Ladytron
Velocifero
Nettwerk
By Hiro Kinuta
Okay, lets be honest here: any band name with the suffix of -tron in it commands some serious respect, as it does kick ass. With that said, I give you Ladytron! Having handed us an abundance of gloomy electropop over the years, these guys have come a long way since their first single in 1999. Boldly waving the flags of dancey doom, it’s no understatement to say that these veterans of the industry are still going strong.
Their newest record, Velocifero, takes us even deeper into Ladytron’s signature harsh synth haze, coupled with the reverberating bravado of their unrelenting and steady beats. If you thought that these guys couldn’t go darker with their already doom laden, low-end sound, this record will be a surprise for you. Velocifero, on the whole, invokes images of a harsh, desolate and barren soundscape, where the beauty of destruction shines through with the vim and purity of lead singers Mira Aroyo and Helen Marnie’s vocal stylings. The opening track “Black Cat” eases the listener into a comfortable shimmer of bells and chimey synth, only to sink them knee deep into a hail of gritty distortion. Carrying us through a sharp-yet-comfortable sonic malaise with ethereal vocals, “Ghosts”, makes being blissfully lethargic a strangely enjoyable experience.
Alright, enough with my wordy descriptions and glistening review, and onto the fun, superficial tiffs with the record. What is up with the friggin’ cover art? Okay, so I understand the direction they were going towards with the concept, but to me it looks like the artists took a little black and white puke on the record, and the poor members of Ladytron are drowning in it. Hey, if they’re happy, I guess I am too. Regardless of this artistic faux pas, this record is worth the ears of their expecting fans, and the many future listeners to come.
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