“Light & Magic” is the second album by electro-pop act Ladytron. With their first album “604” and the single ‘Playgirl’ from that album they have already gained quite some recognition and attention. Part of this attention had to do of course with the 80’s revival. This second album is their chance to prove they are more than just the right band with the right sound at the right time.
Well what is there to say of “Light & Magic”? It sure sounds different than “604” and that is good because who is waiting for a revision exercise? The overall sound has become a bit more polished with a less typical analog feeling to it. Besides that the songs have become somewhat more minimal.
Ladytron also seems to use more direct influences from the 80’s era than on their first album. Both underground and mainstream 80’s music are used for inspiration. ‘True Mathematics’ for example sounds an awful lot like ‘Warm Leatherette’ from The Normal, and the melody used in ‘Flicking your Switch’ could be from many artists (Crystal Waters, Adamski?, I forgot).
This doesn’t mean “Light & Magic” isn’t a good album. The way Ladytron uses 80’s music for their own sound is very clever. The songs remember the listener of something else but most of the time not to obviously. Tracks like ‘Seventeen’ and ‘Evil’ are excellent electro-pop songs that could reach a broad audience. “Light & Magic” is definitely a good follow up to “604”. Ladytron is probably just one of the few acts that will survive the 80’s revival hype.
