Ke$ha has arrived with a debut album, “Animal.”
Music reviews
Thursday, 08 April 2010 12:18
“Animal”
That didn’t take long! The first of the Lady Gaga imitators, the (low) classy Ke$ha (who “threw up in the closet,” but doesn’t care, according to the song “Party At A Rich Dude’s House”) has arrived to try to swipe the mirror ball crown from La Gaga’s head. Stir in the worst aspects of Katy Perry and you have Ke$ha’s debut album from RCA/Kemosabe.
Swede-pop beats and subhuman suburban tales of bad behavior (“Tik Tok,” “Take It Off,” “Ki$$ N Tell,” “Blah Blah Blah,” Hung Over” and “Boots & Boys”) fuel these mainly club-crafted tracks. Gays had a hand in putting Lady Gaga over the top and will probably play a part in Ke$ha’s rise. No doubt she’ll be huge.
“I Love You”
Amanda Blank serves up a steamy and smutty urban beat banquet on release from Downtown. Blank respectfully borrows from her Baltimore scene buddies on “Gimme What You Got,” “Make It Take It” and “Big Heavy.” She fingers M.I.A.’s trigger on “Something Bigger Something Better” and reinvents Romeo Void on “Might Like You Better.”
The aptly rechristened Blank sounds like a blasé new wave diva on “DJ,” but an awkward misstep such as “A Love Song” almost derails this album.
“XXXX”
Cumbersome name aside, You Say Party! We Say Die! sounds like it knows its way around a dance floor on “XXXX” from Paper Bag. “There Is XXXX (Within My Heart) and “Dark Days” are custom-made for your fave DJ to spin. But what this group really does best is whip up a new wave frenzy that the B52’s would appreciate on “Glory,” “Cosmic Warship Avengers,” “Make XXXX” and “XXXX/Loyalty.”
“Black Light”
Don’t be put off by the alternately sung and ranted vocals on “Warsaw,” the opening cut on this Om release by Groove Armada. These dance music masterminds haven’t lost their touch, just twisted it a bit to keep things fresh. Which is ironic, considering that “History,” with vocals by Will Young, sounds like a Bronski Beat tune, while “I Won’t Kneel,” with vocals by Saint Saviour, is almost Abba-esque.
The centerpiece, “Shameless,” with Bryan Ferry contributing vocals, is sheer delight, rightfully placing the voice of Roxy Music in a dance club where he belongs. Also worth mentioning are the delirious “Paper Romance” and “Just For Thought.”
Dan Black offers “On.”
“On”
It might not be immediately evident, but by the time you get to “U + Me =” and “Alone” by Dan Black, from this A&M album, you suddenly realize that you are in the presence of a dance music innovator. This is also evident on “Yours” and “Pump My Pumps.” Less dance-oriented numbers, such as “Symphonies,” “Wonder” and “Life Slash Dreams,” also speak to the nature of Black’s unusual gifts.
“Believe”
“Fight for You,” from Morgan Page’s artist disc (Nettwerk) may have recently spent time near the top of the Billboard Dance Club Music chart, but it’s far from the best or most exciting track on this disc. “Strange Condition,” for instance, is a far more appealing cut. The same can be said for the title track, “Tell Me Why” and “I’ve Had Friends,” all of which would be right at home in the clubs and on the charts.
“Remorse- capade”
As thrilling dance music goes, Canadian duo Woodhands have it down pat. “Remorsecapade” (from Paper Bag) has 10 dance-punk tracks that begin with the sweaty workout “Pockets.” If your heart isn’t racing after dancing to this one, you might want to consult your healthcare provider.
Woodhands sounds like a kissing cousin to LCD Soundsystem on “CP24,” and “Sluts” is pure electro sex. “I Should Have Gone With My Friends” is a crunchy dance grind, while “Dissembler,” with guest vocals by Maylee Todd, goes in a more traditional dance direction.
“Nervous Nightlife: Tom Stephan!”
As a policy, I avoid DJ mix tape compilations like the plague and Sarah Palin, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t exist or that they will cease to exist. Quite the contrary. But gay record player Tom Stephan, a.k.a. house-head Superchumbo, is supposed to be something special. “Nervous Nightlife: Tom Stephan!” (from Nervous) finds him in his spinning mode, interweaving 19 tracks. Stephan also includes his own originals such as “Turn That Sh*t Up” and “Lights Out.”
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