As their website suggests the music industry is so fickle these days. In the past a band could take three albums to find their identity; the most prominent proponents of that ethos would be Queen and Def Leppard. Now it’s all about the strong, over-hyped debut and subsequent albums being assessed against that benchmark.
Not so for the Liverpudlian/Scottish/Bulgarian hybrid act Ladytron; whose moniker suggests a strong affinity to Roxy Music, but of course, given the time and opportunity can bring other influences to the table. The aesthetically well-groomed foursome have rather surprisingly not had a Top 40 hit as yet. Especially given the infectious nature of ‘Seventeen’ from their Light and Magic record - it had the accessible appeal, plus the cold detached nature of most electronica pop.
From the opener of this new record, “High Rise”, there is a shrouded menace
Despite the accessibility in places, their best work has always been the detached, cold sounding demureness of tracks like International Dateline. “I’m tired and weightless” shows off a sweet vulnerability hidden with Industrial electronics and rapidly-strummed guitars. Mira takes over lead on AMTV, more akin to Depeche Mode minus the hooks. Best track is undoubtedly Sugar - more bolshy than anything previously done. It’s this distinction that makes them feel more like the thinking man’s dance act. A foursome of aesthetically accessible adults in matching uniforms playing electronica perfection. In the past two albums they’ve fleeted with mainstream stardom. This album should prove they’re the real deal. But it makes a hard go of it. 4 or 5 tracks in, and I’m looking to change the CD. The biggest problem is the lack of distinction between the thirteen tracks on the album.
Save for those first for or five, of which Destroy is the best of the bunch, it soon becomes quite tedious listening to the cold repetitive monotone beats of some of the tracks. The fact that Destroy went nowhere suggests either the music-buying public fail to have the nouse to give a band it’s just reward, or Ladytron need a better marketing executive at the record company - get their behinds on Popworld, some celebrity endorsements, extensive Radio 1 airplay, pose for magazine covers, appear with those idiots on TOTP reloaded - play the music game. They shouldn’t need to, but they’ll have to if they are to join the Uniting Nations, Boogie Pimps and more inferior synthesized stars of today in the upper echelons.
Craig Aston.
Click here to talk about Ladytron on the Garbled music forum.
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