LADYTRON || Gravity the Seducer

Ladytron
Gravity the Seducer
Label: Nettwerk Records
Released on: September 13, 2011
Grade: 2.5 out of 5 meatballs
Reviewed by: Amanda Kaiser

After a week of avoidance, the message in my inbox was inevitable: my review for Ladytron’s new album Gravity the Destroyer was late. I’m normally pretty good with deadlines, but I wanted to postpone ripping on one of my favorite bands from my teen years for as long as possible. I have fond memories of jamming out to “Seventeen” on my first-generation iPod when I was, well, seventeen.  Ladytron’s first two albums, Light & Magic in 2002 and Witching Hour in 2005, were the perfect combination of darkwave and ethereal, perfect for train-ride brooding after lacrosse practice and setting the soundtrack for doomed, fleeting teenage romances.

The four-piece, hailing from Liverpool, got their start over a decade ago with producers Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu buddying up to release their hit single “He Took Her to the Movies” in 1999. This was followed by adding female group members Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo, touring internationally and constantly with the likes of Björk and Nine Inch Nails, and releasing four studio albums prior to their 2011 release.  Their unwavering dedication to their craft makes one wonder, are they really “trons”? Either way, you have to give them props for staying relevant after ten years.

Ladytron’s Gravity the Seducer, self-described as “a touch more abstract“ than their previous studio releases, is just that — upon listening, it feels distant and half-hearted compared with their previous albums.

The album opener has a distinctly baroque feel, with lead singer Helen Marnie’s chilling vocals wrapped around the relentless beat. “White Gold” is monotone and indistinguishable from the previous tracks: ice-cold computer pop and Marnie’s haunting vocals. Clocking in at five minutes without packing any punch, this track seems to last light-years. “Moon Palace” features vocals from both Helen as well as Mira Aroyo, Ladytron’s other female member. Two layers of icy, detached voices and ominous lyrics like “Moon palace / On a frozen sea / The serpent sea is calling out your name” make for a moody vibe indeed. Still, the track sounds like it’s trying too hard to be on the opening credits for a gothic Fairuza Balk film. “Ninety Degrees” was a personal highlight of the LP — dense layers of synths, a dreamy backbeat, and wistful echoey lyrics like “Go now and look out your window / Tonight belongs to you / I hope there’s some to share.” Truthfully, this was probably the only song on the album I would bother to listen to again.

Maybe the endless touring did a number on the group, but either way this album sounds like standard electro ennui with the doom factor cranked up high. This isn’t the worst electropop album by any means, but I expected more from a band that made up a good chunk of my Top 25 Plays before I could legally sit in a hookah bar. Nevertheless, I’ll go back to listening to my Ladytron standbys — just without the first-gen iPod.