Peaches

Impeach My Bush (XL/Beggars)

A A A Comments (0) By Jennifer Maerz Thursday, Jul 27 2006

Six years after leading a charge for sex-positive electro punks to "fuck the pain away," Peaches has been slowly slumping into a one-shtick pony. Her 2000 debut, The Teaches of Peaches, was a much-needed jolt to affectations in dance music; while electroclash was concerned with keeping its veneer on ice, Peaches was hyping hot pillow talk with a sense of humor. She offered not only the permission to get nasty; she also aided in the execution, backing her T&A tease with gritty drum-machine beats and a raw cadence perfect for carnal encounters. With her third full-length, Peaches is still finding inspiration in kinky perspiration, as Impeach My Bush mines familiar sources. On the surface, why not celebrate an insatiable libido — especially when partnered with moments of memorable wordplay? "Tent in Your Pants" contains the instantly quotable, "Hurts so good I got a soregasm." Musically, the song "Hit It Hard" references the dirty feel of Peaches' debut, as beat machines belch out distorted blasts behind staccato handclaps, while Joan Jett makes another easy reference point for the harder-edged hit "Boys Wanna Be Her." But overall, Impeach My Bush is a limp effort. Guest appearances by Beth Ditto, Josh Homme, and Feist are lost in the mix, the lyrics aren't cleverly shocking, and most of the beats don't come rocking. Peaches has been here before with better results. She has to push harder in every sense if the musical climaxes are gonna match that of her celebrated soregasms.