tATu: 200 KM/H in the wrong lane

‘Zang Tuum Tumb and all that’ is in no way connected to ZTT Records. You can find the official site at www.ztt.com.
Because of the nature and subject matter of this site, it is mainly composed of copyrighted material. If the respective copyright owners have any problem with it being used here, get in contact and it will be removed if necessary.

Sidebar

Caroline Sullivan

It would be reassuring to be able to report that this offering by the Russian teen-duo-with-a-gimmick (are they or aren’t they lesbians?) is wretched.

Sadly, though, Tatu — or tATu, as they irritatingly spell it — have redeeming features. The hypnotic single All the Things She Said is the most obvious, raising the bar for formula-pop several notches.

Not Gonna Get Us is almost punk in its high-kicking raucousness, and their cover of the Smiths’ How Soon Is Now? is either the best or the worst thing ever. I fancy Morrissey would approve of the eastern-European melancholia of their interpretation.

A bonus trio of songs in Russian even lends educational value, though they probably translate as: “We’re not really lesbians! We’re just shrill-voiced chancers who would never have got anywhere without provocative lyrics and a Trevor Horn production.” But that just amplifies the charm.