Universal
Review by Alphonse Leong
Those Eurobeat dance bands are unstoppable! Seems
like wherever you look, some new sequencer-driven group is trying
to break into North America and make a splash on the scene. Denmark's
Aqua and Britain's Peach Union are two of the latest wannabes
that are grabbing for the ears and dollars of our beat-crazed
youth. Both feature cute music, video-friendly female lead singers
and repetitive digitized rhythms.
Of the two, Aqua have silly and catchy stuff, while
Peach Union have the lyrical and musical profundity. Chances are
you've heard Aqua's single, "Barbie Girl," but you might
not have heard Peach Union's "On My Own." Comparing
the two selections is like comparing apples to, uh... peaches.
I thought Aqua's singer Lene Grawford Nystrom was just stylizing
her voice for the single, but, no, she really does sing like a
whiny little girl through the whole CD! (Actually, she does sound
quite earthy on the pleasant ballad, "Be A Man," but
it's one song of eleven.) Peach Union vocalist Lisa Lamb has the
slim blonde good looks, but she also has an incredibly sweet emotive
voice. Especially on "Tell Me" and "Higher Ground,"
she effortlessly climbs the octaves and delivers oh-so-soothing
phrases. She's backed by some pretty sophisticated keyboard layering
that make for very enjoyable hypnotic tunes.
You'll get more bang for your buck with Peach Union,
but if you just want to numb your mind with inane grooves and
lyrics, Aqua is your best bet.
Peach Union