Animal in Bloomington, MN

Just when it seemed 2009's trash-brat electro scene (
3OH!3
,
LMFAO
Shwayze
) was about to crumble under its own weight, rapper/singer/songwriter
Kesha
became the genre's biggest star, graduating from being
Flo Rida
's backup singer (she provided the hook on the rapper's massive single
"Right Round"
) to superstar when her debut single,
"TiK ToK,"
set a digital sales record with over 600,000 downloads in a week. Her climb to the top includes bizarre factoids like she once lived in the house where
the Eagles
recorded
Hotel California
, plus she once vomited in
Paris Hilton
's closet. Working on
Hilton
's album was the reason she was at the house, so it's hard not to appreciate how
Animal
makes
sound nothing like an industry vet who used to write for
the Veronicas
. Here she's a gum-snapping, alcohol-abusing Facebook jockey straight out of the suburbs, who spits sophomoric but fun putdowns, come-ons, and sig files all over electro beats. Opening with "Maybe I need some rehab/Or maybe just need some sleep",
is up front about its unwillingness to face the real world, and prefers a garbage chic reality with a liberal shot of the '80s.
"Party at a Rich Dude's House"
could have fallen off the
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
soundtrack, while the word "gross" makes a serious comeback throughout the album. The music is heavy on gimmicks -- Auto-Tune, vocoders, and silly samples are all in abundance -- while able folks like
Dr. Luke
, plus
Mim
and
Liv Nervo
, are in charge of the colorful electro-pop productions. With so many fun,
"TiK ToK"
-type tracks,
is recommended for both brats and the bratty at heart. ~ David Jeffries