Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
When Electroclash existed, this was its best album, January 4, 2006
Whether you like or hate the electroclash label it seems to attach itself to Ladytron and every other contemporary that they are paired with. Of that genre, I believe this is the best album so far, better than Ladytron's own '604', better than Fischerspooner's catchy, buzz-worthy '#1' and stronger than anything that Chicks On Speed, Adult or Peaches have churned out. Ladytron is the class of the bunch. Their sound is an updated version of 80's electro post-punk/new wave infused with a punk, so-what type of attitude without the juvenile outbursts of anger. Influences clearly lie in the vein of Depeche Mode, New Order, Kraftwerk, Visage and forth - a perfect line could be drawn to the seemingly forgotten femme electronic new wave band Book of Love... all electroclash bands ought to honor these overlooked and very good electro-femmes.
Ladytron's music sounds somewhat cold without ever feeling clinical or contrived. The vocals, sung by 2 females, tend to be flat and emotionally detached while remaining infectiously catchy and sexy. If Ladytron did a surprise club gig they could play under the name Sexy Robots (Ladytron, if you read this you can use that free of charge). The beat has been turned up from '604', enough so that you could put this in the industrial lite bucket (for those of you who still think industrial means harsh and violent, get a clue - industrial bands nowadays tend to be supercharged 80's new wave combining laser sharp synths, pounding beats and a strong sense of melody totally absent in so-called techno... the vocals aren't even distorted anymore).
The second track "Seventeen" is an obvious single with its burrow-its-way-into-your-brain chorus and pleasant rhythm; the song is an attack on modern fashion-crazy, youth-obsessed culture and its treatment of humans as disposable props. The odd thing is that Ladytron themselves are tragically fashionable, almost annoyingly hip and seem to be very happy with their fashion-for-the-moment image; this is a simple observation rather than an outright criticism. "Flicking Your Switch" is another favorite, telling the story of a woman wondering if she has betrayed her man's trust after stealing his credit card and going on a shameless, downtown shopping spree - funny and clever. "Turn It On" is a minimal, mostly instrumental song awash in ambience. The sparse "Cracked LCD" is the ultimate in robot pop, clean and distant. "Black Plastic" and "Blue Jeans" contain the closest thing to sung vocals on the album. The major single is "Evil" featuring devilish hooks and a fluid chorus. Another item of interest in "NuHorizons" sung in Mira's native Bulgarian.
`Light & Magic' is a required disc for fans of electronic music. If you are willing to stray a bit from pure electroclash, I'd suggest checking out 2 other excellent female-led electronic acts: Epsilon Minus and Android Lust... great band names too.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Synth-Pop in the British Tradition, June 20, 2005
A friend of mine turned me on to Ladytron calling them re-enactors of an `80's band and while that might make them sound like second rate kitsch they certainly are not. Combining electronic soundscapes with an austere complexity and mellow often off key lyrics that blend in and out of instrumental tracks Ladytron hearkens back to the `80's for sure but Light and Magic is something entirely new and a terrifically enjoyable listening experience. Sometimes dreamy and sometimes rough, Light and Magic is a great album that is sure to be a favorite.
The sound is mellow yet powerful and heavily influenced by synth-pop greats but while doing everything it can stay away from hackneyed sounds. While the song writing is somewhat simplistic it doesn't detract from the overall picture. The songs all have a slightly detached tone and the lyrics that all seem to be about someone else fit in it well with the singer's voices and the synthed tracks. Like a friend telling you about the happenings of some acquaintance the lyrics seem meander in and out of the forefront and the vocals are often modified by effects to a great result. Further in the vocals there is something of dissonance with the music that creates interesting harmonies. The backup vocals sometimes spoken are more often than not off key to the melody and have such a great impact on the overall sound. Through all of this there is also very interesting music on each of these tracks. While most of the tracks sound like they were produced with an old Roland D7 workstation (which invariably adds to the `80'sound) they have a quality to them that is both current and captivating. The tracks together build a soundscape that is just shy of happy.
Overall I am very impressed by this band and Light and Magic is a real pleasure to listen to. This is the band that bands like Garbage should have been more like. With just the right amount of "artiness" to make them interesting they are still suitable for wide audiences and make great party music or just good all around music. Fans of the 80's can truly rejoice in a band that has the same modality of many great bands of that era. I hear strawberry switchblade, early new order and several other great bands in all of these songs. But even still younger fans should really find this album great as well. I expect great things in the forthcoming new release from this band. Give this one a shot - its worth it!
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
It is light, and Magic as well, October 10, 2005
If a more automated Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins blended with a syth pop Kitaro, then this is what you might hear. It is wonderful escapism into a deliciously sanitized alien buzz mixed with a distinctly apolitical Euro feel, with a hint of Franka Potente in the Run Lola Run soundtrack. It is refreshingly stoic and yet strangely melodic and beautiful at the same time,creating lovely silver shadows with no loose ends, anti-folk, not unplugged, but overplugged. Deapan feminine drones with velvet electro pulses, as soothing as a plasma ball. It is infectious and wonderful.
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