➤ A DORIAN ELECTRA, from p.30
sists on describing as a project
rather than an album, takes on
contemporary masculinity from a
perspective that’s both critical and
generous. (The fact that it’s only 26
minutes long, with several songs
under two minutes, suggests why
they think it’s not a full follow-up
to “Flamboyant.”) The music is
more aggressive and rock-oriented,
although classical harpsichord
and fl ute still pop up alongside
Skrillex-infl uenced beats.
Electra’s music relies on a theatrical
component, with many
of their songs illustrated in lowbudget
but elaborate videos. The
visual for “Edgelord,” partially shot
on low-quality digital video, casts
them as the Joker and guest singer
Rebecca Black as Harley Quinn.
In “Sorry Bro (I Love You),” they
appear shirtless, showing off real
and fake tattoos and engaging in
traditionally masculine pursuits
like playing basketball and lifting
weights. The danger with this
➤ MARIE DAVIDSON, from p.30
titled instrumental “Workaholic
Paranoid Bitch.”
“Renegade Breakdown” looks
back to the ‘80s in several ways.
Davidson’s music has always been
grounded both in techno and the
minimal EBM sound of bands like
D.A.F. This album introduces deliberately
cheesy guitar and drum
sounds out of that decade’s top.
“Worst Comes to Worst” combines
disco with heavy metal riffs. “My
Love” and “Center of the World
(Kotti Beats)” could get adult contemporary
radio play; Davidson
has cited Pat Metheny and Genesis
as infl uences on the latter.
The title track of “Renegade
Breakdown” marks the end of its
cynicism, unlike previous Davidson
albums. If it’s a manifesto,
the rest of the album shows what
she can do when she accepts that
“there are no money-makers on
this record.” She works with gentler
textures rather than her usual
harsh beats. The album presents
her as a confi dent global traveler.
“Center of the World (Kotti Blues)”
describes life in the Berlin neighborhood
of the title, singing to it
as though it were her lover. Four
approach is that their lyrics can
sound like treatments instead of
standing on their own. It’s a problem
that “My Agenda” succumbs
to.
Electra has many sparks of brilliance.
How many singers would
use the Village People and Pussy
Riot as guest singers on the same
track? “F the World” is more about
genuinely wanting to making love
to the world than the misanthropy
implied by the title.
But all too often, “My Agenda”
descends to cheap, glib irony. “Ram
It Down” is told from the point of
view of a homophobe who sings
“love who you want, but don’t ram
it down my throat.” Can you guess
its twist from that line?
Electra takes the perspective of
incels and Internet trolls without
facile condemnations. This kind of
satire is a delicate, diffi cult task.
All too often, they settle for jokes
over insight.
One can understand why they
want to redeem these characters
of its songs have lyrics in French.
Although Davidson is Canadian,
not French, Francophone pop is a
persistent infl uence on “Renegade
Breakdown.” “Just In My Head,”
her version of a jazz ballad, fi lters
Chet Baker and Billie Holiday
through Serge Gainsbourg.
Davidson started “Working
Class Woman” with “Your Biggest
Fan,” a dialogue with her most annoying
and troubled fans. It’s her
equivalent of Eminem’s “Stan.”
That album was a commercial
breakthrough for her, but the remix
of “Work It” by Soulwax was
far more popular than her original
version. In fact, the remixes
of “Workaholic Paranoid Bitch” by
Nina Kraviz and “Day Dreaming”
from Afrodeutsche are remarkably
powerful. But the warmth of “Renegade
Breakdown” is 180 degrees
away from the jackhammer drum
machine of “Workaholic Paranoid
Bitch.” If the album looks backwards
to the ‘80s, it also settles on
an open emotional tone that feels
like a breakthrough from the anxiety
Davidson’s music has so often
expressed.
MARIE DAVIDSON & L’OEIL NU
| “Renegade Breakdown” | Ninja
Tune
and fi nd hope instead of singing
about the full ugliness of homophobia
and misogyny, but relying
on “toxic masculinity… except
the joke is this guy’s really queer”
as a last-minute gag — the “digital
warrior” of “My Agenda” reveals
that he’s out to turn frogs gay by
the song’s end, living out one of
Alex Jones’ weirder conspiracy
theories — gets tired. “Sorry Bro (I
Love You)” is musically compelling,
with clanging metallic percussion,
but it has nothing to say that isn’t
obvious from its title.
Their goal is taking this exaggerated
machismo and showing
how ridiculous it is. The BDSM
homages “Iron Fist” and “Give
Great Thanks” reduce it to a playful
fetish.
Musically, “My Agenda” uses elements
of dubstep and heavy metal
as markers of masculinity — “Iron
Fist” features lead guitar shredding.
The 67-second black metal
interlude “Monk Mode” would be
worth developing into a full song.
Despite its ambition, “My Agenda”
feels like a place-holder. The
videos for “Edgelord,” “Sorry Bro
(I Love You),” and “Gentleman/
M’Lady” are sharper than the
songs themselves. (“Edgelord”
grants queer singer Black —
whose “Friday” became a novelty
hit through YouTube hate-watches
when she was 14 — the dignity of
a depiction as a glamorous movie
star rather than defi ning her for
life as a kid whose parents funded
a vanity music project despite her
questionable singing ability.)
It’s fi ne that Electra deals with
serious issues through a light
touch, but the jokes were funnier
and the tunes catchier on “Flamboyant.”
Here, most of their ideas
were stated better by trans YouTuber
ContraPoints in her videos “Incels”
and “Men.” Hopefully Electra
will get back on track.
DORIAN ELECTRA | “My Agenda”
| Self-released | Drops Oct. 16 |
dorianelectra.com
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