Minimalist in nature, her music relies on sparse beats and repeated lyrical sets to deliver a pressing societal message. She is Peaches, the dominatrix rapper, and she instructs her audience on the subject of sex--any kind of sex. For example, her debut, Teaches of Peaches, begins with the song, "F--k The Pain Away" and the once-heard-never-forgotten lines: "Suckin' on my titties like you wanted me/ calling me all the time like Blondie/ check out my Chrissie Be-Hynde."
On her album this 36-year old Canadian ex-schoolteacher lists her musical influences. The disco-punk is from Blondie, the rock swagger from Chrissie and the defiant posturing and yowl from Joan Jett; Peaches' "I Don't Give A F--k" is, of course, a tribute to the latter. Her sound, however, is all her own. Whether it's cymbals grinding, handclaps spasming or ivories ejaculating, her catalogue of electronic tricks is always supplemented and maximized. Calling herself the "Queen of Electrocrap," she's currently the most prominent member of the international Electroshock school, which prides itself on its alluring arrays of beeps, blips and static. Peaches' inventory sounds, well, better--and skankier--than yours or anyone else's. Imagine a very fashionable gentleman's club--the kind that doesn't play Xtina's "Dirrty," but genuine trash.
Looking at the entire Peaches sexwreck, then, does this androgynous, unshaven, electro-burlesque princess succeed in what she's attempting to do? When she screams lines like "I like the innocent type/ deer in the headlights/ rockin' me all night," is she really believable?
Perhaps the answer lies on her sophomore LP, <>Fatherf--ker - a term she single-handedly coined. On the cover is her mug looking like that of a werewolf rabbi and inside are songs about threesomes ("I U She"), odes to the ass ("Back It Up Boys"), and the more predictable, female empowerment anthems ("Stuff Me Up," "The Inch," "Operate"). Second time around, the shock appeal has worn off and critics' reviews have been less celebratory. Gimmickry is the principle charge; without the sex, would she be noticed? Her response has been to elevate her music to a performance art with full-frontal shows, where she pants and screams and inserts her microphone into various orifices.
One thing not to be overlooked: The girl's got skills; she can even rhyme Sodom and Gomorrah.
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