KALEIDOSCOPE sees Jam & Spoon slide a bit from their TRIPOMATIC FAIRYTALES opus. "Garden of Eden" is rather self-indulgent (dig that electric guitar!), and "Kaleidoscope Skies" brings back the Spanish guitar that made their hits ("Right in the Night" reappears on the US version of the album), though this time with a slower tempo and some Indian sitar as well. Indeed, the first half of the album seems much more aimed toward trip-hop aspects: slower breaks on "Warm Dead Dog," and the dub and strings on "Flame"; the jazz trumpet on the gradual chug of "Mark Runs the Voodoo Down." It seems as if they're trying to move away from the club-trance with which they built their reputation, but the results are decidedly mixed. Sure, the atmospheric drum 'n' bass on "To Get Out" is a strong effort, but they also falter when they try to return to the club: "Kiss Away" is a huge slice of cheese (tasty, but still...), "So Called Techno Track" is nowhere near their best work, and "El Baile" seems particularly egregious rip-off of the Latin house boom. Plus, the rock guitars on "I Pull My Gun Once"... really? But they still can kicking out the club jams, as with "Guiding Light," which seems almost spare when compared to their usual output or the more aggressive "I Pull My Gun Twice." You can't blame Jam & Spoon for trying new things, even if they don't always work out well.