We'll Runaway If We Must

t.A.T.u - Dangerous & Moving

So, the new t.A.T.u album. Now, I realise it was leaked over the interweb months ago but I, being a true fan/stupid, waited until the album was released because as much as I couldn't wait, I did want the whole package together. I then waited a bit longer because 1, I didn't know it was out and 2, I'm poor, but I bought it yesterday. And I'm not sure. It's not bad, far from in fact. The problem is it's just not as good as '200km/h'.

It all seems a little tame in comparison in to the venom-spitting 'Show Me Love' and 'Malchik Gay'. There's nothing that can top them in screaminess and danceability on this album. 'Loves Me Not' and 'Friend Or Foe' are the closest the album comes to screaming with attitude and the first single 'All About Us' is a riotous return to form, sort of. The shades of lesbianism (most probably a deep beige) still remain too, on all of the above and 'Craving (I Only Want What I Can't Have)'. However there are moments when the slow songs like 'Gomenasai', 'We Shout' and 'Sacrifice' just cause the album to float around pointlessly and make the album even tamer, despite their loveliness and sweet sentiment.

Another problem with the album is that it sounds a little too western and in doing so, t.A.T.u have lost a little bit of their uniqueness. Whereas '200km/h' had started off as '200 Po Vstrechnoi', a Russian album that was later translated into English, 'Dangerous and Moving' is an album that was obviously intended to sell loads over here and was then translated to Russian, which isn't really the point, because at times it doesn't sound very Russian at all and just sounds like any other European album.

It is interesting then that 'Lyundi Validi' ('Dangerous and Moving's Russian sister) and 'Obyzenka Nol' are two of the best songs on the album. These two beauts and the title track along with semi-epic 'Cosmos (Outer Space)' come the closest to what I imagined a follow up to '2ookm/h' to sound like and they are all really quite magnificent.

As I've already said, this isn't a bad album, it's just that in comparison to the mighty '200km/h' it sounds bland, tame and weak. It's still Russian. It's still danceable. It's still perfect for screaming along really loud to and wallowing. But just less so. And they are no real duff tracks (other than perhaps, ironically, the Trevor Horn song 'Craving'). I realise I've been quite critical but really that is just how brilliant '200km/h In The Wrong Lane' is.

I think, if I were to make one (final) criticism of 'Dangerous & Moving' it would be that it goes on for too long. Which is funny really, because my only complaint about '200km/h' was that it only had 8 songs on it and has padded out with remixes and Russian versions. So now, t.A.T.u offer up a 'full' album with 12 original songs and a proper intro and everything and I just throw it back in their face. Some people, it seems, are never happy.

Regardless of all this, t.A.T.u have added another great album to their back catalogue and they are very slowly becoming one of my favourite bands, like, ever! One day these girls will make an album better than '200km/h In The Wrong Lane', '200 Po Strechnoi' and 'Dangerous and Moving' combined. And it will be the greatest album of all time.