Ladytron - Velocifero

Genre electronica Publisher Nettwerk Records External Links Ladytron Website Ladytron MySpace

Ladytron, an electropop foursome founded in Liverpool, England, have defied the odds ever since their 2002 debut, 604. Some doubted whether the band could top the creative peak of "Seventeen," the hit single from 2004's Light & Magic. Four years and two albums later, Ladytron has put those doubts to rest, proving that electropop is more than some passing fad.

Indeed, Ladytron's story is one of artistic growth and experimentation. In 2002, the band sounded like a cross between Kraftwerk and ABBA - mechanical synths, four on the floor beats, and vocals that could be at turns inscrutable and lovely, courtesy of vocalists Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo.

On 2005's The Witching Hour, the band took a leap forward, melding their love of Kraftwerk and ABBA with a more rock-oriented approach. They added guitars and drums to their repertoire of synths and samples, creating a sound that was edgier and more energetic than their previous albums.

With Velocifero, Ladytron give us a retrospective of their growth as artists. The lion's share of the album continues in the rock-your-socks-off vein of The Witching Hour. "Black Cat" opens the album in fine style; dark, rich, and foreboding, "Black Cat" is a blend of T. Rex, Clint Mansell, and Nine Inch Nails, which shouldn't be a surprise since Alessandro Cortini, Nine Inch Nails' keyboardist, co-produced the album.

The tail end of Velocifero, particularly the three songs that close out the album, hint at the band's more synth-driven days of 604 and Light & Magic. As with the other songs on album, however, the detailed production values add a depth and texture to everything. The result is an album that echoes what Ladytron has done on earlier releases, yet sounds fresher and more immediate than anything they've done before.

With Cortini and Vicarious Bliss of Banger Records at the producers' helm, Velocifero takes on a darker, heavier, and more menacing atmosphere than The Witching Hour. In fact, the album is a kind of downward spiral - forgive the pun! - each song leading us deeper into the void.

The production values on this album are astounding. Velocifero bristles with an electrifying emotional impact that was absent from their work until they released The Witching Hour. Thanks to the pristine production values, this is Ladytron's most sonically pleasing and danceable album to date.

Velocifero is not nearly as experimental as The Witching Hour. The band is less concerned with taking their music to the next evolutionary phase here. Instead, they revisit old ground, cleaning out the gutters and smoothing out the jagged edges. Undoubtedly, this album will be a pleasant, yet familiar, surprise to avid fans of Ladytron. At the same time, the album is bound to cross over and appeal to people unfamiliar with their music.