| |
|
|
|
After the success of The Day After it might seem reasonable to expect another helping of the same but Pzychobitch are a band who have always got a surprise up their sleeve & this album is no exception as the Commodore 64-like rhythmic line that opens the title track & the album as a whole is pretty certain to cause a big surprise, it certainly did with me although Sina's shouted vocals soon assert their authority & leave you in no doubt just who you are listening to. There's an undeniably quirky old-skool feel about this track, at least initially until some gritty guitar work & stronger rhythms give the piece a touch more gumption. While some may question the wisdom of opting for a sound that has surely had it's day now, Pzychobitch's inventive anything-goes approach breathes new life into the music, transforming what would have been, in lesser hands, a very run-of-the-mill album into an anarchic, scatty, anything-goes electro mash-up, often utilising bizarre sounds that defy any attempts at description but which are always expertly utilised & which work in perfect unison with the squirty, infectious synth riffs. In places it's minimalistic & quiet, in others it's full-blooded & raucous, it's certainly impossible to predict what is coming next & just when you think you've got an angle on any given track there's always something that will throw you off the scent, the moody trip-hop groove of "Atem Heart", which resembles a darker Massive Attack, being just one example. It's an album that's certain to enjoy equal appeal among both EBM & electroclash lovers; after all, how can you not love a song called "Go Pussy Go"? Especially when it's led by Sina's cool-as-you-like spoken voice & quite possibly the most memorable chorus ever recorded while, later on, you're invited to join the "Pussy Gang" as Electrofixx's contribute makes for a track tailor-made for widespread club consumption. Sina's ultra-cool vocals that are such an important part of the band's identity have lost none of their poise here, alternating between English & German & sounding, by turns angry, brattish, cool, sassy (all during the course of one track in certain cases) &, in the case of the dancey "Maschinerie" rather vulnerable & girly which is certainly something new for her although, in direct contrast, "Eyes Off", which is the only track to equal the EBM rating of their earlier works, sees her back in dominant mode as her assertive voice rises from spoken volume almost to a scream, building up to an irresistable crescendo & providing the all-important impetus as the track powers its way towards the ultra-infectious chorus that marks this one out as the foremost highlight amongst the many waiting to be found here so even if it does take a couple of listens to fully appreciate, once you get into it (& you will) then you're sure to love it forever. |
