Published on Jan 15, 2001
There’s a reason I don’t always like to read the bios that bands
and labels send me (despite the fact I ask for them). Sometimes,
what I read scares me away from a particular band or a particular
disc. I don’t exactly remember what it was in the biography for the
Los Angeles-based group Tyrants In Therapy, but it immediately made
me think of “performance art”. When I think of performance art, I
think of someone cramming dog food up their ass while hanging
weights from their nipples and reading poetry that would make
Stuart Smalley jump off the roof of the Sears Tower. Kind of
reminds me of a girl I used to date in college, but that’s telling
you a little more than I want you to know…
Sometimes, my fears are proven right… but not this time. Their
disc
Meet The Tyrants In Therapy is a surprisingly charming
little collection that merges Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, disco and
David Bowie all into one package. I never expected to like this
disc, and I like it… a lot.
Our main conspirators in crime, Abbe Kanter and The Tyrant
Michael, musically prance around like Richard Simmons at a rave
party, trying to get the energy kicked up just one more notch. It
would be comical if they weren’t so good at what they do – and the
fact of the matter is, Tyrants In Therapy are a lot smarter than
the average listener would expect.
Oh, sure, there’s the lighter moments like the English language
version of “Je T’aime (Moi Non Plus)” and the 16-second interlude
“Doubt & Pain,” but for the most part, Tyrants In Therapy are
here to work, and work is what they do. Tracks like “Boy,” “Om
Shanti Om” (enjoyable in both its mixes presented here) and “Sex Is
Back” (delivered almost in a Madonna-becomes-newscaster style by
Kanter) get you up and dancing while keeping your mind involved
with the music and lyrics being provided by the band. Even covers
of songs like “Anna (Go To Him)” are made interesting.
Songs with titles like “In The Shadow Of Hitler” and “Yer No
Jack Kennedy” might leave listeners thinking that Tyrants In
Therapy are a novelty band – and while they do enjoy moments of
levity (especially noted in the interludes not even listed on the
CD case), they mean business. Fortunately – for the band and for us
–
Meet The Tyrants In Therapy almost constantly delivers.
The only moments of weakness come on a cover of “Them Kinda
Monkeys Can’t Swing” and one interlude talking about love of a
large, aah, male appendage. (I could have seen this one as an intro
or outro of “Sex Is Back,” but not placed where it was on the
album.)
Meet The Tyrants In Therapy proved to be a more pleasant
introduction to this group than I had expected – and now I’m glad
to say I know the band and their music. Chances are this disc will
thrill you as well.
2001 Christopher Thelen and “The Daily Vault”. All rights
reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without
written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of
Emotional Coathanger Records, and is used for informational
purposes only.