21 August 2011
Ladytron - Peel Session, 2002
Format: MP3, VBR 140 kbps
Track listing:
1. True Mathematics
2. Evil
3. USA vs. White Noise
4. Blue Jeans
Download
Track listing:
1. True Mathematics
2. Evil
3. USA vs. White Noise
4. Blue Jeans
Download
Ladytron - Peel Session, 2001
Format: MP3, 128 kbps CBR
Track listing:
1. Zmeyka
2. Holiday 601
3. Another Breakfast With You
4. Discotraxx
Download
Track listing:
1. Zmeyka
2. Holiday 601
3. Another Breakfast With You
4. Discotraxx
Download
19 August 2011
Rocksucker interview (2011)
"The best of British pop music" – that's how Brian Eno, no less, once described Merseyside electropop institution Ladytron. That's no small praise, especially considering that the band took their name from a song off Roxy Music's classic debut album. Premature though it may be to describe Ladytron as legends, the release earlier this year of career retrospective Best of 00-10 served to confirm just what a glorious niche they've carved out for themselves since they were so idly lumped in with the electroclash movement of the early noughties.
If that compilation can be seen as closing a chapter in their history then, goodness, they haven't half been quick to open up another – in fact, though it does not see the light of day until September 12th, Ladytron's fifth studio album Gravity the Seducer was also completed earlier this year. As is the way with these things nowadays, they've been forced to sit on it for a while at the behest of various market forces but a steady drip-feed of tantalising singles has cranked up the anticipation to almost unbearable levels amongst the group's dedicated and by-now-considerable fan base.
Rest assured, though, that the time is nigh for Ladytron to once again cement their place at the very forefront of dreamy, electronic pop music on these shores, or indeed any other you'd care to mention. As such, Rocksucker caught up with lead singer Helen Marnie to discuss Gravity the Seducer, the media's attempts to categorise the band's sound and why she'd think twice about sharing a stage with confirmed Ladytron enthusiast Christina Aguilera...
You've just come back from what looks like it must have been quite an exhausting tour. How was it for you? Where had the best crowd? How do you get the energy levels back up for your American tour?
Yeah, our touring this year started at the end of April with a one-night trip to Beijing to play a festival there. Since then we've done lots of European dates, festivals, and managed to squeeze in a short UK tour as well. I think the best crowds of the summer have been in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Selector Festival in Poland. They were both fun gigs. As for North America, we get a great reception over there so we're all really looking forward to going on the road for four weeks. It's like being in a little gang for a while, and you kind of feed off one another.
What was the thinking behind releasing a Best Of just a few months before a new studio album?
We'd had a bit of a break from touring Velocifero so it seemed like a good time to release a Best Of package to keep fans interested and to also set up the new album. We also couldn't pass on releasing an album which celebrated us over the last ten years. How many bands are lucky enough to get to do that? Releasing the deluxe version with the photo booklet actually made me quite nostalgic. When we were collating the photos, it was like the story of Ladytron through the years.
What can we expect from Gravity the Seducer? Would you say that "Ace of Hz", "Ambulances" and "White Elephant" are good indicators? Is it true that there will be a different version of "Ace of Hz" on the album?
Gravity the Seducer is a journey from beginning to end. Songs flow into one another as if they belong. The songs released so far are an insight into the album and instrumentally there are recurring sounds, along with themes. There is an alternative "Ace of Hz" which features on the album.
What can you tell us about the "dramatic arc" that holds the album together?
Reoccurring themes weave throughout, with the sounds of organs, bells, and strings. These ideas and sounds, along with lush, full vocals, make the album complete.
How frustrating and/or nerve-wracking is it to complete an album and then have to wait until several months until its release?
It's always frustrating when there is a long delay between studio completion and release date. The release of the Best Of made the wait a little longer, but hopefully people will appreciate the album when it's released in September and will think it's been worth the wait. There really is not a lot that can be done about it. Everything needs to be done properly and set up in order to make the greatest impact. For us, we're just excited that it will finally be released and we're moving forward concentrating on the new.
Looking back, which of your previous albums are you most proud of? And why? Which one involved the biggest workload?
It's hard to choose, but I think Witching Hour was a turning point for us all. It kind of took Ladytron in a new, exciting direction. Personally, I feel that vocally it was a more demanding record and it pushed me more than previous studio albums, which was good as it made me a more confident singer. All in all I think it was more representative of Ladytron as four individuals.
Were you uncomfortable with the media lumping you in with the electroclash movement during your early days? In a way, did this kind of stereotyping inform the subsequent progression of the band's sound?
We were always lumped in with bands we sounded nothing like and often didn't have much in common with. That was what made us uncomfortable. For that reason, we just tried to avoid any connection with the term. Our sound is never reactionary to outside elements, it's always natural and down to experiences. Velocifero had a harder, more live sound due to the immense amount of touring we did before going in to record that album.
How does it feel to have Brian Eno describe you as "the best of British pop music"? Might you ever collaborate with him?
Wow, it's amazing for anyone to say that about us but coming from Brian Eno it's rather special. I'm sure Brian Eno is far too busy to find time to write with us, though it would be great.
Apparently Christina Aguilera has said that she intends to attend your LA show in September. Might you get her up onstage and do [the Ladytron-produced] "Birds of Prey"?
Haha. There's no way I would be able to sing after Christina Aguilera. She'd blow me off the stage. She came to our last LA gig though, so it would be nice to have her there again.
Are there any up-and-coming artists you'd like to give a shout out to?
No. Apart from my friend Land of Bingo.
Finally, could you name – as of this very moment – your top three albums of all time?
Hmmmm. Joni Mitchell - Song to a Seagull. Heart - Dreamboat Annie. Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim.
Helen, thank you.
Source
Rest assured, though, that the time is nigh for Ladytron to once again cement their place at the very forefront of dreamy, electronic pop music on these shores, or indeed any other you'd care to mention. As such, Rocksucker caught up with lead singer Helen Marnie to discuss Gravity the Seducer, the media's attempts to categorise the band's sound and why she'd think twice about sharing a stage with confirmed Ladytron enthusiast Christina Aguilera...
You've just come back from what looks like it must have been quite an exhausting tour. How was it for you? Where had the best crowd? How do you get the energy levels back up for your American tour?
Yeah, our touring this year started at the end of April with a one-night trip to Beijing to play a festival there. Since then we've done lots of European dates, festivals, and managed to squeeze in a short UK tour as well. I think the best crowds of the summer have been in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the Selector Festival in Poland. They were both fun gigs. As for North America, we get a great reception over there so we're all really looking forward to going on the road for four weeks. It's like being in a little gang for a while, and you kind of feed off one another.
What was the thinking behind releasing a Best Of just a few months before a new studio album?
We'd had a bit of a break from touring Velocifero so it seemed like a good time to release a Best Of package to keep fans interested and to also set up the new album. We also couldn't pass on releasing an album which celebrated us over the last ten years. How many bands are lucky enough to get to do that? Releasing the deluxe version with the photo booklet actually made me quite nostalgic. When we were collating the photos, it was like the story of Ladytron through the years.
What can we expect from Gravity the Seducer? Would you say that "Ace of Hz", "Ambulances" and "White Elephant" are good indicators? Is it true that there will be a different version of "Ace of Hz" on the album?
Gravity the Seducer is a journey from beginning to end. Songs flow into one another as if they belong. The songs released so far are an insight into the album and instrumentally there are recurring sounds, along with themes. There is an alternative "Ace of Hz" which features on the album.
What can you tell us about the "dramatic arc" that holds the album together?
Reoccurring themes weave throughout, with the sounds of organs, bells, and strings. These ideas and sounds, along with lush, full vocals, make the album complete.
How frustrating and/or nerve-wracking is it to complete an album and then have to wait until several months until its release?
It's always frustrating when there is a long delay between studio completion and release date. The release of the Best Of made the wait a little longer, but hopefully people will appreciate the album when it's released in September and will think it's been worth the wait. There really is not a lot that can be done about it. Everything needs to be done properly and set up in order to make the greatest impact. For us, we're just excited that it will finally be released and we're moving forward concentrating on the new.
It's hard to choose, but I think Witching Hour was a turning point for us all. It kind of took Ladytron in a new, exciting direction. Personally, I feel that vocally it was a more demanding record and it pushed me more than previous studio albums, which was good as it made me a more confident singer. All in all I think it was more representative of Ladytron as four individuals.
Were you uncomfortable with the media lumping you in with the electroclash movement during your early days? In a way, did this kind of stereotyping inform the subsequent progression of the band's sound?
We were always lumped in with bands we sounded nothing like and often didn't have much in common with. That was what made us uncomfortable. For that reason, we just tried to avoid any connection with the term. Our sound is never reactionary to outside elements, it's always natural and down to experiences. Velocifero had a harder, more live sound due to the immense amount of touring we did before going in to record that album.
How does it feel to have Brian Eno describe you as "the best of British pop music"? Might you ever collaborate with him?
Wow, it's amazing for anyone to say that about us but coming from Brian Eno it's rather special. I'm sure Brian Eno is far too busy to find time to write with us, though it would be great.
Apparently Christina Aguilera has said that she intends to attend your LA show in September. Might you get her up onstage and do [the Ladytron-produced] "Birds of Prey"?
Haha. There's no way I would be able to sing after Christina Aguilera. She'd blow me off the stage. She came to our last LA gig though, so it would be nice to have her there again.
Are there any up-and-coming artists you'd like to give a shout out to?
No. Apart from my friend Land of Bingo.
Finally, could you name – as of this very moment – your top three albums of all time?
Hmmmm. Joni Mitchell - Song to a Seagull. Heart - Dreamboat Annie. Laura Marling - Alas I Cannot Swim.
Helen, thank you.
Source
07 August 2011
Scene Magazine interview (2009)
"We still get the same crap hotel rooms and the same crap riders", laughs Wu. "They never get better and they never get worse. One thing we did find when we toured last year was that advance ticket sales were lower than usual, but on the days of the gigs, a whole lot of kids decided to come and see the band. We ended up selling out most of the dates on the tour. Everyone needs rock music, and it's survival of the fittest".
Wu is happy to claim his band's place atop the Darwinian food chain, but doesn't necessarily agree that they can take all the credit (blame?) for today's electro-saturated musical landscape. "Yeah, there are a lot of bands out there who probably wouldn't sound the way they do if we didn't happen", he concedes. "But I think at the same time, a lot of those bands wouldn't sound like that if things hadn't happened between 1979 and 1984. We're by no means the genesis of electropop, we just managed to repopularise it.
"But the other thing that's happened in the wake of electroclash is that it's made electronic instruments acceptable in mainstream music. Remember when Madonna released that electro track? So many bands have synthesizers and keyboards now, but they don't really see it as electropop anymore. They just see it as pop".
Similarly, Ladytron haven't seen themselves as an electropop band for quite some time now. Most critics pin that evolution to last year's 'Velocifero' (their fourth LP, which literally translates to 'bringer of speed') and its ubiquitous single, 'Ghosts'. They're wrong.
"That didn't happen during this album. That happened during the second album (2002's 'Light & Magic'). Our record had been out for awhile, and we were getting all this press saying we were the pioneers of this thing that was happening in New York. Our attitude was, 'ok, we're doing our own thing, and we're not part of any scene'... I think 'Light & Magic' bookended that whole period for us. It was like, 'that's out of the way, let's not think about that anymore'. We've really developed and evolved our sound on an album-by-album basis since then".
That evolution has brought them to Brian Eno's notice. Eno, the avant-garde pioneer who played on the Roxy Music track Ladytron takes its name from, has handpicked the band to take part in his 'Luminous' festival. "It's quite an interesting story, actually", Wu says. Normally such a statement precedes an incredibly dull story, but he isn't lying.
"Helen and Mira were loading stuff into their car after a show in Oxford when a girl came up to them and introduced herself as Brian Eno's daughter. She said she was a fan of the band and that she'd gotten her dad into us, which was pretty exciting. A couple of days later, we got a call from Eno's people asking if we wanted to play the Sydney Opera House. And it's entirely down to the kids keeping dad cool!" Naturally, after nearly a decade of world tours, this isn't Wu's first trip Down Under.
"This'll be my fifth time in Australia. Eventually I want to drive across the outback, but you never know what's going to happen. I'm worried I'll be murdered". It's 2012. Wu survives an ordeal in the Australian outback and lives to write an album about it. It's a success, inspiring hundreds of imitators. Nobody is surprised.
Source
05 August 2011
The Guardian interview (2002)
Ladytron's image of frosty European hauteur and black-clad cool is crumpled somewhat by the fact that they are the clumsiest band in Britain. "One time we came on stage to 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath", recalls Mira Aroyo, a Bulgarian geneticist who recently completed her PhD at Oxford University. "It was going to be our great moment, but I tripped over the monitors. Then Danny came out and landed on top of me. Our tour manager had to pick us up and place us in front of our synthesizers".
"It's a common problem", Helen Marnie accepts. She recalls the time when Mira tried to solve a problem with her synthesiser on stage with a screwdriver, and yanked it so hard that it flew backwards and hit band member Danny Hunt in the face". There was blood everywhere, and that screwdriver could have gone in his eye. Imagine if we had actually killed him on stage! That would have been awful".
It's a Monday afternoon, and the neatly turned-out female members of Ladytron are drinking Bailey's from champagne glasses in Mira's Shoreditch flat. Piles of records are stacked up against the minibar, and Helen has brought along a few of her favourites to play over the course of the afternoon. Amongst them are Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' and Belinda Carlisle's 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth'. "That's me when I was younger", says Helen, who is a classically trained pianist. "Michael Jackson - why not? I would wake up, get ready for school, and listen to The Bangles, Carly Simon and ABBA. Then when I got older and more sophisticated, it was Madonna and Michael Jackson".
"I grew up with Woody Guthrie and Neil Young because that was what my parents liked, but I used to listen to the Birthday Party before school, mainly to annoy them", says Mira, whose musical tastes are a little darker than those of her fellow band member". I listened to Sonic Youth a lot too, and 'Surrender' by Cheap Trick. It's real high-school rock, and it was the thing that all the cool boys liked, along with Black Sabbath". Helen and Mira share a fondness for Jeff Wayne's epic concept album, The War of the Worlds. "Danny and I slept in Jeff Wayne's studio one night for some reason", says Mira. "We were looking at this album cover before we went to bed and we both had nightmares. But it's the campest combination ever: Victorian gentlemen and Martians".
"I like Watership Down as well", offers Helen, innocently. All four members of Ladytron like pure pop with a dark edge. The evidence for this is on Light & Magic, the album they recently completed in Los Angeles, recording in a cockroach-infested, granite-walled studio with a pool outside. "LA is very much like a David Lynch movie", says Mira. "It's a strange place, because you can't go for a walk there - as soon as you stop by the traffic lights, some freak starts hassling you".
The LA trip made the band, who had previously been steeped in European culture, realise that much of their shared influences have come from the States. "'Be My Baby' by The Ronettes is probably the song that really does it for us, because it is so simple while working perfectly", says Helen. "We all like Phil Spector, and what brought us together in the first place was the idea of combining synthesizers with traditional pop structures, hooks and melodies. Our American producer showed us that Shannon made electronic music that was just as good as Kraftwerk or The Normal".
Mira and Helen have records by a host of female singers, among them Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Nancy Sinatra and Kate Bush. "Kate Bush is amazing, there's no one like her", says Helen. "As for Joni Mitchell, she's one for the girls. Boys just can't understand her".
Mira pulls out a decrepit copy of Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs, its corrugated cover a result of being left out in the rain when she was at university. "My favourite ever record", she says. "There's something very English about it. Barrett did a song called 'Have You Got It Yet?' with Pink Floyd, in which he kept changing the time signatures over the course of a few days, and all he said as they practised was, 'Have you got it yet?' He's meant to be mad, but moments like that make it clear he had some sort of genius".
Serge Gainsbourg is another favourite. Mira and Helen recount the tale of Gainsbourg appearing on television, drunk and dishevelled, with a prim Whitney Houston, who was less than impressed with his unsubtle seduction technique. Mira went to see Jane Birkin, Gainsbourg's former lover and co-singer on 'Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus', a couple of years ago at a London concert. "I really, really love Jane Birkin, and it was a bit disappointing really because she only did one song".
Source
"It's a common problem", Helen Marnie accepts. She recalls the time when Mira tried to solve a problem with her synthesiser on stage with a screwdriver, and yanked it so hard that it flew backwards and hit band member Danny Hunt in the face". There was blood everywhere, and that screwdriver could have gone in his eye. Imagine if we had actually killed him on stage! That would have been awful".It's a Monday afternoon, and the neatly turned-out female members of Ladytron are drinking Bailey's from champagne glasses in Mira's Shoreditch flat. Piles of records are stacked up against the minibar, and Helen has brought along a few of her favourites to play over the course of the afternoon. Amongst them are Whitney Houston's 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' and Belinda Carlisle's 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth'. "That's me when I was younger", says Helen, who is a classically trained pianist. "Michael Jackson - why not? I would wake up, get ready for school, and listen to The Bangles, Carly Simon and ABBA. Then when I got older and more sophisticated, it was Madonna and Michael Jackson".
"I grew up with Woody Guthrie and Neil Young because that was what my parents liked, but I used to listen to the Birthday Party before school, mainly to annoy them", says Mira, whose musical tastes are a little darker than those of her fellow band member". I listened to Sonic Youth a lot too, and 'Surrender' by Cheap Trick. It's real high-school rock, and it was the thing that all the cool boys liked, along with Black Sabbath". Helen and Mira share a fondness for Jeff Wayne's epic concept album, The War of the Worlds. "Danny and I slept in Jeff Wayne's studio one night for some reason", says Mira. "We were looking at this album cover before we went to bed and we both had nightmares. But it's the campest combination ever: Victorian gentlemen and Martians".
"I like Watership Down as well", offers Helen, innocently. All four members of Ladytron like pure pop with a dark edge. The evidence for this is on Light & Magic, the album they recently completed in Los Angeles, recording in a cockroach-infested, granite-walled studio with a pool outside. "LA is very much like a David Lynch movie", says Mira. "It's a strange place, because you can't go for a walk there - as soon as you stop by the traffic lights, some freak starts hassling you".The LA trip made the band, who had previously been steeped in European culture, realise that much of their shared influences have come from the States. "'Be My Baby' by The Ronettes is probably the song that really does it for us, because it is so simple while working perfectly", says Helen. "We all like Phil Spector, and what brought us together in the first place was the idea of combining synthesizers with traditional pop structures, hooks and melodies. Our American producer showed us that Shannon made electronic music that was just as good as Kraftwerk or The Normal".
Mira and Helen have records by a host of female singers, among them Dolly Parton, Joni Mitchell, Nancy Sinatra and Kate Bush. "Kate Bush is amazing, there's no one like her", says Helen. "As for Joni Mitchell, she's one for the girls. Boys just can't understand her".
Mira pulls out a decrepit copy of Syd Barrett's The Madcap Laughs, its corrugated cover a result of being left out in the rain when she was at university. "My favourite ever record", she says. "There's something very English about it. Barrett did a song called 'Have You Got It Yet?' with Pink Floyd, in which he kept changing the time signatures over the course of a few days, and all he said as they practised was, 'Have you got it yet?' He's meant to be mad, but moments like that make it clear he had some sort of genius".Serge Gainsbourg is another favourite. Mira and Helen recount the tale of Gainsbourg appearing on television, drunk and dishevelled, with a prim Whitney Houston, who was less than impressed with his unsubtle seduction technique. Mira went to see Jane Birkin, Gainsbourg's former lover and co-singer on 'Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus', a couple of years ago at a London concert. "I really, really love Jane Birkin, and it was a bit disappointing really because she only did one song".
Source
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