Drugged out disco decadence

The Prima Donnas prove that disco lives and keyboards rule in "Drugs, Sex & Discoteques," a collection of B-sides and outakes from 1995-99. And don't forget the necessary decadent British accent. \nBased in the exploding music scene of Austin, Texas, the Prima Donnas waste no time getting right to the sex and drugs and disco balls with the first track. Claiming to hail from the UK (yes, these accents are real) and to have met in an orphanage, perhaps lead vocalists Otto Matik and vocalists and keys men Nikki Holiday and Julius Seizure draw from their own experience in the stories they spin. \nKeys wailing away with a sound that makes electronic music almost seem pure, the Prima Donnas mix a bopping beat with a bitter British attitude. Holding true to the "Discoteques," the album has the sort of personality that keeps Matik's somewhat nasally voice and glam style from seeming absurd. The guys even harmonize and make the lines "And now my life is total shit/ I don't know how to deal with it," seem eloquent, in that uniquely "Trainspotting" way.\nCarrying the style with a skinny disco-punk strut, "Reagan's Dead," "Nance Music Manifesto" and "Love You, Schizo Sickie" are the highlights of the album. With 14 tracks, the collection gives a good portrayal of the wierdness that must be The Prima Donnas.\nLyrically, the sex and drugs stories can sometimes get repetitive or make the tame at heart uncomfortable, but the cynical angst the lyrics carry is definitely worth a listen. (Check out "F.U.K." for such cynicism towards westerners).\nDespite the interesting disco stylings and tales of junked out affairs, for a indie music adventurer with only a mild taste in keyboard music, the album is bound to only be on personal rotation for a couple of weeks. Overall, "Drugs, Sex & Discoteques" is a worthy temporary trip into disco dance decadence.