Peaches Feels Cream

If you listen to any sort of electronic music at all then chances are you know who Peaches is. This subversive Canadian artist exploded on the the burgeoning electroclash scene back in 2000 with a rudeness not scene since Two Live Crew. Nearly ten years later, Peaches is still at it and while she's not quite as rude as she used to be the girl still has a mouth on her and isn't afraid to use it. Her latest album I Feel Cream is proof of this; it a record that will shock and titillate as it throws you on the dance floor and has it's way with you.

As if to make it's point I Feel Cream starts with "Relax," a tune that features a super heavy bassline that feels and sounds as if the world is ending. It's a brutal beginning that features Peaches cooing (yes cooing) over the booming bass bins and blowing your hearing out within the first minute and a half of the record. It's an awesome statement of intent and paints a clear picture of who is in charge of this relationship.

From there things only get better as Peaches at times sounds like Missy Elliott mixed with Garbage's Shirley Manson. Whether it's pure dance floor fodder w/electronics blazing as on, "Serpentine," or the nearly soulful electro punk rock of, "Talk To Me," Peaches has expanded her repertoire to include a whole range of new emotions and it allows I Feel Cream to spread it's wings and enjoy itself. Sure she still sounds like a sailor, but she's also found her inner songwriter that's capable of writing a tune that doesn't rely purely on puerile subject matter.

No matter her approach, there can be no doubt that Peaches is a strong woman and yet despite that, several of the songs on I Feel Cream show a sense of fragility and vulnerability. It's these tunes which show a different and intriguing side of Peaches. These more refined moments and ballads (!!) illustrate that beneath that ice princess exterior is someone that deep down doesn't want to, "Lose You."

I Feel Cream is a fantastic record. In fact, this might be her best record yet. The production work of Digitalism, Soulwax, Drums of Death, and Simian Mobile Disco is fantastic and sounds like the best electroclash/electro/italo disco crossover record ever made. Not only is I Feel Cream an emotional stretch for Peaches it's also a musical one. Thankfully, with all that production help there's no way in the world this record could ever fail. Always raw and always on her game, Peaches is clearly growing as an artist and I Feel Cream is a testament to just how far she's come. Truly fantastic dance music.