Salon Boris - 'I Am the Drug'

If you're expecting at least half of Salon Boris to be stereotypically Russian, you won't be disappointed: Tatyana Bugayev and Weegie Tom McGarrigle have joined forces for a punk-rock tinged debut that's been turning heads everywhere. 'I Am The Drug' is a mix of the electro techno/voice of Miss Kitten with a sickle spin, the floaty grooves of Air, and the rock attitude of Peaches. Tatyana's native tongue, all rolled r's and clipped consonants, is employed on the amusing and cynical narrative Bride of Boris, about a mail-order bride communicating her loves and hates in fractured English to nicely curved bleeps bouncing off keys. The rockier sounds and electro pop of The Nite Versions and Hot Chip emerge on I Don't Want You, Weapon of Mass Distraction, and Number One, the latter of which carries a sound leftfield of Goldfrapp. Arthouse grooves and the slick irony that pervades the lyrics make this an album you can only enjoy more upon each listen. [Alex Burden]