By
Maggie Burnett
Atlantic Records
Grade: C+
After the 1994 release of their hit single "Connection" and the debut of their self-titled album in 1995, Elastica mostly disappeared from music's spotlight - until now.
With an odd blend of instruments, sound effects and lead singer Justine Frischmann's unmistakable high-pitched crooning, The Menace sounds like a techno, punked-out version of the B-52's.
Despite the appeal of its 1980's sound, Elastica maintains a loud rock edge, as indicated by track titles like "Mad Dog," "Your Arse, My Place" and "The Way I Like It." Yet, it also explores a "melodical ballad" musical style as well, incorporating into the album tracks like "My Sex," a song that highlights the best-remembered moments in the lifetime of two lovers.
The instrumental performance on this album outdoes its vocal achievement by a long shot. Not only does The Menace resurrect 80s pop instrument favorites like the synthesizer, but the last track on the disc is an enjoyably upbeat cover of the first-German-then-American single "Da Da Da" by Trio.
The Menace falls into no particular genre, making it nearly impossible not to dig at least one track on the album. However, for those hopelessly devoted "Love Shack" fans out there, Elastica is not quite the ticket to a 1980s time warp.
