Together”, the unsavory and embarrassing line of “Sittin’ at the sports bar eatin’ Buffalo wings” repeats more times than necessary—making it a frustrating listen. The bad taste police were obviously busy on another call when this one was being made.

DJ Me DJ You are obviously gearheads who like to dabble with their tools here and there (the equipment they use is splattered all over the album’s slick packaging). It’s easy to merely sit and listen to all the interesting sounds that they can create out of these vintage pieces of equipment. Unfortunately, sometimes this is the only way to enjoy the record—as it suffers from a distinct lack of vision. Most of the time you can never tell where the group is going to end up next, as the songs are all a bit in outer space. That’s not to say, though, that they don’t manage to strike gold, or close to it, on a few tracks. “Salsa And Microchips” is a Beastie-like studio jam that never seems to quit and “Fresh Technology” is a robotic, thick slice of futuristic funk made easy. Other than that, though, it’s pretty much slim pickings throughout the other eight tracks.

Borrell and Harris make smart and trendy music that seems suitable for fashion commercials, but like a sandwich without Miracle Whip, it just doesn’t hit the spot the way something made with a little more focus and concentration to the overall effect does.