Customer Reviews

Ladyhawke

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Out of all the 80s revival cds I've heard lately, this is the best. Ladyhawke absolutely nails it. She catches that unmistakable 80s sound with guitar, synths and poppy, fun song structures, but manages to make it sound modern and mature. She also has that 80s sounding female voice, and I can think of two examples for comparison: Aimee Mann when she was with 'Til Tuesday. Just think of the song "Voices Carry" and you'll have an idea. And also Kim Wilde with the song "Kids in America".

Every song is good. It's all so catchy, with melodies and choruses so expertly crafted and infectious it's impossible not to bounce around while listening. If you grew up in the 80s and miss the sound of the era, this cd is perfect.

It's hard to pick favorite songs but here's a few stand outs:

- My Delirium: An outrageously catchy chorus. It's impossible not to
sing along.
- Love Don't Live Here: Cool bass line leads to a beautiful chorus. She
does some of her nicest singing in this one.
- Back of the Van: A very nice Stevie Nicks homage.
- Crazy World: gorgeous song

Pip Brown (Ladyhawke) writes her own music and plays instruments. She has actual talent and this is pop music I can support, unlike the shallow, uninspired stuff big American media pushes on us. She's from New Zealand and I doubt this will make too much noise in America, but I'm glad I found it.

Although it's another album that is noticeably influenced by 80's Synth pop, this CD is full of catchy music and is one of the best entries into this overcrowded field this year. That it's Ladyhawkes debut makes it all the more remarkable. I like some tracks more than others but I could listen to 'Magic' and 'My Delirium' all day and never get tired of them. The CD has garnered some excellent critical praise too and for good reason, the CD manages to use all those musical 80's allusions (and there are a lot of them) but make them relevant and new. It's a remarkable artist that can make a CD that sounds current now but could have sounded perfectly in place in the decade it takes its influence from.

This album deserves so much more recognition in the mainstream, it's a great CD, easy to listen to but also full of complex sounds and references to music past and present. Do yourself a favour and buy this, I seriously doubt you'll regret it!

First of all, the music here is GREAT, and I am adding Ladyhawke to my "watch list" for new music. I'm not going to say much more about the music itself other than "My Delirium" and "Crazy World" are my favorite tracks.

Unfortunately, the MP3 version of this album as sold by Amazon is terribly produced; sounding more like a capture from a bad internet radio station than quality Mp3's. The highs are muddy as pond water, and the bass is often clipped and distorted. It's a sad thing to hear good music sound so bad.

This cd is very different from anything out in the music industry right now. I love this cd so much. Her voice is amazing and the beats are rocking and raving...lol!

This album is good from beginning to end. The sound is heavily synth. If you like 80's synth music, buy this album.

New Zealander Ladyhawke has said that she wanted to write new music that would make people feel instantly nostalgic. Well, she has succeeded. When I heard the first track, "Magic" (one of the best), The 80's rushed at me, begging to be recognized. This song, and several others, would be right at home amid the music of Berlin, Laura Branigan, The Pet Shop Boys and Madonna. Ladyhawke's vocal quality sounds very much like that of Terri Nunn of Berlin, more closely than anyone else I can think of. Synth-pop is the predominant sound, but there's more. The very heavy drums and guitar work give some of the tracks - "My Delirium", "Another Runaway", "Love Don't Live Here", "Back Of The Van" and "Morning Dreams" - a "rock" quality, at least as much as the work of Pat Benatar, The Cars or even Journey. (I know that rock purists will disagree, but terms like "rock" and "pop" mean different things to different people.)

Other elements combine with the "synth-rock" to make this album distinctive. One is Ladyhawke's persona. She is mostly cool and confident, but every now and then her intense emotions must erupt. In "My Delirium", obsessing while waiting for THAT PHONE CALL, she shouts, "I won't eat and I won't sleep for you, yeah-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eah!", and in "Back Of The Van", whether she is with her lover or alone, her feeling is "You set me on, you set me on, you set me on FI-YURE!" Another feature of her music is eerie background sounds, vocal and instrumental, most strongly in "Magic", "Love Don't Live Here" and "Professional Suicide". That last one is also memorable because it sounds very much like the music of Garbage. "Dusk Till Dawn" features Ladyhawke's deliciously Brit accent. The final track, "Morning Dreams", is a solid power ballad, the only ballad on the CD.

The song that attracted me to this talented new artist is "Paris Is Burning". I am a sucker for anything French, Paris in particular, and Ladyhawke says that she wrote this song immediately after her first visit to Paris, in order to describe her impressions of the vibrant activity that she found there - the champagne, the clubs, the sidewalk cafes, the kids on the streets. To really appreciate it, you should check out the video. But it's not necessary, because the song - with its conversational lyric and melody, mirrored by the "talky" bass line - is a happy but yearning remembrance of that visit, and a delight in itself.

The diverse elements that make up Ladyhawke's music (and it is HER music, because she wrote, arranged and played instruments on every track) make it difficult to put her in a category. Just when you decide to call her music one thing, it changes into something else. Remember that in this case, the whole really is greater than the sum of its parts.

must say, Delirium is one awesome song! first heard it from Dirt 2 for the XBOX 360.

Ladyhawke has made a debut absolutely perfect: old school flavour for an album filled with hit singles. Loved by mainstream and indie fans, this "kiwi" girl has the key to be a star in a couple of years... if she's not now indeed!

Yes, it's another synth-heavy new wave retro 80's throwback album. What's different this time? There are good songs here!

Especially of note are "Magic" with its sickeningly infectious chorus, "Manipulating Woman" which has some refreshingly dissonant vocal harmonies...more than we're usually used to in pop music at least, and, of course, "Paris is Burning" which has every necessary component for an epic pop song.

Well done, Ladyhawke, I look forward to hearing more from you.

Usually when I pickup a CD, I expect to like 1 or 2 tracks at most. It is just how it is in this business. Most songs in a release are fillers! Well, I am in love with Ladyhawke. Maybe I have a crush on her. She has surpassed my expectations. This is one CD I can play 8 hours a day and not get tired. Yes, all songs are excellent. However, the best tracks are Magic followed by My Delirium. When I first heard Magic I tried very hard to determine if this was an old or new track. Ladyhawke completely fooled me. The scary part is that Ladyhawke tackes a wide range of 80s flavors with great faithfulness. Production is tight, writing was excellent, performance is top notch. What can I say, this should teach Katy Perry and Lady Gaga that good electro and 80s tunes are never cheesy...or weird.