In 1981 there were thousands of kids holed up in their bedrooms just killing themselves over the android, analogue beeps and battery acid spills of ‘synth’ music. Today those kids are holed up in the studio and just killing themselves all over again: but this time it’s called Electro-clash.
Ladytron initially existed as a concept dreamed up by founder members Danny Hunt and Reuben Wu, two friends from Liverpool who shared a love of music and djing. This rather simple idea became a reality when they were joined by Mira Aroyo and Helen Marnie – a couple of similarly inoculated synth-bots they’d met in eastern Europe. The four like haired, like humoured and ‘likey new order’ individuals grew into a Sunday Times and Felix Da Housecat endorsed pop-art Shangri-Las, and released the really rather nifty ‘604’ album in 2001.
Now hot off the heels of ‘604’ comes ‘Light and Magic’ on Telstar.
Electro-clash, nu-electro, synthcore – call it what you will – ‘Light and Magic’ follows up the Kraftwerk-come-Visage-come-Human League-come New Order ersatz smash with a surprisingly good pop record. Varied beats, ‘foreign spy’ vocals and a frosty, ironic narrative style keeps this thing a-buzzing, whilst the occasional sublime melody of tracks like ‘Seventeen’, ‘Blue Jeans’ and cult cinema spine tingler, ‘Startup Chime’ lifts it ever so slightly above the likes of mock scensters like Fischerspooner, and last years Alpine Stars.
The baking-tin drum sequences may grate after a while, as will the androgynous monotone delivery, but the lush, upbeat euro glide of songs like ‘Black Plastic’ and ‘Evil’ provide a ride that more than makes up for it.
Interested in retro? Buy this and the more splendid ‘604’ album as a good starter pack.