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In 2001, the first fruits of what would
become the new electronic-rock movement began to fall. LADYTRON’s
debut, 604, was an integral part of that first strike. A pristine,
analog adventure of sound and substance, the album would go
on to influence the genre itself, while the group quietly
made a global impact both visually and stylistically.
Hits like “Playgirl” and “Seventeen”
(from their 2002 follow-up, Light & Magic) quietly rebelled
against the bratty, disingenuous motifs of the time, instead
invoking the sonic storytelling of groups like Air, Stereolab,
and My Bloody Valentine. Ladytron’s counterbalance of emotional
vulnerability and psychological ingenuity–personified by the
opposing vocals of Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo—created their
own world that had yet to be fully explored.
Their live performances immediately
set them apart: “We wanted to play all those exotic instruments
live,” says Aroyo of the mountain of antique synths the group
brandished on stage. Daniel Hunt continues “Not many people
ever performed that way, besides Emerson, Lake and Palmer
or something. It felt like hanging around at Bell Labs in
1970.”
A year’s worth of touring and experimentation
led to the creation of Witching Hour, Ladytron’s most sonically
complex production to date. It retained the unmistakable,
mechanized warmth of their Korg MS20s, but Reuben Wu’s dynamic
programming coupled with Hunt’s shoegazey guitar layers in
tracks like their most well known; “Destroy everything you
touch”, “International dateline” and “High Rise” flexed a
more indie rock tenacity. While the album showed distinct
creative growth, their resilience outside the studio provided
a different kind of maturity; the group took to the road on
the strength of their massive cult following, booking sold-out
tours across North America and Europe, and playing for capacity
crowds in China and Latin America. Without any real label
support, Ladytron toured exhaustively over the next two years,
performing for over 4,000 people in Bogota, Columbia—where
their show was eventually shut down by local military—and
opening for Nine Inch Nails in early 2007 at the request of
Trent Reznor…only their second opening slot in seven years.
“We found ourselves completely independent, yet everywhere
we went the crowds only got bigger,” says Wu. “It made us
feel like things were really in our hands. Like we were tapping
into something.”
What transpired in the studio as a
result of that confidence and freedom enhanced the vision
they achieved on Witching Hour, and in doing so, has simultaneously
redefined and escaped the genre. Produced by Ladytron with
assistance from Vicarious Bliss (Ed Banger Records) and Alessandro
Cortini (Nine Inch Nails), VELOCIFERO fully transcends the
confines of electro-pop with a fresh wave of distorted soul.
Mira and Helen—whose disparate vocal styles already provide
considerable depth—have evolved both as musicians and songwriters,
lending provocative harmonies to songs like “Runaway” and
“I’m Not Scared.” While, rhythmically, there are moments reminiscent
of their old favorites os mutantes and the birthday party.
“We’ve gotten to know each other’s
strengths a lot better,” explains Mira, who earmarks albums
by Grace Jones and Dr. John as influential to her in the recording
of Velocifero. “With previous records, the sound that we imagined
wasn’t quite there.”
“Black Cat” rips the album open with
a buzz saw bass line and a pounding, distorted kick/snare
cadence. Mira’s vocals—sung in her native Bulgarian—echo the
track’s foreboding sentiment. Traces of Ennio Morricone appear
on the galloping “Ghosts,” as Helen repeats the unapologetic
chorus, “There’s a ghost in me who wants to say I’m sorry.
Doesn’t mean I’m sorry.” “Kletva,” a cover from a 1970’s BG
children’s movie, turns a simple shuffle groove into a swirling
mix of drums and keys, while additional collaboration on “The
Lovers” from Columbian group Somekong adds even more dramatic
timing and energy. It’s this diversified, rhythmic palette
and labyrinthine layering of effects and synths that galvanizes
Velocifero, and should finally put an end to the mistaken
comparisons.
“It can be good to have a chip on
your shoulder when you’re making music, it is an energy for
some” Daniel admits, “but that doesn’t need to manifest itself
in an emotional way. It’s like putting down ‘Black Cat’ as
the first track. It’s setting the scene for the rest of the
album. It’s a statement of intent.”
Mixed by Michael Patterson (Beck, P.Diddy,
BRMC), Velocifero cycles through a wide swath of emotion,
from sentient and blissful (“Tomorrow”) to forthright and
impassioned (“Deep Blue”). “Predict The Day,” which starts
off with a faint, whistled melody and crescendos into a bounce-rock
onslaught of programmed hi-hats, background vocals, and jagged
guitar, typifies the album’s graceful charge against the status
quo.
“At no point have we ever responded
to anything that’s been going on outside,” says Mira. “There
are always going to be people who want you to remain in the
same place forever, but that’s not the way you make music,
or anything else. It’s obvious that you have to be allowed
the benefit of the doubt to do whatever you want, because
ultimately when you started out, there was no one there to
tell you what to do. You just did it.”
Attach whatever imagery you like to
the album’s title, “it’s just a word, rather than a translation.”
Says Reuben. “it literally means bringer of speed, the album
named itself, during a meeting with Eli…” (Referring to the
cover art, put together by Assume Vivid Astrofocus, an art
collective, around Brazilian Eli Sudbrack) ”…as the recordings,
the layers, developed, the more sense it all made”.
With a full slate of European and
North American tour dates planned for early summer—including
the Bonnaroo Festival in June—audiences will have ample opportunity
to take in Ladytron’s synthesis, and see for themselves how
the group has redefined the genre they helped establish.
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