record reviews:
Lesbians on Ecstasy
We Know You Know
(Alien8)
Who knew canucks could party this hard? With a name like Lesbians On Ecstasy, there should be little question in the mind of the listener as to the collective consciousness and mindset of the assemblage gathered to make noise. In fact, the most surprising revelation gleaned from their background is that they hail not from trendy L.A. or hip New York but that haven of house to the north: Montreal.
A studio follow-up to their 2004 self-titled debut, We Know You Know is like a breath of fresh air in a scene that all too often becomes repetitive all too quickly. The infectiously danceable tunes that span the album are rich in rhythm and layered with melodic choruses. Their sound can almost be described as a mash up of Peaches meets Le Tigre, which is not to say that this band doesn’t have a signature sound all their own. Such comparisons act merely as a reference point rather than a source of derivation. And that’s a good thing - all too often, modern beat makers allow their influences to infect and take over their work without regard for their own creative process.
By sheer nature, the subject matter is geared decidedly towards lesbians but, like all great music, the beats are universal. The most overt track in this regard is “Party Time (A Womyn’s Luv),” a cut that combines rapid-fire, in your face lyrics with a trance-like rhythm to create an altogether menacingly addictive song that hypnotizes as much as it frightens. A bit of juvenile teasing is even thrown in during the chorus with the salt-in-the-wound recitation “Na na na.” True, some of the lyrical content may go right over the heads of some listeners (read: straight men) but perhaps such mainstream isolation is warranted given the mass commercial entertainment on the market that neglects gay culture or addresses it only in small doses and heavy-handed stereotypes. Politics and personal experiences aside, one can’t deny the outstanding musicianship on display here; the album itself is just a joy to listen to, providing enough fun to satisfy appetites hetero and homo alike.
We Know You Know is not without its moments of introspection. “Alone In Madness” provides the album’s more intimate moments but is not out of place alongside the other tracks with its lo-fi thumping and trip-hop vocal treatment.
It’s clear that the Lesbians’ aim is not to convert outsiders to understand their plight through their music but create a sort of rallying call for the likeminded and, in doing so, have created a wonderful album that has the power to bring people together, if only in dance. It is here that we are reminded once again of the intangible power music can have to bring us all together when in the throes of the beat. As the girls themselves say, “Throw your mother fucking fingers in the air.”
— Joe Cortez
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