Ladytron - Witching Hour

The guys in monochrome are back to freeze our hearts.

BlackPlastic has been a fan of Ladytron for a while now, and even the name of the site is a (partial) tip of the hat in their direction ('Black Plastic' being a song of the Light & Magic LP). Much has been made of the 'Tron's new "analogue" sound and their new (occasional) use of guitars. In truth, Witching Hour is no more than the natural progression displayed between the asymmetric pop of 604 and Light & Magic's self-knowing-pitch-black-cooler-than-thou skin-deep sheen.

Witching Hour, just as Light & Magic does, hangs together nicely as an album. Things get off to a good start with 'High Rise', synths swirling around live drums. It is easy to imagine that the new Ladytron are a more entertaining live-act. 'High Rise' is followed by latest single 'Destroy Everything You Touch'. 'Destroy...' is perfect Ladytron, cold-as-ice vocals combine with melancholic melodies to create a something far greater than the sum of its (relatively simple) parts. First single, 'Sugar', is perhaps the most obvious beneficiary of added guitars, transforming itself into a rawer creature as a result.

'Fighting in Built-Up Areas' is a definite highlight, sounding like your grandchildren getting rowdy and smashing the streets up in the name of freedom of speech, and it also marks the beginning of this album's departure into experimental territory. 'Last Man Standing' is slightly more melodic than most of the 'tron's catalogue whilst 'Weekend' is a grinding, sexy affair backed with atmospheric guitars that refuse to behave, preferring to be ambient noise rather than anything solid. 'Beauty' is stark and raw to the point where it almost sounds personal (not something Ladytron are accustomed to being) but it is Witching Hour's final two tracks that really shine.

'White Light Generation' sounds like a loved-up The Jesus & Mary Chain have joined turned up, upbeat drums joining quasi-melodic distorted guitars all lifting the same morose vocals up to a higher place. Ethereal is the word. Final track, 'All The Way' is more of the same but it almost sounds like a Christmas song if it wasn't for a deliberately mis-placed key change. It builds and builds like a flower, and it almost wants to shout, "Thank God it's them, instead of you". But it doesn't.

At its core, Witching Hour is still the same brand of emotionless electo-pop music, but that's still a good thing. The addition of organics (not the shampoo) shows they also have a bit of soul, which is no bad thing. If nothing else, check out the final two tracks. Do it.

Get Ladytron's Witching Hour here.

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October song of the month...

In the first of a (hopefully) monthly ongoing piece BlackPlastic highlights a great song that you should rush out and buy this month. This month, the first ever song of the month is...

Pulp - Babies

Up until about a year ago BlackPlastic never really thought itself a Pulp fan. One visit to the fantastic Fopp and an exceptional deal on Pulp's Hits album changed that (for £3, how can you go wrong?).

Whilst the album was bought for such previously heard gems as 'Do You Remember The First Time?' and 'Common People' the track that really captured the imagination was track one, album opener, 'Babies'. 'Babies' is pure gold. The excitement of Cocker's first physical foray as a loved-up teenager is irresistable, perfectly capturing the complete normality of 80s South Yorkshire through the kaleidoscopic lense of teenage sexual desire. When Cocker sings "I want to give you children..." you almost believe it, and by the time he cuts in with the lush, join-in, "yeah, yeah, yeah yeah" bit you really do believe it.

And the line "I only went with her, 'cos she looks like you" has got to be up there with the most romantic lines of all time.

Cocker. The voice of a man with the words of a boy.

Buy Pulp - Hits at Amazon.co.uk here.

Arthur Baker and Kraftwerk

Blackplastic just got an email promoting The Juan Maclean's new single, Give Me Every Little Thing.

This email contained a fantastic qoute from the usually-boring DJ Magazine that goes as follows:

"(Described by DJ magazine as sounding) like Funkadelic and Kraftwerk persuading Arthur Baker to f*** off and let them invent electro-disco"

I'm not quite sure what it means, but it is easily the best review blurb I've heard in a while. Stick it on the cover and sell it in HMV. Brilliant.

One More Tune...

So, what is the best song on Rob Da Bank's Fabric album?

That's actually quite a tough one. Rob's album is pretty great, if not the most original thing you'll hear all year. With Soul Mekanik's Get Wet appearing by track three there is still an awful lot of album to go.

Michael Mayer's Lovefood follows up on Get Wet nicely and Michael is great (his Fabric album is easily one of the best too). Nathan Fake (previously unknown to Blackplastic... Nice to meet you) has a couple of nice tracks slotted in before, at track nine, The Futureheads turn up with Kate Bush's Hounds of Love (Phones remix). It's good, but the remix doesn't add much and if you haven't heard this you need to get out more.

Track ten - Whitey takes us for A Walk in the Dark. Blackplastic love Whitey. He's great, and this is good too. Next thing you know some mad lady with a penchant for marrying Satan's grandpa turns up. It's the Fiery Furnaces, who Blackplastic hasn't heard before, but wants to hear again after this. Single Again is completely bonkers, sounding like nothing you've heard before with a fat drum beat riding a garage-type punk song. It is good. Better than Soul Mekanik's offering. It is almost the best song here.

A brief stop round Vitalic's house for Poney Part 1 via a few reasonably high-quality cuts sees us end up at Mr Fingers' classic, Can You Feel It? Still not the best track here.

The best track on Rob Da Bank's Fabric album is his 'One More Tune...' (i.e. that last song of the night that the crowd beg for), seperated as it is from the rest of the mix by silence. Jamie Principle's, sorry... Frankie Knuckles' Your Love. The original house record, Your Love transcends its genre. It is more than a record for dancing to, it is perfect for every location and time. The never-ending synth line combined with analogue bass and reverberating drums. The heartfelt vocal. Your Love is, without doubt, one of the best songs ever written. And as such Soul Mekanik never stood a chance.