Customer Reviews

Velocifero [Vinyl]

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Last weekend I was at my favorite record store when I took a listen to the new Ladytron cd VELOCIFERO. I always wanted to hear their music but never had the opportunity until now. Needless to say I ended up leaving the store with VELOCIFERO in hand. I haven't been able to stop listening to VELOCIFERO since last weekend. Normally I am not into the sort of dance music Ladytron makes but I really enjoyed all 54 minutes. VELOCIFERO reminded me a mish mash of Lush, My Bloody Valentine, and Goldfrapp from their BLACK CHERRY era. The song that convinced me was "Ghosts". Helen Marnie reminded me of the women from the Lush with her sweet, intoxicating yet eerie vocals. Helen's vocals is a nice contrast to the often monotonous vocals of Mira Aroyo. I enjoyed all of the songs on the album but my personal favorite song on the album has to be "Versus". I love the male/female vocals, plus I find the song irresistably infectious. I definitely consider VELOCIFERO one of my top ten favorite albums of 2008.

If you ever thought hmm...female voices with Depeche Mode.
This is the scenario: Hooks, firmly in place, mikes and synths plugged with amps set at '11'... place the needle at the beginning of "Burning Up". And there you go and you're welcome.
Oh yeah, the rest of the album rocks, too.

I continue to be impressed by Ladytron and the consistent quality of their recordings. "Velocifero" is very similar in sound to "Witching Hour", but in my opinion more consistent and catchier. No, it does not break any bold new musical ground or mark a different direction. But why should it? There's plenty of room for a high-quality album of 13 hook-laden tracks full of signature electro beats and fuzzy riffs. I'd be hard-pressed to name a dud song on here and equally hard pressed to pick my favorite, although I do find the novel duet "versus" that closes out the album careening through my head the most. If you enjoyed "Witching Hour" you have nothing to fear from "Velocifero".

Let me preface this review by saying that pre-Velocifero I considered myself just a casual Ladytron fan. 604, Light & Magic, and Witching Hour were decent albums to be sure, but they weren't albums I could see myself playing over other albums in my collection. *This is often a dilemma when one owns a lot of music.

In early May, my friends told me they were going to see Ladytron at the Henry Fonda in Hollywood and they wanted me to go. Once again, being just a casual Ladytron fan I wasn't too excited about the prospect of seeing them live. But then I found out that Datarock was in the line-up and that was all the motivation I needed.

At that time I had no idea that Ladytron was releasing a new album. Obviously, it makes sense that they would go on tour with the pending release of a new album, but I didn't put 1+1 together at the time. Consequently, I went to this concert with no knowledge of their new album. And looking back, that was a good thing.

I'm just going to lay it all out right here... Ladytron blew me away. Seriously, they were without a doubt one of the best live acts I've ever seen... and I've seen dozens of live Indie acts. Ladytron is a band one needs to see live to really understand and appreciate. They recreated every digital sound with a live instrument. And their theatrics, lighting, and showmanship were some of the best in the business.

Now, onto the album... Velocifero is by far my favorite Ladytron album. To me it's the perfect hybrid of Light & Magic and Witching Hour. It's that Ladytron album I've been waiting for. But since I saw most of the songs performed live before I heard the album, Velocifero has a special place in my heart. Even still, after seeing songs from 604, Light & Magic, and Witching Hour performed live, I now view those albums with the utmost respect. It's eerie the way that concert completely changed the way I hear Ladytron.

I mean, they are all the same albums, right? The difference is that now all of them are on regular rotation in my car and on my iPod. See you next time you're in LA, Ladytron!

Velocifero being Ladytron's 4th studio album and their 2008 release and the album was well received by the critics scoring 4 star reviews by Blender and PopMatters. Two singles has been released so far, these being "Ghosts" and "Tommmorow". The booklet contains no lyrics but we get a strange photo of the band members. I agree with the reviews and I also give this album 4 stars. 4/5.

I like this album and I would never say anything against this band's talent and creativity as one of the few "pop" bands for mature music listeners. All of the Ladytron electroclash and new wave pop elements are here...but The previous album (The witching hour) was just so, so, so much better. All in all, I enjoy this recording (Velocifero) but it is only my third favorite album to date by Ladytron.

While searching the vast emptiness of e-space, I came across this lovely little thing called "A release from Ladytron I did not have" and smiled because I hadn't the foggiest that a new album was coming out. The press on the album was not heavy at all, the clubs were not thumping to these sounds in the same way that Lights and Magic and 604 had been embraced, and the buzz simply wasn't there. In a way that seemed a little bad, but in a way it made me happy because Ladytron has done some of their best work "off the grid." When they were referenced in movies, for instance, a lot of people simply called them "that club band." That was good, too, because they had a following that did not know who they were and, in electronica, it is better to exist without a face because this means that your music is talking.
And talk this album does.

I've heard many comparisons to some of Ladytron's other works and, to a point, I can see it. They haven't strayed away from the vocals that make them uniquely Ladytron, and they haven't tried to redo what made them who they are. They still have the beats that get stuck in your head, they still have catchy loops, and they still know how to please and audience. The one thing they have done is add a little more to some of their tracks, building on the older stuff but still leaving the older arrays in play. So, in a way, this is the progression one would expect in they have listened to Ladytron for a while now.

If you liked Ladytron before, this is a good continuation of what you've known and have loved. You'll get all the good stuff, will listen to it a lot, and will still have music from a band that lets their sounds speak for itself. If you do not like Ladytron it works much the same way: You might want to check the album out to see if you've perhaps missed out on something very soothing to the audio aspects of the self, but you shouldn't be disappointed if you still do not like them. And, if you are new, try out some older albums first, work your way here, and enjoy.
Personally I think Ladytron is one of those bands that has been overlooked because of their "club" label and that's sad because, in the end, people miss out. If there's one thing that people need in life, it is to not miss out on anything attuned to any form of audio-related bliss.

I heard the prerelease of Black Cat and I was hooked on this album. I could not wait for it to come out. While I was waiting I bought Wiching Hour which is also fabulous. I can listen to this record over and over, it never burns out. I am listening to it right now as I write this review. It is a wonderful combination of Gothic, Techno, Electro Pop, and a lushness that only Ladytron has. I highly recomend this album. It is going on my list of best records of 2008.

Before I got this album I decided to read several customer reviews to get an idea of what to expect. I noticed that many people said that this album was one of, if not the best CD that Ladytron has ever put out. After listening through the album several times I realized that this is hands down the best album that they have ever put together. From the first track (Black Cat) you are immediately pulled in and hooked. Nowadays too many artists put out albums that have many good tracks with several other mediocre tracks thrown in. Not the case with this album. From start to finish every track has a unique sound that is very different from anything that I heard on Witching Hour. I think that Ladytron finally has the chance to achieve mainstream success with this album. Mira's vocals in Bulgarian are haunting, sexy, and beautiful all at the same time. The deep synths and strong bass are everything that I love about Ladytron. They definitely don't fail to impress on Velocifero.
Top 5 Tracks:
1) Black Cat
2) Runaway
3) Tomorrow
4) Deep Blue
5) Ghosts

Let's examine the elements that make Velocifero one of 2008's most essential albums; densely layered electronic stanzas, haunting-yet-endearing vocals, infectious grooves and captivating hooks. While Ladytron's fourth album may be their most accessible to date, don't think that the Liverpool electronica outfit have dumbed down their sound for mainstream acceptance. All the attributes of the band's previous work is again utilized on Velocifero to great effect. The album is affluent with the group's patent analog synth programming, subtly tinged with distortion and embellished with a healthy amount of bass, and the 13 tracks therein are enlivened by tactful melodies without being overtly poppy. Vocalist Mira Aroyo again delivers Bulgarian lyrics in a sultry monotone while co-frontwoman Helen Marnie's girlish vocals are as enamoring as ever. Moreover, Velocifero is abundant with memorable elements like the new-wave keyboard arpeggio which electrifies Black Car, the groove-laden bassline of Ghosts and the sweeping, dramatic ascent of Runaway. Driven by mystery, melody, and danceable beats, Velocifero has "Electronic Album of the Year" written all over it in bold letters.