"We Know You Know" by Lesbians on Ecstasy

After my initial amusement at the name of this group, I quickly realized the music is quite good!  They’ve produced a danceable album that is at moments uplifting and at other moments very dark, but all with a sense of humor and fun that makes this group unique.  Lesbians on Ecstasy are a sound force that bridges the gap between electro/techno with punk rock, and occasional flirtations with industrial music.

This is the group’s second album release, and though some tracks aren’t as polished as those of more seasoned musicians, there is still a certain allure to its roughness.  It’s the kind of music that will make you wrinkle your nose and grin at the same time.  It’s grungy and grainy, making heavy use of low pitch electric guitars, sawtooth synths, and gritty vocals – dare I say, ribbed for her pleasure!  Even I couldn’t help getting swept up in its forbidden delight.

Sisters in the Struggle was a great way to start the album off, and I instantly fell in love with the delicious maliciousness of "Party Time" – its long string of insults might have made me laugh, but they still have an amazing poetry to them.

Though "Mortified" wasn’t one of my favorites, I still appreciated the humor of producing what sounds like a campfire jam session, but with profanity.

Sedition was extremely dark and ominous, but they threw in phrases like "Here come the lesbians...they’re creeping down the stairs," to keep it fun.  The voice of vocalist Fruity Frankie urges the listener to "Play me backwards...play me backwards."  I concur - the track sounds even more demented if you go through the trouble of playing it in reverse.

This album is a must-buy for feminists and bad girls everywhere, although I don’t see why men can’t buy it for some great techno and industrial beats!

1) Sisters in the Struggle

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2) Sedition

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3) The Cold Touch of Leather

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4) Victoria’s Secret

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5) We Won’t Give it Back

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6) Party Time (a womyn’s luv)

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7) Is this the Way?

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8) Alone in the Madness

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9) It’s Practically Freedom

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10) Mortified

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I have reviewed a great deal of groove CDs produced by Centaur music.  The albums are continuous-mixes, and a "groove" is set by the fact that the pace of the songs throughout the album is predictable.  Regrettably I have to say, in my opinion, this album is the weakest of the bunch – the groove is a little too groovy, making for more of a rut.

It starts out with remixes of two well-known titles that are bound to grab any gay man’s attention.  DJ Knapp’s own mix of Ellis Miah’s "Not Ready to Make Nice" sounded exciting on paper, but left a lot to be desired.  To fit the pace of the groove, the lyrics are so time-squashed that they sound horrible, and his replacement of the powerful instrumental bridge with a wimpy synth was just disappointing.  The ensuing remix of "It’s Not Right But It’s Okay" was also a let down – aside from borrowing the vocals, it pays little homage to the original.

The album hit rock bottom for me with "Party People".  The cacophonous and monotonous synth-brass, the loud cries of an obnoxious diva, and the simple yet poorly executed Spanish phrases make this song truly irritating.

On the other hand, the track "It’s My Life" was a splash of color in a field of gray.  Finally some melody to sink my teeth into!  The subsequent track "Tonight" followed suit.  Later on, "Be My Boyfriend" stood out above its neighbors with a very dramatic bridge mid-way through the song.  At first it sounds like the CD is moving into a new song altogether as the cuts of low-pitch male choir vocals begin, but it gets back to the melody and lyrics from before.

In summary, I might buy this CD to complete my Global Groove collection, but on it’s own I would pass.  If you enjoy tribal music and melodic vocals that overlay mostly non-melodic rhythms and synths, then your liking of this album will probably be the inverse of mine.

1) Not Ready To Make Nice

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2) It’s Not Right But It’s Okay

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3) The DJ Made Me Do It

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4) Lost Yo Mind

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5) It’s My Life

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6) Tonight

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7) Believe In Us

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8) Party People

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9) Make It Happen

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10) Be My Boyfriend

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11) Free My Love

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12) Your Love Is Lifting Me Higher

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