I Love Presets

How refreshing it is to find Kevin Blechdom (real name Kristin Erickson) fresh off a successful solo European tour baring her soul (and much else) by adding her voice to the mix of polytonal electronic torch songs and loveballads. Is 'Interspecies Love' or 'Talkin' Tech' more satisfying foreplay to the sassy, saltysweet ballads 'Mr. Miguel' and 'Private Dancer'? And who the hell is Shelley? Which is more restrictive: her use of presets, or your preconceived notions about what a 21st century techno woman can achieve? With a nod to her indie rock roots (as a member of Shimmy Disc band Adult Rodeo) and an interest in bringing live guitar, banjo, piano and vocals into the obtuse performance world of electronica, Kevin Blechdom reconfigures your senses with a potent blend of sounds and styles, attitude and angst, passion and possession, closely connected to the sounds of Peaches, Le Tigre, Chicks On Speed, Le Trim, Dat Politics, Fischerspooner and of course Blectum From Blechdom. By the time she wraps her husky voice around Tina Turner's 'Private Dancer,' she's slapped you in the face and pinched your ass at the same time with songs that make machines speak in the most human language of love.