Ladytron

Throwing out terms like electroclash, electro-pop, shoegaze, glam rock, shuffle-glam, dream pop, electro-synth and all of the other hair-splitting machinations of those who judge music from within a genre, but one question remains.

"Does it reach out and grab you?"

Given that a full once-through has more of a barbiturate effect on the brain than the UK quartet's ear-catching, fresh rework of a dying sound on their previous album Witching Hour, the answer would be a resounding "no."

When they first splashed on the scene, Ladytron was taking their Depeche Mode and New Order influences and giving a fresh, turntable-infused take on the sound of their wintry predecessors. As Depeche Mode and New Order are slowly being relegated to kitsch appeal in the mainstream consciousness of 2008, Ladytron seems to oblige the retreat into obscurity of their forebearers by parroting only themselves on their latest effort, rather than keeping the spirit alive by conjuring up something fresh.

There are, however, standout tracks that punctuate the melancholy muddiness. The album starts off in promising fashion with "Black Cat," but then abandons any adventurous sense of melody or interplay between music and lyrics for a few songs, descending into three tracks of tepid monotony. "Runaway" is particularly annoying and repetitive; it can't be a good sign when you can start singing all of the lyrics to a song halfway through your first time listening to it.

"Season of Illusions" has a solid melody and actually features some vocal fluctuations (a welcome change from the three prior songs). "Predict the Day" is easily the standout track on the album, with an electro-staccato production style that actually intermingles with the vocals to create something haunting and greater than the sum of the parts.

In a nutshell, Velocifero represents an evolutionary follow-up to Ladytron’s mainstream breakout effort Witching Hour. If you were a fan of that album, they offer up what can only be called calculated recreations of its best moments. If you enjoyed Hour, then you will likely dig Velocifero.

Just don't come knocking here looking for music that is instantly gripping or transcendent.

—Chris Nelson
06.17.08

With each album, Ladytron take their sound in distinctly different directions, but the aloof, glamorous, slightly sinister and more than a little bittersweet heart of their music remains the same. The changes from 604's sweet synth pop to Light & Magic's dark electro-pop to Witching Hour's epic shoegaze didn't sound like dabbling, precisely because the band has such a strong grip on exactly what they want to express with their music. Ladytron haven't lost that grip on Velocifero; in fact, they may be holding on to it a little too strongly here. Massive and sparkling, as dark and glossy as black patent leather, the album is so sleek, so quintessentially Ladytron, that it almost feels like the band has their sound literally down to a science, fusing Light & Magic's hard-edged dance and Witching Hour's Wall of Sound into songs like "The Lovers," "Deep Blue," and "They Gave You a Name."

Velocifero does have some inspired moments, particularly at the beginning. "Ghosts" is sweetly ominous, riding a stomping shuffle beat and a careening guitar solo as Helena Marnie puts a fine point on her regrets ("There's a ghost in me/who wants to say I'm sorry/Doesn't mean I'm sorry"). "Runaway"'s punchy, cavernous sound recalls the heyday of industrial dance, which may not be such a surprise, considering that former Nine Inch Nails contributor Alessandro Cortini (also of Modwheelmood) worked on Velocifero, along with Ed Banger's Vicarious Bliss. As always, Mira Aroya acts as the acerbic yang to Marnie's ethereal yin, and she's in fine form here, particularly on "Black Cat," which opens Velocifero with a darkly hypnotic groove and a canyon-deep bassline, and on the quirky "Kletva," a cover of a song from a Bulgarian children's movie that brings back some of the playfulness Ladytron largely abandoned after 604. However, as Velocifero unfolds, the songs aren't quite as memorable as they've been on previous albums, and a few ("Burning Up," "Tomorrow") are downright dull and repetitive. The taut, tribal "Predict the Day" and "Versus," a symphonic synth pop duet, close the album on a strong note, and there are more than enough bright spots for fans to enjoy, Overall, though, Velocifero isn't as dramatic a step forward as Ladytron's other albums. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide