Ladytron - Light & Magic

There’s a wide misunderstanding in music that “electronic” instantly connotes “emotionless.” Similarly, there’s a backlash in musical culture that denounces all use of samplers, dat tapes and synthesizers as many seem to find these devices prefabricated to the point of meaninglessness. But, as illustrated in our everyday lives, denying technology is like rejecting the evolution of humankind. So, why oh why do so many contemporaries continually steal from Kraftwerk – a electronic band that made their analog noise three decades ago? Isn’t this negating technology’s modern sense and acting as a retrogresser rather than a futurist? I think so too. Luckily, since Ladytron’s debut, 604, they have also dropped the cold, crafted edge of Kraftwerk and adopted a set of neoteric eyes for themselves. Although Light & Magic is still the same edgy, stylistic electro they’ve always stitched into the synth-pop scene, it is decidedly warmer and more emotive. Ladytron, true to their name, emphasizes keen, icy cool feminine vocals that would much rather explore the intricacies of the human heart than the programmed circuit board of a computer – which , surprisingly, is decidedly different than most of their synth-pop peers. As Helen Marnie glosses over acutely melodious vocals, sleek douses of synth-oriented sound washes atop the warm haze of distortion to paint a futuristic portrait of warm emotion, such as on “The Reason Why.” Although Light & Magic tires to homogeny on a few moments throughout its fifteen tracks, standouts such as the eerily familiar neo-new wave of “Blue Jeans” and the bass damaged synth splurge of “Startup Chime” more than redeem it as an album worthy to exit antiquity and enter the future. But, if nothing else, Ladytron triumph in proving that it is possible to fuel computers on a beating heart. [www.ladytron.com]