t.A.T.u. goes wrong way with ‘Wrong Lane’ (By Scott Rosen)

Time of publication: 16.01.2003

by Scott Rosen
01/16/2003

There exists a theory that if you had an infinite number of monkeys typing at an infinite number of typewriters for an infinite amount of time, one of them would eventually accidentally type the entire works of William Shakespeare. The Russian duo t.A.T.u.’s debut album, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane, is an example of how the music industry is trying to adapt this theory to pop music.

With the provocative bubblegum pop the music industry has churned out over the past few years, record labels have come to believe that if they produce enough CDs featuring attractive teenage girls singing suggestive lyrics, something they produce will be considered music by the population and become wildly successful. Unfortunately, pop music’s lyrics become more and more sexual as the “artists” singing them move from selling catchy music to selling sex.

t.A.T.u. consists of Lena Katina and Julia Volkova, both classically trained musicians, whose supposed lesbian relationship is the inspiration for their music. Right now, they are one of the hottest acts in Russia and Europe; and, according to the hype generated by several magazines and MTV, they are going to be the next big act in America as well.

The group was formed and is managed by Dr. Ivan Shapovalov, a Russian psychologist. Shapovalov is the first indication that these two 17-year-olds probably have a far more innocent relationship than they are trying to make the world believe. Furthermore, while the lyrics on their debut album are all about the love the girls share, their names are conspicuously absent from the song-writing credits.

The pop-meets-techno sound of the music on this album has not been heard in the mainstream since Prodigy’s 1997 The Fat of the Land, and the girls have undeniably amazing vocal ranges.

Unfortunately, this album flounders horribly in the lyrics department. Where most bands’ lyrics are used to enhance the music and express the songwriter’s feelings, the lyrics on this album are merely another promotional tool used to flaunt the girls’ love for each other. To make things even worse, the girls cover The Smiths’ classic “How Soon Is Now?”
Somehow, having two alleged lovers singing “I am human and I need to be loved/ Just like everybody else does,” strips the song of all of its original meaning.

This album would have hit the top of the charts had it come out two years ago. By now, most people are sick of the sheer mediocrity of pop music and have moved on to artists who play their own instruments. So do yourself a favor – stay away from Wrong Lane.

Thanks to ta-tu.net

Return to "Reviews"