Refreshing Sound From Duo, Daily Trojan, March 13, 2003

By Michael Mocciaro (Editor's Rating: N/A)

The musical landscape is littered with one-hit wonders or novelty acts that have altered their image or sold out for a chance at fame and fortune. It is almost impossible to listen to mainstream radio without hearing some prefabricated boy band or nu-metal rock group.

That is why 200 KM/H in the Wrong Lane, the English debut of the Russian group t.A.T.u is so refreshing to hear, despite the repetitive techno beats and often heavy-handed lyrics. In a world of cynics and phonies, t.A.T.u remain true to themselves, singing songs about teenage lesbian school girl love and the persecution they must confront everyday from close-minded adults who for some reason cannot understand why two attractive, underage girls would want to make out and pose for revealing, borderline pornographic press photos.

Although Lena Katina and Julia Volkova don't write any of the songs on 200 KM/H in the Wrong Lane, they sing with a conviction and passion that bring the songs life and convey meaning on top of basic dance beats and 80's synth-pop. If anything, the production of the album does not do the girls justice. "All the Things She Said," the first single, blends soft, understated verses with a soaring, bombastic chorus highlighted by Katina and Volkova's screams of anguish.

Like many of the songs on the album, "All the Things She Said" uses images of forbidden love and running away to convey feelings of unfulfilled passion: Wanna fly to a place where it's just you and me / Nobody else so we can be free. The mood of the lyrics is set by almost whispered vocals, creating a feeling of despair and helplessness. When t.A.T.u. finally reaches the song's chorus, the message of empowerment and control is intoned by soaring, powerful vocals.

"All the Things She Said" is without question the best song on the album, but there are others that are almost as catchy if not extremely repetitive. "Not Gonna Get Us" again hammers home the message of running from persecution: Not going back, not going back there / They don't understand / They don't understand us.

It is a shame in this time of supposed enlightenment and understanding that innocent, young girls in schoolgirl uniforms cannot embrace each other or make out in public without feeling abnormal or misunderstood. "Show Me Love" again blends soft verses with a loud chorus in a song that could apply to gay and straight alike.

Almost everyone can relate to wanting someone, whether that someone is a normal, everyday student in jeans and a T-shirt or a Russian girl wearing panties and an unbuttoned blouse. The songs are almost universal in their appeal: You play games / I play tricks / Girls and girls / But you're the one / Like a game of pick-up-sticks / played by f—-king lunatics. It is nice to know that even in the fast-paced world of Russian lesbian pop-stars, love can still sometimes be just a painful game.

The rest of the album suffers from a lack of diversity in production. It is not a stretch to say that it seems as if most of the music for 200 KM/H in the Wrong Lane was taken from either the Matrix or James Bond soundtracks. On some of the slower tracks such as "30 Minutes," t.A.T.u sound like Ace of Base. "Malchik Gay" sounds like the rest of the album except for the fact that the lyrics are almost entirely in Russian.

Despite the album running together, the lyrics never lose their potency or importance. 200 KM/H in the Wrong Lane also comes with a video of "All the Things She Said," featuring t.A.T.u. behind a fence, holding hands in the rain in school girl attire, symbolic of the repression they must feel. The video, like the album, is a guilty, techno-ridden pleasure that one can enjoy long into the night.
 

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