I don't know what I was expecting from a band that willingly calls themselves Lesbians on Ecstasy. I guess I was hoping for some righteous noise or maybe some dancepunk for me to cut loose to. But they didn't exactly deliver either.
If Ministry decided to make a dance album with Madonna, the results might sound something like the Lezzie's debut record. Standard four-on-the-floor beats pound away while the most hollow sounding guitars I've heard since the early '90s repeat the same riffs over and over in the background. I know that one of the major parts of dance music is repetition, but it's also supposed to hold a little bit of your interest or at least get you off your ass, but this record does neither; the songs quickly go from okay to boring. Singer Frankie Fearless' completely asexual vocals sound eerily similar to those of Ms. Ciccone, especially on songs like "Closer to the Dark" and "Manipulation." Occasionally some standard vocal effects are thrown in (vocoder, flange, distortion) on tracks like "Kündstant Krøving" and "Revolt" and almost save the song from being skipped over. Almost. The whole thing comes off sounding like a bastardized cousin of KMFDM or maybe even Atari Teenage Riot (Oh no, am I revealing too much of my sordid musical past here?), or at the very least the hilariously over sexualized Peaches.
This album does have a few graces that save it from being immediately filed in the "forgetful" pile. The rallying cry of a chorus to "Queens on Noise" had me nodding my head for a few seconds, despite the rather dreadful verses; and the aforementioned "Kündstant Krøving" is easily the strongest track on the record, with its bridge of "Gotta go to the bank/ gotta go to the bank/ gotta go to the bank/ need a new pair of shoes." "The Pleasure Principal" is good enough the first time, if only for the kitsch factor, but after that it's not really worth another go round. And sadly, that statement pretty much sums up the entire album.
1. Intro
2. Parachute Clubbing
3. Tell Me Does She Love the Bass
4. The Pleasure Principal
5. Kündstant Krøving
6. Bitchsy
7. Closer to the Dark
8. Queens on Noise (Bring da Bunny)
9. Revolt
10. Summer Luv
11. Manipulation
12. Superdyke! (Live)
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