Review Summary: Big hair, don't care.
The Millionaires were an electropop trio-turned-duo that achieved moderate success and infamy in the Myspace sub-circle of music around the years 2007 though 2010. The group, which consisted of sisters Melissa and Allison Green, and Dani Artaud (better known as Dani Gore), were known for their scene aesthetic, as well as the unapologetically sexual nature of their lyrics.
Just Got Paid, Let's Get Laid is the second of their three EPs, released before Dani left the group in 2010. While I enjoy all three Millionaires EPs (not so much their full-length album that came much later),
Just Got Paid, Let's Get Laid is my favorite, as it best showcases why the group's music (but not so much their look) has aged surprisingly well.
After a brief intro of the girls talking about their alcohol consumption while riding in a limousine, the EP kicks off with the title-track, which showcases the girls' signature style of taking turns delivering one line at a time. For those unaware, Melissa has the highest pitched voice of the three, Allison has a slightly lower pitch than her sister's, and Dani has a more distinct, lower tone. More often than not they deliver their lines in the above order, while occasionally grouping their vocals together. I wish there was more to leave to the imagination regarding the lyrics, but as the title
Just Got Paid, Let's Get Laid suggests, the song is about going out and choosing, from amongst the litter of handsome young gentlemen, of which one to be laid by, after getting paid.
The lyrical content of each song is always implied by the title, and is always expressed as explicitly as possible. (As Ke$ha became popular around the same time the Millionaires did, I always said this group put the former to shame.) The beats to each track are of medium-fast tempo, so as to be danceable, but also because the girls' sing-rapping requires this pace. The sonic focus is more on the higher end of the synthesizers as opposed to driving basslines that tend to take away focus from the vocals. The only occurrence when the instrumental is intended to take the foreground is from the halfway point of
I Move It to the end, which concludes the EP with a loud and hypnotic dance beat with the chorus repeating, tapering into a sound clip from an unidentified motivational speech from a man with a strong (possibly Jamaican) accent, ending the experience on an unexpectedly optimistic note.
Musical topics and general talking points that were taboo and frowned upon over a decade ago are now commonplace, and even welcomed. I listen to the Millionaires in current times and chuckle about the amount of disdain they received when they were in their prime. If an EP like
Just Got Paid, Let's Get Laid were to be released today, no one would bat an eye at the lyrical content, and it would likely be praised for its clean production and rather unique vocal style. In my mind, the Millionaires will always be a classic case of being ahead of the times while no one else is ready.
