Ladytron - Gravity the Seducer
It doesn't happen often, but every now and then, I see the cover to an album and know — sometimes without hearing one note — that what lies underneath will kick ass. Such was the case with In the Court of the Crimson King, Portishead, Purple, and The Fragile; and that's exactly what happened here. From the opening bars of Ladytron's Gravity the Seducer, all the way to the end, the album whisks the listener away into distant fantasy realms. There's a dreamlike quality to the experience: It's familiar, yet exotic, arranged in a way that conjures one fantastical image after another while still hearkening to much of what has come before. In this way, Gravity the Seducer, is much like the experience of nostalgia itself. It revisits the past while simultaneously reinventing it in lush, amber-tinted hues.
But it's not all backwards looking. True to form, Ladytron forges ahead with distinct, richly layered instrumentation the likes of which had been the bread and butter of video game soundtracks of yore, but which still remain relatively uncommon in pop music despite the ubiquity of the bitpop aesthetic that draws so heavily from the sounds of many of those classic games. The group have gone in a completely different direction from that of their previous LP, Velocifero, which continued the guitar heavy electronica the band introduced in Witching Hour, and fused it with a New Wave spin. This time around, things are lighter, more crystalline, and frequently, evocative of images of golden hues, mountainous heights, baroque textures, and flights to faraway places. All but gone are the guitars, replaced largely by harpsichords, strings, and airy electric percussion that is something of a throwback to '80's synth. In particular, it makes me think of the electronic, or electronic infused, soundscapes of Vangelis, Tangerine Dream (Legend), and Klaus Doldinger and Giorgio Moroder (The NeverEnding Story).
Through the kind of sonic alchemy that only Ladytron can provide, they've managed to transport listeners to faraway lands while remaining imminently danceable, albeit only occasionally. This is especially true with their launch single, “Ace of Hz” (“Hz,” here, being pronounced “Hearts”), but can also apply to tracks like the driving instrumental, “Ritual” or the cold grind of “Melting Ice.” Overall, however, the album is less club ready than anything they've done so far, and this might turn off some long-time fans. As befitting the cooler sound of Gravity the Seducer, this outing is largely meant to be chilled out, rather than clubbed, to. The recurrent motifs — such as that of dusky vistas (“Mirage”), far-off palaces (“Moon Palace”), trans-realm flight (“White Elephant” and “Altitude Blues”), cool star- or moon- lit nights (“Moon Palace“ and “Transparent Days”) and, of course, gold, white gold, that is (“White Gold” and “Ambulances”) — are best appreciated in a reclined position.
Like most Ladytron albums, Gravity the Seducer, closes things on a mellow note during the last few tracks. First, with the wistful, somewhat bittersweet rush of “Transparent Days,” then the beautifully haunting melancholia of “Ninety Degrees.” It is a somber end to an otherwise high-flying album, and is a fitting crescendo for the wisps of sadness that are lightly interspersed throughout. The amalgam of eerie and smoldering feeling, along with the impression that the vocal duo, Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo, are chanting a dirge, or perhaps a prayer, to some long gone or dying, great other, is reminiscent of “Soft Power”; one of many standout tracks from the Witching Hour. Afterwards, things brighten somewhat with “Aces High”; basically a mellower, instrumental reprisal of “Ace of Hz.” It strums along appropriately to signify the end of the journey, the proverbial sun setting on the listener's travels, all the while offering a hint of new destinations lying in wait, just beyond the horizon. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part, because if there is anything that can be said against this venture, it is that it ends all too soon.