200 km/h in the Wrong Lane

t.A.T.u.

Interscope Records

… 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane

t.A.T.u.

Interscope Records

Feisty teen-age Russian lesbians! Get your feisty teen-age Russian lesbians here!

Now that I have your attention, allow me to introduce you to t.A.T.u., the Russian pop sensation that took Europe by storm last year. Lena Katina and Julia Volkova, both just 17 years old, are a pair of Moscow-born techno-pop goddesses. They are also both absolutely gorgeous – Lena, the redhead, and Julia, the one with spiky black hair, both have adorable button noses and big anime-heroine eyes.

They also just happen to be lesbians.

t.A.T.u.’s manager, Dr. Ivan Shapovalov, who has been described as the Lou Pearlman of Russia, discovered them and has cleverly marketed (some would say exploited) them around the world. He co-wrote several of the tracks on 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane, the girls’ debut, directed both of their videos and encouraged the girls to move out of their parents homes’ and in with each other.

The album went platinum in Russia and Europe. It indirectly chronicles the girls’ lesbian experiences – for example, in “Not Gonna Get Us,” t.A.T.u.’s second single, the girls talk in a roundabout way about the experience of leaving their families to live together.

Indeed, 200 is an album for people who like their trashy getting-ready-to-go-clubbing Euro-pop both marginally thought-provoking as well as danceable. Producer Trevor Horn, who’s worked with Grace Jones, Seal and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, owes a debt of gratitude to the industrial community. “Not Gonna Get Us” begins with a drum machine blast of Prodigy-like intensity and has a pleasantly screamy vocal, perfect for shouting in the shower or the privacy of your car.

“All the Things She Said,” their first U.S. single, incorporates jangly acoustic guitars, synthesized harpsichords and an organic, industrial drum track. “30 Minutes” is a quiet song, Poe-like in its introspective, almost obtuse lyrics (“30 minutes, a blink of an eye/30 minutes, to alter our lives … 30 minutes of bliss, 30 lies/30 minutes to finally decide”) and synthy, tinkly piano.

One of the shortcomings of 200 is the similarity of Lena and Julia’s voices – they both have that ubiquitous eastern European nasal chirp, so you’ll never be able to figure out who’s serenading whom with lines such as “Show me love, show me love/Give me all that I want” on the deliciously soft-core industrial-tinged vamp “Show Me Love.” Another problem is that 200 is kind of short on content – there are only eight unique English tracks. 200 also includes the original Russian versions of “All the Things She Said” and “Not Gonna Get Us,” along with an uninteresting extended remix of “Show Me Love.”

Despite the hype that surrounds t.A.T.u.’s exploitation of their sexuality, 200 km/h in the Wrong Lane is a decent Eurotrash pop soundtrack to a night at the club – or for 45 minutes on the Stairmaster.