<*dv_1*>I'd held off listening to Ladytron properly - the couple of tracks I had heard I had found pretty uninspiring and in my mind I'd already filed them under 'Not Today, Thank You'. I finally gave in when I found their 'Light and Magic' CD for a very reasonable price in my local Indie record store (Reveal Records in Derby - All freebies greatly appreciated!). Derision turned to interest, turned to liking a lot in a very short space of time, as I realised I must have been listening to bad B-sides or something previously, because although this CD is nothing like I had been led to believe it was, it's an absolute gem! There are hundreds of influences in this band, and Ladytron aren't aloof enough to try to deny it - you can pick out everything from Numan to Stereolab, Lush to Kraftwerk, Blur to Skinny Puppy, wrapped up in a kind of retro nu-wave package. At their best when combining spooky singalong harmonics with a stomping electro chug (Light and Magic, Startup Chime), they also take breathy French-influenced pop to sleazy new levels (Seventeen, Cease2xist, Blue Jeans). Sort of like Dot Allison without the waify pretension, or Goldfrapp without me feeling the need to have a wank. If you hunt replicants for a living, you'll love this CD. |
