In 2005, Brazilian web craze Cansei de Ser Sexy quietly released its self-titled debut on a record label stemming from the South American equivalent of MySpace. Nearly a year and a half after its initial release, unexpected success arrived with the usage of the single “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex” in a homemade, amateur iPod commercial that later became broadcasted worldwide by Apple.
The eclectic and sexually driven group made a name for itself with its improvisational electronic dance frenzies and potty-mouthed pop culture references. That being said, however, as with any other Internet-hyped group, the true test of credibility comes with the dreaded sophomore release. Unfortunately, Donkey is named all too aptly and brings back everything that was annoying about the first album, without bringing back the endearing chaos and energy.
Bandleader Lovefoxxx’s rebelliousness is notably absent as early as the second track. Sadly, the “f— offs” and “art tits” peppering the debut went the way of the indie label, and Donkey takes the shape of a tot-friendly dance mix after its mildly vulgar first song. The messiness we came to expect after the release of CSS is nowhere to be found on the bright and shiny opening track.
Whipping out fresh new production techniques, the album heads off in a cleaner, and subsequently more generic, direction. “Jager Yoga” lets up on the inappropriate language, going from Lovefoxxx questioning, “Where’s my gin?” in the beginning to declaring, “your mouth is stuck to a thousand fags,” at the end. The bass lines match up poorly with the guitar but almost go unnoticed when paired with the overbearing synthesizer. While the lyrics are fun in a controversial yet familiar way, the instrumentals are wound entirely too tightly and end up sounding annoying and pitchy.
In a dramatic turn toward the No Wave, the second track, “Rat Is Dead (Rage),” features dissonant screams and dominant drumming. Telling the story of a wounded girl killing the man who tormented her, CSS shockingly strays away from anything flippant with a very serious single, which was released months before the rest of the album leaked. Even though others have obviously done the grungy fuzz thing before (and better), it is a welcome break from the bouncing electronica plaguing every other song on the album.
The rest of the album shows a muddled attempt to reconcile these new toxic themes with the tried-but-true cartooniness of the last release. Songs like “Left Behind” combine absurd catchiness with dark lyrics. While Lovefoxxx whines about the things she left “buried deep inside,” Ana Rezende and Carolina Parra assemble a captivating and energetic beat on guitar and keyboard, leaving you wondering whether to dance or mope. “How I Became Paranoid” renders an equally bubbly rhythm misplaced and useless when paired with depressing subject matter, and listeners might agree they would “rather go inside and watch some TV.”
Because the new and sinister CSS is not quite comfortable with itself yet, some whimsical tunes are thrust haphazardly amid the confused gloom. Reverting to picturesque descriptions, “all deadly like a cartoon,” the sparkling lyrics of “Air Painter” present a fanciful scene with hot tea and raccoons “working from the moon.”
Not entirely ready to abandon its party band ways, CSS commands audiences to “play this song as loud as can be.” A hasty “crap” is also buried on this track – which would have undoubtedly been subbed out for a more naughty slur had the song made it onto the last album. “I Fly” is probably the best song on the album and maintains the same sense of the surreal.
Some applause is due to CSS for stepping out of its effervescent, sequined box, but the result leaves it barely distinguishable from any Brit-pop collective. Severe over-production exposes a blatant lack of creativity, manifested in a blatant lack of fun new blasphemies. Anything appealing about the surprising solemnity is dampened by scattered direction and little commitment. Even throwaway songs, such as the one about Paris Hilton, from the last album are more interesting than the bulk of the new material.
Following in the footsteps of countless other blog-babies, CSS seems doomed to be forgotten as just another one of those iPod commercial bands.
esti@umd.edu
RATING: 2 out of 5 stars
