La Roux album review
3 comments | Published by Rach Read |
This was supposed to be Little Boots’ year (winner of BBC’s Sound of 2009 poll, blanket press coverage, blah blah blah); fortunately, no-one sent La Roux that memo. So whilst Boots’ single debuted at unlucky 13 and her album crashes down the charts with greater speed than an A-Rod serve, La Roux reigns triumphant with one of the biggest-selling singles of the year, a follow-up number one and an album that, save for the King of Pop’s demise, would be number one too. And you know why? Because La Roux is bloomin’ fantastic.
For anyone who has been shrieking along ineptly to In For The Kill and Bulletproof, you can expect more of the same awesome 80s’-tinged synthy electropop. Yes, this year I seem to have mentioned synths and electro in nearly every music review I’ve done but I can safely say that La Roux’s is the best of the lot. Killer choruses, insidious beats and singer Elly Jackson’s Marmite wail abound in an entirely palatable fashion. Tigerlily, I’m Not Your Toy and Fascination are all massive choons in the disguise of chilly cool electro whilst I never thought La Roux could be as heartbreaking as they (yes, they, believe it or not the band consists of more than the big-quiffed one) are on Cover My Eyes, a gut-wrenchingly beautiful track.
Some may accuse La Roux of being a bit samey whilst others will see this as a smoothly cohesive piece of work. What is certain though is that debut albums rarely come as accomplished as this.
What do you think of La Roux? Better than Little Boots?
Eric Henwood-Greer
I have to admit… I’m gonna lose all my cool cred (did I have any?) and say I much prefer Little Boots’ album to La Roux’s--at this point anyway. I love both of La roux’s singles and I *like* nearly the full album, but I find it very samey and I find her vocals astart to grate on me after half the CD or so (please someone tell her to NEVER use her falsetto EVER ever again).
That said, I’m not sure it’s as fair to compare them as many have done. La Roux reminds me more of Ladyhawke or someone. While Little Boots to an outsider might look to be the same thing (young, female, writes or co writes her stuff, and owes her synth pop sound largely to the 80s), she’s pointed out in at least a few interviews, that she’s more going after the Kylie market than the indi cred market--and that’s prob why I prefer her, her songs are more unabashed full out pop, with more hooks in one song than La Roux has in a full album. And that’s ok
sportboy
Doesn’t look like a bad album at all.
Matthew
La Roux’s album is absolutely shit, can’t believe i bought it!!! Has three good songs Quicksand, in for the kill and bulletproof the others are horrible and give me a headache!!!! The most repetitive album in history! =( Little boots’ album is better but not by much, probably about two more good songs which is only 5 which is still bad but is a little less repetitive. I think the saturdays albums and florence and the machines album are much much better than these two albums =) and much better vocals in general!!