London, UK

Featured CD Meet the Tyrants in Therapy An intriguing album that cuts up sound effects and some great songs like the faux-naive “Shadow of Hitler” and the striking “Down in Flames” as well as more disco/pop efforts. The Tyrants’ sense of humour and satire is to the fore on their hilarious gourmand’s re-working of Serge Gainsbourg’s “Je T’aime” and the dig at New-Agers in “Om Shantih Om.” An unusual and successful fusion of the flavour of Euro-cabaret and the more interesting side of Anglophone pop music hails from across the Atlantic. Tyrants in Therapy are a Los Angeles-based duo perfecting their own notion of ‘punk cabaret’ which evokes both the arty pop of bands like Devo and the B-52s and a quirky vision of ‘the old country’ at a distance. Detroit born and LA-raised former journalist Michael J and actor-singer Abbe Kanter met in Hollywood, moving from local rock clubs to the dance scene with disco pastiche “Too Tuff to Cry.” Their current work combines cabaret-esque style and wordplay with rock and a surrealism inspired by Federico Fellini. They are currently gigging regularly on the West Coast, playing songs from their long-awaited debut album “Meet the Tyrants in Therapy,” which among other contributions features the bass work of former Bay City Roller Stuart ‘Woody’ Wood. A maxi single of the New Agey mantra “Om Shanti Om, ” with remixes by the co-writer Pascal Languirand (of Trans-X fame), local house DJ Miguel Plascencia, and new-to-the-scene (“there is no avant-garde in Los Angeles”) German remixer/performance artist Frank Rothkamm, was released by Los Angeles-based indie, JDC Records in Summer 2000.