Ladytron – “Ladytron” Album Review
After being in the works for 3 years, Ladytron dropped their self-titled album “Ladytron.” The album is 13 tracks long and runs for a total of 53 minutes. For fans, the wait is finally over. Ladytron’s last complete album was released in 2008. Since then, they have released a slew of remix projects.
Ladytron is an electronic band hailing from Liverpool, and they have been performing together since 1999. Ladytron hasn’t received any large recognition yet, exemplified by their 280,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
The group is highlighted by their two female lead singers, Helene Marnie and Mira Aroyo, accompanied by heavy use of synthesizers. The leads are supported by Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu.
Ladytron breaks away from their usual fun and playful sound and brings an ominous sound to their latest project. The vibe is described by their illustrative album artwork, which portrays a couple walking along the road towards fiery destruction. This artwork could be a representation of the California wildfires of 2018, which were the most destructive fires in the area to this date.
The overall sound of the album starts off as ominous and dark, and some of the lyrics allude to the apocalypse. As the album progresses, the sound begins to lighten but the messages remain ominous. Prior to the album, the singles released were “The Animals," “The Island” and “Far From Home."
The first song off the album, “Until the Fire," sets the tone off the jump. The song is a perfect example of that dark and evil sound, another good example would be “Paper Highways." “Until the Fire” features a chorus with a hazy sound, along with long instrumental breaks. Many of the songs on the album feature these long instrumental transitions. The song ends with a clean fade into the second track.
The second song, “The Island,” is one of the singles released prior to the album. This song has a lighter ambiance to the sound, but the message remains dark, “Poisoned paradigm/ We are savages, give them your poison lips/ Broken wires, ghetto souls/ Conflicted, calculated architects/ Echo a new direction/ Faith, lust, desire/ We are sirens of, of the apocalypse.” These lyrics and the artwork of the album have hinted many to believe that Ladytron is foreshadowing the apocalypse.
The tempo is slowed down for the listener once the album hits the seventh track, titled “Run.” Debatably, this is the worst song of the album strictly because of the repetition and the lack of content. The few lyrics suggest the song could be a warning towards humans to stop hunting animals, but it is up to the listener to decide.
The last song on the album is titled “Tomorrow is Another Day,” a solid outro to round out the album. The closing lines, “tomorrow is another day,” suggest that Ladytron believes there is still hope for change.
Overall, “Ladytron” is a very solid album. The listener is treated with an array of synths and sounds to enjoy. The underlying dystopian message is up for interpretation but is relevant to the natural destruction the world has seen and the overall tension between the people of the world. The lack of strong lyricism is shadowed by the complex rhythms and professional use of the synthesizer. The albums greatest strength, though, is the consistency.
Rating: 7/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Track: “You’ve Changed”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Track: “Run”
Connor Trask is a senior majoring in telecommunications and minoring in business arts. To contact him, email cstrask97@gmail.com.
