Peaches Fatherfucker

[Beggars XL; 2003]

Styles: electro punk, electroclash
Others: Fischerspooner, Vive la Fête, Miss Kittin, Ladytron


It’s hard not to see The Peaches’ Fatherfucker as some kind of ironic highbrow statement. The front cover contains a disgusting picture of a woman with a beard, and the first song is called "I Don’t Give a Fuck," where lead peach Merrill Nisker shouts “I don’t give a fuck! I don’t give a shit! I don’t care about my reputation!” and then goes on with repeating the words "fuck" and "shit" like an 8 year-old who has just discovered The Osbournes.

That doesn’t sound very enjoyable. However, the queer thing is, that even with awkward lyrics such as “Hey Boys! Shake yer dix! Hey Girls! Shake yer tits!” ("Shake Yer Dix") or “Sweet bums, let me be your gun” ("Back it Up, Boys") the sleazy mix of minimalistic drum beats and occasional distorted guitar that makes up the lot of Fatherfucker is surprisingly catchy.

Take for example "I U She," which is a track containing only a bare drum loop and repeated vocal lines celebrating the wonders of bisexuality: “I don’t have to make a choice/ I like girls and I like boys.” Stating it as such here on paper (or for you nitpickers out there: the unwritable matter of cyberspace), the description sounds quite boring. But when you hear the actual track, it is infectious, funny, and not tedious at all.

Unfortunately, not everything on Fatherfucker is as good as "I U She." The previously mentioned "Shake Yer Dix" is nothing more than an unimaginative synthesizer loop with insipid observations, such as “Come on baby use that thing / You make my pennies go ping.” The same can be said for the Iggy Pop collaborative effort "Kick It," which is nothing more than Iggy and Merrill taking turns in stating obvious things about relationships.

All rounded up, Fatherfucker is an interesting try on making electroclash music with a fuck-you attitude, whilst not falling into the many pitfalls that this approach seems to evoke.

1. I Don't Give a ...
2. I'm the Kinda
3. I U She
4. Kick It
5. Operate
6. Tombstone, Baby
7. Shake Yer Dix
8. Rock 'N' Roll
9. Stuff Me Up
10. Back It Up, Boys
11. The Inch
12. Bag It