"Altitude Blues" unofficial video based on Gravity the Seducer trailer by Neil Krug.
11 December 2011
Soccer Gaming interview (2011)
The first SG Music interview of 2011 sees us catch up with FIFA 11 featured artists, Ladytron. Having been on the scene for over a decade, the 4 piece featuring members from Scotland and Liverpool have created quite a cult following amongst festival goers and are renouned for their live shows. Their track, Ace of Hz can be found on FIFA 11, and their music has also been featured on EA titles such as Need For Speed and The Sims along with the recent release for PS3, LittleBig Planet 2. I caught up with Reuben from the band to discuss football, music and performing!
Firstly, Ladytron could you explain a bit about your name and how you came together?
Ladytron was the name of a song on Roxy Music's first album. We formed in 1999 when I was back in Liverpool doing a masters degree in design, Danny was DJing at his own club night and Helen was doing a degree in music. We met Mira through a friend of ours while she was doing her PHD in genetics in Oxford.
Your music has a very strong electronic vibe, who would you class as your main musical influences?
Although we sound electronic, our influences are much wider-ranging than that, and it's impossible to list all of them, as the 4 of us like a lot of different music. With me, it's My Bloody Valentine, Brian Eno, Goblin, The Fall, Serge Gainsbourg, Curve, Wire, Broadcast, Stereolab as well as stuff like Aphex Twin, Pansonic, Nine Inch Nails, The Carpenters, Angelo Badalamenti and JS Bach which I have loved over the years.
Your are widely praised amongst music fans for opting for creativity ahead of conforming to the generic musical styles. Is this a conscious decision about the direction as a group or something that comes naturally?
When we are working on music or anything requiring creative thought, we automatically end up asking ourselves whether it's original and whether it's any good. I can't think of any time when we have decided to do something which was similar to anything in the mainstream media - I guess we are just not wired that way and many of the decisions are made solely by the band rather than a record label. In answer to your question, it's probably a combination of both. It also helps that there are 4 of us.
Ladytron are renouned for putting on top level live shows when they performing, and have developed something of a cult following. What are the best parts about performing live?
The best parts of live shows are seeing the crowd react to the songs we play them. We built up our live shows from scratch. When we first played live I'd say it was an attempt to replicate the early recorded material, whereas we're now at the stage where the quality of songwriting is matched by the ability to play them all out live. As electronic artists, it's very important that we keep it as live as possible and not resort to easy ways out, as it's just not fulfilling.
Having released your first international EP in 2000, how do you feel the music world has evolved and changed over the past decade, both positively and negatively?
Well, I can only comment on the music world that we are part of. I know that nowadays it's totally mainstream to feature synthesizers in music, whereas when we released our first records, only a very small handful of artists were using them as prominently as we were. Every interview we did asked us why we were using keyboards, compared to now when every band uses synthesizers but never get asked why! One aspect of modern music-listening which is both a curse and blessing to me is the internet allows anyone with a decent connection to listen to everyone else's music but at the same time it has nurtured short attention span and increasingly homogenised music.
Onto gaming, your tracks have been featured on games such as Need For Speed, The Sims 3 and of course FIFA 11. Do you feel these mediums are the best way to give mainstream audiences the opportunity to hear your music?
Definitely, we've always been quite an underground band so having our music included on these games is really refreshing. It's a whole new platform and adds a new dimension to music-listening. Our tracks as a soundtrack to a visual experiences work really well.
Do Ladytron game as a band at all, and if so, what are your favourite games to play, and ultimately, who is the best gamer?
Not really! I used to be an avid Super Nintendo player though. My favourite game was Legend of Zelda which I once completed in one day on one life after I pulled a sicky off school.
Music within video games is becoming a massive thing, with soundtracks being commonplace amongst many top level titles. Would you ever be interested in one day composing and developing an entire musical score for a video game?
Yes, we'd love to compose a whole score.
Regarding football, and with a band made up of people from both Liverpool and Scotland, do you follow any teams and are there any in group rivalries?
Not really. Danny's a big LFC follower but the rest of us aren't really huge fans. One thing's for sure. If there's a big LFC match on then we won't be in the rehearsing room.
Finally, there are very few groups that are mixed gender and manage to stay together for ten years. What are the best and worst parts about having both male and female elements to Ladytron?
It's all good. Seriously, I think this is one of the reasons why we are still together! Things are a bit more civilised when ladies are involved.
Source
Firstly, Ladytron could you explain a bit about your name and how you came together?Ladytron was the name of a song on Roxy Music's first album. We formed in 1999 when I was back in Liverpool doing a masters degree in design, Danny was DJing at his own club night and Helen was doing a degree in music. We met Mira through a friend of ours while she was doing her PHD in genetics in Oxford.
Your music has a very strong electronic vibe, who would you class as your main musical influences?
Although we sound electronic, our influences are much wider-ranging than that, and it's impossible to list all of them, as the 4 of us like a lot of different music. With me, it's My Bloody Valentine, Brian Eno, Goblin, The Fall, Serge Gainsbourg, Curve, Wire, Broadcast, Stereolab as well as stuff like Aphex Twin, Pansonic, Nine Inch Nails, The Carpenters, Angelo Badalamenti and JS Bach which I have loved over the years.
Your are widely praised amongst music fans for opting for creativity ahead of conforming to the generic musical styles. Is this a conscious decision about the direction as a group or something that comes naturally?
When we are working on music or anything requiring creative thought, we automatically end up asking ourselves whether it's original and whether it's any good. I can't think of any time when we have decided to do something which was similar to anything in the mainstream media - I guess we are just not wired that way and many of the decisions are made solely by the band rather than a record label. In answer to your question, it's probably a combination of both. It also helps that there are 4 of us.
Ladytron are renouned for putting on top level live shows when they performing, and have developed something of a cult following. What are the best parts about performing live?
The best parts of live shows are seeing the crowd react to the songs we play them. We built up our live shows from scratch. When we first played live I'd say it was an attempt to replicate the early recorded material, whereas we're now at the stage where the quality of songwriting is matched by the ability to play them all out live. As electronic artists, it's very important that we keep it as live as possible and not resort to easy ways out, as it's just not fulfilling.
Having released your first international EP in 2000, how do you feel the music world has evolved and changed over the past decade, both positively and negatively?
Well, I can only comment on the music world that we are part of. I know that nowadays it's totally mainstream to feature synthesizers in music, whereas when we released our first records, only a very small handful of artists were using them as prominently as we were. Every interview we did asked us why we were using keyboards, compared to now when every band uses synthesizers but never get asked why! One aspect of modern music-listening which is both a curse and blessing to me is the internet allows anyone with a decent connection to listen to everyone else's music but at the same time it has nurtured short attention span and increasingly homogenised music.
Onto gaming, your tracks have been featured on games such as Need For Speed, The Sims 3 and of course FIFA 11. Do you feel these mediums are the best way to give mainstream audiences the opportunity to hear your music?Definitely, we've always been quite an underground band so having our music included on these games is really refreshing. It's a whole new platform and adds a new dimension to music-listening. Our tracks as a soundtrack to a visual experiences work really well.
Do Ladytron game as a band at all, and if so, what are your favourite games to play, and ultimately, who is the best gamer?
Not really! I used to be an avid Super Nintendo player though. My favourite game was Legend of Zelda which I once completed in one day on one life after I pulled a sicky off school.
Music within video games is becoming a massive thing, with soundtracks being commonplace amongst many top level titles. Would you ever be interested in one day composing and developing an entire musical score for a video game?
Yes, we'd love to compose a whole score.
Regarding football, and with a band made up of people from both Liverpool and Scotland, do you follow any teams and are there any in group rivalries?
Not really. Danny's a big LFC follower but the rest of us aren't really huge fans. One thing's for sure. If there's a big LFC match on then we won't be in the rehearsing room.
Finally, there are very few groups that are mixed gender and manage to stay together for ten years. What are the best and worst parts about having both male and female elements to Ladytron?
It's all good. Seriously, I think this is one of the reasons why we are still together! Things are a bit more civilised when ladies are involved.
Source
25 November 2011
23 November 2011
20 November 2011
Ladytron - Barfly, London, 2003
Format: WMV, 320x240
Size: 144 MB
Source: internet stream by XFM
Content:
01. True Mathematics
02. Playgirl
03. Another Breakfast With You
04. Cracked LCD
05. Blue Jeans
06. He Took Her to a Movie
07. Evil
08. USA vs. White Noise
09. Seventeen
10. The Way That I Found You
11. Turn It On
12. Discotraxx
Download
The Digital Fix interview (2011)
For more than ten years now, Ladytron have been tantalising us with their ice cool electronica, breaking through at a time when some of today's Moog meddlers were still getting to grips with their Fisher Price DJ decks. With their new album Gravity the Seducer imminent, we caught up with the band's Helen Marnie to discuss their latest effort and how it feels to reach the milestone of a decade in the industry.
Hey Ladytron! Normally at this point we ask you to introduce yourself and tell us what the most exotic item within your current field of vision is.
I'm Helen from Ladytron! Within my current field of vision it would be a Chinese fighter pilot helmet I got when we were playing in China in 2005.
Because we have access to the internet, we know that Gravity the Seducer is your fifth studio album in ten years - which is a veritible flood by modern standards. When did thoughts turn towards writing a new album and is it easier or harder to come up with new material over time?
Yes, we've been lucky enough to sustain a music career since 1999, something I never thought would happen. As soon as we stopped touring Velocifero towards the end of 2009 our thoughts turned towards album number five. We always write when we have time off, never when on tour. The two just don't mix.
We are inspired by everything around us and events in our own lives so this is all poured into new material. There's always something there to write about.
Do you start with a plan as to how any new material is going to come together into an album, or do you just write and see what works?
We never really plan as such. We give ourselves a rough timeline and whatever material is ready by then goes into the pot and then we decide what we think is going to work best and what should be concentrated on. It's a pretty natural process. It's never contrived. We write about what we want and then pull it all together.
Does GTS have an overarching theme at all? A few tracks like 'White Elephant', 'Transparent Days', 'Mirage' suggest something about illusion maybe?
The album as a whole feels like it is thematically linked. The songs almost merge into one another at points. There are loose themes and imagery running throughout and re-occurring instrumentation. Themes range between life and death, optical illusions, and altitude, to name a few.
Ladytron, as a vehicle, has given you the opportunity to travel all over the world. What's the oddest thing you've ever seen on tour?
Yes, we've travelled to some amazing places and seen quite a few things. I think the most interesting place I've been is probably China. It's just so culturally different from the UK so is very unfamiliar to me. We first toured there in 2005. The streets of Shenzhen and Shanghai were lined with huge red posters on flagpoles with our faces on them. It looked almost military! We were the first western band to play there since Elton John I believe, so it was quite a big deal for us.
What kind of items do you take with you to remind you of home?
These days when I go on tour my most precious item is my laptop with Skype on it. It is a saviour. Means I can keep in touch with my husband and family and stay grounded when crazy stuff is going on on the tourbus.
I imagine Ladytron have some pretty hardcore Japanese fans. What kind of presents do they give you?
It's kind of weird but we have never actually played Japan as a band. Danny DJ-ed there years ago, and our EP Miss Black and Her Friends was released there by Bambini in 1999, however it's one place we've not been. We would love to go though!
What was it like putting together your 'best of'? When you sat down to compile the tracklisting, did it change the way you thought about your decade together?
It was quite a nostalgic process and it did make me realise we've gone through a lot together as a band, but also as friends. Sometimes it's easy to forget that we just started out making music and making fun for ourselves. Obviously today we have to be a more serious outfit, as Ladytron is what we do. But it was good to track through the years. Looking at the photo booklet really showed us as a bunch of kids. We look so baby faced.
Compiling the tracks was quite difficult because we all had ideas about what should and shouldn't be included. In the end we compiled a huge list and then narrowed it down by selection until we all agreed on the final cut. It did take quite some time though. The deluxe version is more rounded I think because it included some more obscure tracks, fan favourites, and tunes we thought should've had more exposure.
When you hit an anniversary like that, does it make you think about the future? Do you want Ladytron to be around for a long time or is it a case of one project at a time?
These days we don't really think too far ahead because who knows what the future holds? We do want longevity though. As long as we can keep producing music that we feel is worthy of release then we will continue to do so.
We always try and ask bands for some personal advice when we can - say there's this guy, maybe he writes for a music website and he's got a bit of a crush on the girl who works in the local musical instrument shop. He's going to go in and try out a synth in order to impress her - what should he play? A bit of Bach? Laura Brannigan? The hits of Meatloaf?
Hmmm. Classical is probably not the way to go. I say play some Carpenters, that's sure to win her over. If it doesn't maybe she's just not that cool.
Source
Hey Ladytron! Normally at this point we ask you to introduce yourself and tell us what the most exotic item within your current field of vision is.I'm Helen from Ladytron! Within my current field of vision it would be a Chinese fighter pilot helmet I got when we were playing in China in 2005.
Because we have access to the internet, we know that Gravity the Seducer is your fifth studio album in ten years - which is a veritible flood by modern standards. When did thoughts turn towards writing a new album and is it easier or harder to come up with new material over time?
Yes, we've been lucky enough to sustain a music career since 1999, something I never thought would happen. As soon as we stopped touring Velocifero towards the end of 2009 our thoughts turned towards album number five. We always write when we have time off, never when on tour. The two just don't mix.
We are inspired by everything around us and events in our own lives so this is all poured into new material. There's always something there to write about.
Do you start with a plan as to how any new material is going to come together into an album, or do you just write and see what works?
We never really plan as such. We give ourselves a rough timeline and whatever material is ready by then goes into the pot and then we decide what we think is going to work best and what should be concentrated on. It's a pretty natural process. It's never contrived. We write about what we want and then pull it all together.
Does GTS have an overarching theme at all? A few tracks like 'White Elephant', 'Transparent Days', 'Mirage' suggest something about illusion maybe?
The album as a whole feels like it is thematically linked. The songs almost merge into one another at points. There are loose themes and imagery running throughout and re-occurring instrumentation. Themes range between life and death, optical illusions, and altitude, to name a few.
Ladytron, as a vehicle, has given you the opportunity to travel all over the world. What's the oddest thing you've ever seen on tour?
Yes, we've travelled to some amazing places and seen quite a few things. I think the most interesting place I've been is probably China. It's just so culturally different from the UK so is very unfamiliar to me. We first toured there in 2005. The streets of Shenzhen and Shanghai were lined with huge red posters on flagpoles with our faces on them. It looked almost military! We were the first western band to play there since Elton John I believe, so it was quite a big deal for us. What kind of items do you take with you to remind you of home?
These days when I go on tour my most precious item is my laptop with Skype on it. It is a saviour. Means I can keep in touch with my husband and family and stay grounded when crazy stuff is going on on the tourbus.
I imagine Ladytron have some pretty hardcore Japanese fans. What kind of presents do they give you?
It's kind of weird but we have never actually played Japan as a band. Danny DJ-ed there years ago, and our EP Miss Black and Her Friends was released there by Bambini in 1999, however it's one place we've not been. We would love to go though!
What was it like putting together your 'best of'? When you sat down to compile the tracklisting, did it change the way you thought about your decade together?
It was quite a nostalgic process and it did make me realise we've gone through a lot together as a band, but also as friends. Sometimes it's easy to forget that we just started out making music and making fun for ourselves. Obviously today we have to be a more serious outfit, as Ladytron is what we do. But it was good to track through the years. Looking at the photo booklet really showed us as a bunch of kids. We look so baby faced.
Compiling the tracks was quite difficult because we all had ideas about what should and shouldn't be included. In the end we compiled a huge list and then narrowed it down by selection until we all agreed on the final cut. It did take quite some time though. The deluxe version is more rounded I think because it included some more obscure tracks, fan favourites, and tunes we thought should've had more exposure.
When you hit an anniversary like that, does it make you think about the future? Do you want Ladytron to be around for a long time or is it a case of one project at a time?These days we don't really think too far ahead because who knows what the future holds? We do want longevity though. As long as we can keep producing music that we feel is worthy of release then we will continue to do so.
We always try and ask bands for some personal advice when we can - say there's this guy, maybe he writes for a music website and he's got a bit of a crush on the girl who works in the local musical instrument shop. He's going to go in and try out a synth in order to impress her - what should he play? A bit of Bach? Laura Brannigan? The hits of Meatloaf?
Hmmm. Classical is probably not the way to go. I say play some Carpenters, that's sure to win her over. If it doesn't maybe she's just not that cool.
Source
19 November 2011
Ology interview (2011)
Your favorite band are probably still reading the instruction manual for their new Minimoog, but Liverpool quartet Ladytron have been releasing effortlessly hip, old school analogue synthesizer pop for more than a decade. Their new album Gravity the Seducer (out tomorrow) is maybe their biggest stylistic leap forward yet—a seamless song cycle of evocative synth textures, haunting pop melodies, and, as always, the chilly future-sex vocals of singers Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo.
I spoke with founding member Daniel Hunt last week about the band's new album, the upcoming "Mirage" music video, and the return of the album as an artistic statement.
Hi Daniel, this is Brett at Ology. How are you doing?
Hi, I'm good, thanks!
What've you been up to today?
I've just been chilling out. We've actually been up in Scotland shooting a video for "Mirage" all week, which was interesting.
Your North American tour kicks off in a few weeks. How much time do you typically spend rehearsing before a major tour?
It depends. We've been playing shows already this summer. We just had a break in August, so we'll have a little refresh before we go out.
There are a lot of really dense, complicated textures on several of the new songs. Has it been a challenge translating them into the live setting?
Not really. I mean, we cross that bridge when we get to it. The most important thing for us has always been to make the records sound right. When we reproduce that live, we approach it in turn, and we've done it differently from tour to tour. There's no set way of approaching it, really. Depends on the set-up.
I read that you recorded the new album in the countryside in Kent. Did the environment have a direct effect on the writing or recording process?
No, not really, because we write and record for obviously a long period before we approach studios. I would say perhaps the choice of recording location was influenced by the material, rather than vice versa.
You chose to work with producer Simon "Barny" Barnicott again on this record. What did he bring to the table this time around?
We've worked with him off and on since 2002. The first thing he did was a single mix for "Blue Jeans"-- he used to be Jim Abbiss' assistant and mix engineer. We did a couple of single mixes and Witching Hour with them, and now he works alone and has a set-up out there in Kent. So it made sense, really-- we really like his mixing. He has a great set of ears and some interesting tricks… quite convoluted analogue techniques to getting certain things. We try to remain outside the digital realm as much as we can, as much as is possible. He and Jim Abbiss are both really great for that.
When you hunker down to write a new album, will you typically come up with a set direction or sound you want to pursue, or does it all come organically out of the songwriting?
You end up with a batch of material that you're working on and sometimes the sound of tracks kind of attract each other, in a way. Tracks become closer together sonically as things develop. I think that's one of the strengths of this record—it sounds very coherent, that was a conscious move on our part… as conscious as these things can be, obviously. A record like this definitely couldn't be planned mathematically.
I really love the sounds on "White Gold". Do you remember which synthesizers or keyboards you used on it?
You might be talking about the Conn organ. That's probably the most characteristic sound on it. Or else, there's a sound that sounds like a plucked guitar, which is actually hollow plastic pipes that are pitched… It sounds a bit like a guitar, comes in after the first chorus. That might be what you're talking about.
I think that "90 Degrees" might be my new favorite Ladytron song of all time. How did that song come together?
I'm glad you said that, that song's quite dear to me. I actually originally wrote that in Portuguese for my fiancé, and then translated it to English. It's a couple years older than the others. To me, that's like the heart of the record. I think that track was the seed for what developed elsewhere on the record.
I really love the "Ace of Hz" and "White Elephant" videos. I'm wondering, are visuals something you're thinking about when you're writing and recording, or do they come much later in the process?
It comes later in the process because, to be honest, almost all videos are just the director's representation of the song. Unless you're hands-on making the video yourselves, they're not part of the canon, they are something added on. Sometimes they work in their own way, or they somehow transcend the track alone, or whatever, but rarely are they actually part of the album's visual identity. So they can be standalone, but now we're getting a little bit closer to the album. For example, Neil Krug has made some video material for the record and Helen and I put together the concept for the video for "Mirage", which we've just been shooting with director Michael Sherrington. The "Blue Jeans" video was completely our thing, and we've had input before, but this one might be the first time where we feel like the video and the song have genuine synergy. But it's not finished yet, so we'll see how it turns out.
Ladytron have been pigeonholed as being a lot of different things by the music press over the years. Now that synthesizers are becoming much more of a mainstay in rock and pop music, do you feel like there's less of a tendency to label electronic bands into the different categories than there was when you were first starting out?
Yeah, I think to be honest, we bore the brunt of it. The focus on genre and this need to classify everything was something that we found… I wouldn't say we found it annoying, but we found it bemusing. It's like, why do things need a genre? And at the same time, why invent a convoluted genre for something that doesn't really have one? Why not just let things exist on their own? Why not just let an artist exist without a generic tag at all? Then again, it's just part of the marketing, it's just how records are sold. So we obviously understand why those genres need to be there mechanically, but in terms of journalism or the appreciation of music, we didn't really understand why they had to be there. We were very reticent to be tagged, which is unavoidable, but we resisted it as much as we could. I guess we don't mind these kind of tags as long as we think they're fair or they're accurate.
Sometimes I find it surprising when you read about records and the way they're described is just completely wrong. It's almost like people are reading aggregated feeds of information about something without actually listening to it and appreciating it. For example, reposting a video on your social networks or whatever before you've gone beyond the first 10 seconds. I feel like this is part of how music is appreciated now, and what I find is, more and more of my friends are switching off that side of things and are listening to records for the duration and stepping away from the feeds and the aggregation and the genres and the boxes.
A lot of music has been single-based for so long. I'm wondering, do you think there's maybe a retaliatory move towards making real albums again?
I think so and I hope so! There seemed to be this kind of defeatist attitude maybe five years ago. It was like, "Oh, f--k this, we're not making albums anymore, f--k it, nobody listens to them anyway, no one buys them anyway." And I think it was maybe an older generation of artists who just felt like all that effort wasn't appreciated and that digital market people only buy the key songs. That doesn't and shouldn't affect your own creative endeavor. People always have their favorites. Ten years ago, the majority of people would get a CD and have the tracks that they listen to and ignore the rest. You have to give your audience the benefit of the doubt that they are going to appreciate all of the stuff you're going to do and not assume they only want the singles. If that was the case, I'd just give up, it'd be pointless.
I spoke with founding member Daniel Hunt last week about the band's new album, the upcoming "Mirage" music video, and the return of the album as an artistic statement.Hi Daniel, this is Brett at Ology. How are you doing?
Hi, I'm good, thanks!
What've you been up to today?
I've just been chilling out. We've actually been up in Scotland shooting a video for "Mirage" all week, which was interesting.
Your North American tour kicks off in a few weeks. How much time do you typically spend rehearsing before a major tour?
It depends. We've been playing shows already this summer. We just had a break in August, so we'll have a little refresh before we go out.
There are a lot of really dense, complicated textures on several of the new songs. Has it been a challenge translating them into the live setting?
Not really. I mean, we cross that bridge when we get to it. The most important thing for us has always been to make the records sound right. When we reproduce that live, we approach it in turn, and we've done it differently from tour to tour. There's no set way of approaching it, really. Depends on the set-up.I read that you recorded the new album in the countryside in Kent. Did the environment have a direct effect on the writing or recording process?
No, not really, because we write and record for obviously a long period before we approach studios. I would say perhaps the choice of recording location was influenced by the material, rather than vice versa.
You chose to work with producer Simon "Barny" Barnicott again on this record. What did he bring to the table this time around?
We've worked with him off and on since 2002. The first thing he did was a single mix for "Blue Jeans"-- he used to be Jim Abbiss' assistant and mix engineer. We did a couple of single mixes and Witching Hour with them, and now he works alone and has a set-up out there in Kent. So it made sense, really-- we really like his mixing. He has a great set of ears and some interesting tricks… quite convoluted analogue techniques to getting certain things. We try to remain outside the digital realm as much as we can, as much as is possible. He and Jim Abbiss are both really great for that.
When you hunker down to write a new album, will you typically come up with a set direction or sound you want to pursue, or does it all come organically out of the songwriting?You end up with a batch of material that you're working on and sometimes the sound of tracks kind of attract each other, in a way. Tracks become closer together sonically as things develop. I think that's one of the strengths of this record—it sounds very coherent, that was a conscious move on our part… as conscious as these things can be, obviously. A record like this definitely couldn't be planned mathematically.
I really love the sounds on "White Gold". Do you remember which synthesizers or keyboards you used on it?
You might be talking about the Conn organ. That's probably the most characteristic sound on it. Or else, there's a sound that sounds like a plucked guitar, which is actually hollow plastic pipes that are pitched… It sounds a bit like a guitar, comes in after the first chorus. That might be what you're talking about.
I think that "90 Degrees" might be my new favorite Ladytron song of all time. How did that song come together?
I'm glad you said that, that song's quite dear to me. I actually originally wrote that in Portuguese for my fiancé, and then translated it to English. It's a couple years older than the others. To me, that's like the heart of the record. I think that track was the seed for what developed elsewhere on the record.
I really love the "Ace of Hz" and "White Elephant" videos. I'm wondering, are visuals something you're thinking about when you're writing and recording, or do they come much later in the process?
It comes later in the process because, to be honest, almost all videos are just the director's representation of the song. Unless you're hands-on making the video yourselves, they're not part of the canon, they are something added on. Sometimes they work in their own way, or they somehow transcend the track alone, or whatever, but rarely are they actually part of the album's visual identity. So they can be standalone, but now we're getting a little bit closer to the album. For example, Neil Krug has made some video material for the record and Helen and I put together the concept for the video for "Mirage", which we've just been shooting with director Michael Sherrington. The "Blue Jeans" video was completely our thing, and we've had input before, but this one might be the first time where we feel like the video and the song have genuine synergy. But it's not finished yet, so we'll see how it turns out.
Ladytron have been pigeonholed as being a lot of different things by the music press over the years. Now that synthesizers are becoming much more of a mainstay in rock and pop music, do you feel like there's less of a tendency to label electronic bands into the different categories than there was when you were first starting out?
Yeah, I think to be honest, we bore the brunt of it. The focus on genre and this need to classify everything was something that we found… I wouldn't say we found it annoying, but we found it bemusing. It's like, why do things need a genre? And at the same time, why invent a convoluted genre for something that doesn't really have one? Why not just let things exist on their own? Why not just let an artist exist without a generic tag at all? Then again, it's just part of the marketing, it's just how records are sold. So we obviously understand why those genres need to be there mechanically, but in terms of journalism or the appreciation of music, we didn't really understand why they had to be there. We were very reticent to be tagged, which is unavoidable, but we resisted it as much as we could. I guess we don't mind these kind of tags as long as we think they're fair or they're accurate. Sometimes I find it surprising when you read about records and the way they're described is just completely wrong. It's almost like people are reading aggregated feeds of information about something without actually listening to it and appreciating it. For example, reposting a video on your social networks or whatever before you've gone beyond the first 10 seconds. I feel like this is part of how music is appreciated now, and what I find is, more and more of my friends are switching off that side of things and are listening to records for the duration and stepping away from the feeds and the aggregation and the genres and the boxes.
A lot of music has been single-based for so long. I'm wondering, do you think there's maybe a retaliatory move towards making real albums again?
I think so and I hope so! There seemed to be this kind of defeatist attitude maybe five years ago. It was like, "Oh, f--k this, we're not making albums anymore, f--k it, nobody listens to them anyway, no one buys them anyway." And I think it was maybe an older generation of artists who just felt like all that effort wasn't appreciated and that digital market people only buy the key songs. That doesn't and shouldn't affect your own creative endeavor. People always have their favorites. Ten years ago, the majority of people would get a CD and have the tracks that they listen to and ignore the rest. You have to give your audience the benefit of the doubt that they are going to appreciate all of the stuff you're going to do and not assume they only want the singles. If that was the case, I'd just give up, it'd be pointless.
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