This release by Los Angeles' well-traveled duo the Anubian Lights is a pretty confusing affair. There are quite a few perspectives from which to interpret it, and all of them seem adequate, but not fully appropriate in light of the record's diversity. In general terms, Naz Bar is a mixture of exotic sampledelica and krautrock influences. Yet, there are so many other musical and non-musical elements involved that simply defining what it sounds like in relation to what's come before it is of little use.

Many of the songs on Naz Bar contain the not particularly uncommon use of esoteric monolog snippets over bouncy beats, and tracks constructed out of samples of 60's and 70's music. So it would be pretty easy to dismiss this record as Fatboy Slim-styled retro-chic, but the songs are occasionally creative enough to put a figure-four leg-lock on your interest. It's frustrating that the Anubian Lights alternate between insipid kitsch and true inspiration throughout Naz Bar, which I suppose is a testament to the old edict of there being a fine line between genius and idiocy.

At the same time, it's often difficult to discern whether, in the album's cheesiest moments, you're laughing at or with the Lights. Songs like "Epsilon" offer such a convincing imitation of kraut pioneers Can that it's not clear whether the song is intended as parody or tribute, or if it's merely derivative, though their association with Damo Suzuki points to the latter. The same goes for the too aptly-titled analog electro tune "Outer Space Music." Several tracks begin as run-of-the-mill trance and techno, and end up as interestingly layered lock grooves. It's hard to tell where the Anubian Lights are coming from or going, which despite the corny moments, actually adds to the record's appeal.

Yet as difficult as it is to appraise Naz Bar, it's the very hit-or-miss quality of it that makes it an intriguing record. It's both entertaining and annoying that the Anubian Lights won't reveal what the score is-- annoying because nobody likes to be jerked around by a bunch of smart alecs, and entertaining because most anyone can appreciate a good riddle. Naz Bar isn't necessarily up with something like Jim O'Rourke's Eureka in terms of intentional perplexity or non-verbal irony. For all I know, the Anubian Lights may just not a have much of an idea as to what they're doing. But then there's their history of working with artists like Hawkwind and Chrome.

Naz Bar isn't really unequivocally worth buying. It's foreseeable that many people will be uninterested by the stylistic complexity and ambiguity of the album, opting instead only to concern themselves with the simple facts of the songs without their social baggage. That's not an unreasonable approach, but if it's yours and you aren't a fan of kitsch electronic music, Naz Bar probably isn't for you. If it's not, the Anubian Lights might be worth a try if you haven't got anything special on your CD purchasing itinerary.

-Michael Wartenbe