Velocifero (CD)

• Category:  Music  »  Rock & Pop  »  General Rock & Pop
• Format: CD   Learn more about the CD format using Tower WIKI.
• Release Date: June 3, 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Nettwerk Records LLC
• UPC: 067003079020
• WAPI (Tower ID): 112093314
• Average Customer Review:    (1 customer review)
• Tower.com Sales Rank: #1490 in Music (See Top 100 Music Bestsellers)
• #661 in Rock & Pop (See Top 100 Rock & Pop Bestsellers)
• #416 in General Rock & Pop (See Top 100 General Rock & Pop Bestsellers)

•  [Ladytron - Official Websitethis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Ladytron - Wikipedia Entrythis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Ladytron - MySpace Pagethis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Ladytron - Music at Last.fmthis link opens a new window] 
  
•  [Ghosts - Video at YouTube.comthis link opens a new window] 
  

Paste (magazine) (p.68) - "Never before has Ladytron sounded so sinister, been so danceable and connected so well with its audience."
Clash (magazine) (p.128) - "Their expert use of classic analogue synths only adds to their unique, retro futurist sound."

Electronica quartet Ladytron makes dark, stylish synth-pop that recalls Depeche Mode, the Human League, and Berlin. With its churning electro-scapes and flatly intoned female vocals, Ladytron's music might be too pat if it weren't for their fine melodies and sense of popcraft. Luckily, VELOCIFERO, the band's fourth full-length CD, has enough of these qualities to make it one of the band's most confident efforts.

Opener "Black Cat" creeps and surges in an irresistible way, while "I'm Not Scared" soars ahead like a train to some shadowy, ominous land. The sense of cold alienation perhaps inherent in Ladrytron's initial approach is finally balanced by this overall melodic sense, reinforcing the band's status as true heirs to 1980s commercial synth-pop.

Velocifero - Ladytron

This June 3, 2008 release is Ladytron’s fourth studio album and their first on the Nettwerk label. The Liverpool-based electronic pop group, formed in 1999, has been touring the globe extensively promoting their last masterpiece, Witching Hour (2005), including several shows throughout Europe where they opened for Nine Inch Nails.

Composed of Helen Marnie, Daniel Hunt, Mira Aroyo, and Reuben Wu, Ladytron’s existence and aural output have evolved immensely since their debut, 604, in 2001. Their musical maturation is drastically enhanced due to the distinctive artistic input from each band member resulting in a vastly eclectic style. In addition, the group uses an array of vintage analogue equipment to achieve a truly unique sound.

Velocifero, meaning “bringer of speed”, was recorded in Paris, France and had some artistic input and production assistance from Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Alessandro Cortini and Vicarious Bliss (Justice). As a result, the album exposes its listeners to a new side of the group while retaining their driven, edgy aesthetic. This 13-track release features a variety of styles including early Ladytron-like, dry beats and synthesizer-laden melodies as well as some mature vocal harmonizations all of which add to the otherworldly ambiance of Velocifero.

The album’s first single, Ghosts, brims with distinctively pop-like progressions and bass-heavy melodies whilst including rococo synth embellishments. The track sounds raw and seemingly straightforward, yet clearly there is something more complex happening. The music video - perhaps symbolically, in an attempt to relinquish themselves from the chains of a mammoth success (Witching Hour), depicts the musicians in the desert running from something.

The rest of the album has substance and proves to be quite ‘sticky’ (to quote Malcolm Gladwell). Interestingly, both “Kletva” and “Black Cat” are sung in Bulgarian, a feature which inevitably adds a certain mysteriousness and density to the record.

Catch them during their summer 2008 tour in the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia promoting the new album.

Favorite Songs: “Ghosts”, “Black Cat”, and “I’m Not Scared”

-Thom, Tower Pulse 05/30/2008

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