La Roux | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Meaning "red-haired one" in French, La Roux is the synth pop project of flame-haired singer/songwriter Elly Jackson and keyboardist/producer Ben Langmaid. Before they collaborated, Jackson, the daughter of actress Trudie Goodwin, grew up listening to folk artists and singer/songwriters like Nick Drake and Joni Mitchell, and drew inspiration from their sounds for her early music. However, Jacksons style changed as she got into the rave scene, taking her music in a more electronic direction. Meanwhile, Langmaid had gone to school with Rollo from Faithless, and the two recorded as house duo Huff & Puff in the mid-90s; Langmaid also recorded as Atomic and as one half of Huff & Herb for Rollos label, and was a songwriter for the group Kubb. Jackson and Langmaid began working together in 2006, when they were introduced by a mutual acquaintance. Initially, they called their project Automan and wrote largely acoustic music before scrapping that name and sound for the sleek Prince, David Bowie, and the Knife-inspired style they pursued as La Roux, a moniker Jackson found in a book of baby names. Their debut single, "Quicksand," was released by Kitsune in fall 2008, and earned the band acclaim from the BBC and The Guardian. La Roux supported Lily Allen on her 2009 U.K. tour around the time their second single, "In for the Kill," was released that spring and debuted at 11 on the U.K. charts, reaching a peak position of two; that summer, the single "Bulletproof" debuted at number one a week before La Rouxs self-titled album was released. La Roux arrived in the States that fall. Late that year, the duo began working on new material that steered away from the heavy 80s influence of the debut. In early 2010, Skreams remix of "In for the Kill" won Best Dancefloor Filler at the NME Shockwave Awards. That summer, "Bulletproof" entered the Top Ten of Billboards Hot 100 singles chart, and La Roux released the mix album Sidetracked. In 2011, Jackson and Langmaid took a hiatus from touring to concentrate on making their second album. Seeking a more organic sound for their new material, Jackson confirmed that she would be playing instruments on this album. However, during the recording process, Langmaid departed, citing artistic differences, leaving Jackson to continue La Roux as a solo project. Working with several other songwriters as well as engineer Ian Sherwin to complete the record, she released the disco and reggae-inflected Trouble in Paradise in July 2014. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 5 Title: La Roux Released: 2009-06-26 Tracks: 16 Duration: 1:03:27 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 In for the Kill (04:08) 2 Tigerlily (03:24) 3 Quicksand (03:07) 4 Bulletproof (03:26) 5 Colourless Colour (03:28) 6 Im Not Your Toy (03:20) 7 Cover My Eyes (04:32) 8 As If by Magic (03:51) 9 Fascination (03:41) 10 Reflections Are Protection (04:20) 11 Armour Love (03:55) 12 Growing Pains (03:26) 13 Finally My Saviour (04:21) 14 In for the Kill (Skreams Lets Get Ravey remix) (05:04) 15 Bulletproof (Tiborg remix) (03:29) 16 Bulletproof (Zinc remix) (05:50) |
| La Roux : Allmusic album Review : It took just over six months for La Roux to go from issuing their first single on Kitsune to topping the U.K. charts. Thats a swift rise -- one that was years in the making, of course -- but after hearing their self-titled debut, its easy to understand their sudden fame: La Rouxs take on 80s synth pop is as unique as it is familiar. La Rouxs inspirations, which include Blancmange and the Eurythmics, might be decades old and well-known, but their spare coldness can still sound weird, and La Roux shows just how committed they are to that chilly oddness and catchiness. They use only the brittlest drums and tinniest synths on these songs -- if anything, it feels like La Rouxs gear is more limited than the original groups were. They even have the proper synth pop lineup: La Roux is a duo (though singer Elly Jackson gets most of the limelight). However, their devotion transcends kitsch, even if Jacksons asymmetrical copper wedge of a hairdo suggests otherwise. It also sounds remarkably relevant. Robyn and the Knife are kindred spirits, and in a sea of hyper-feminized pop singers, Jacksons androgyny is as arresting as Annie Lennoxs was a quarter-century earlier. Yet La Roux arent purists. "Tigerlily"s tough-girl stance mixes 8-bit arpeggios with a creepy, "Thriller"-style spoken word bridge, and "Reflections Are Protection"s bass and synths nod to electro. While style is a large part of La Rouxs substance, it never feels slick, and thats due to Jacksons voice as much as it is the groups intentionally stiff sounds -- in fact, its the way that her vocals interact with those sounds that makes these songs so dynamic. Jackson can be shrill and almost synthetic-sounding when she hits high notes, especially on the breakout hit "In for the Kill," but her lower register -- which she uses beautifully on "Colourless Colour" -- is throaty and very human. Her characters are either running toward or away from desperate love affairs, but like other skilled popsmiths, La Roux know how to give pain a sweet and shiny veneer. Nowhere is this clearer than on "Quicksand," which uses a relentlessly tight arrangement and Jacksons frosty soulfulness to give the songs obsession a shot of excitement. And though the chart-topping "Bulletproof" is feisty and "As If by Magic" is wistful, both songs use wishes and daydreams as armor against further heartache. La Rouxs dedication to their aesthetic makes this an album where the songs are variations on a theme, and on the rare occasion where the songwriting isnt razor-sharp, the style threatens to overtake the substance. However, that devotion also makes La Roux a standout, not just among the many other 80s revivalists, but the entire late-2000s pop landscape. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 5 Title: LazerProof Released: 2010-05-26 Tracks: 14 Duration: 49:44 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Bulletproof (Nacey remix) (03:04) 2 Colourless Artibella (02:42) 3 I’m Not Your Lemonade + Heroes ’n’ Villans (remix) (03:53) 4 Independent Kill (02:55) 5 Keep It Fascinating (03:15) 6 Magic (Falling Soldiers dub) (03:32) 7 In 4 the Kill Pon de Skream (04:31) 8 Houstatlantavegas Pains (02:49) 9 Tigerlily (DYWHAP Blend) (02:51) 10 Can’t Stop Now (Armor Love remix) (03:39) 11 Quicksand (Mad Decent 2010 rerub) (05:07) 12 Cover My Eyes (Costra Nostra edit) (03:54) 13 I Said It (Major Lazer dubplate) (01:44) 14 Hold Yuh (Double dubplate) (05:48) |
 | Album: 3 of 5 Title: Sidetracked Released: 2010-07-26 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:06:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 I Second That Emotion (05:02) 2 Come Live With Me (03:36) 3 (You Are My) All and All (04:56) 4 Afrikan Man (06:29) 5 When I Grow Up (D. Lissvik version) (03:22) 6 Just One Look (02:32) 7 Doot Doot (03:48) 8 Exotic Nations (03:37) 9 Big Bubbles, No Troubles (03:18) 10 Precious Little Diamond (03:34) 11 Suffer the Children (03:54) 12 Whats Your Problem? (02:57) 13 Self Machine (Coconut Candy No Need for Plastic Palm Trees Elly Jackson remix) (03:45) 14 Big Blue World (03:39) 15 Testarossa Autodrive (Sebastian remix) (04:02) 16 Under My Thumb (03:17) 17 Right Down the Line (04:27) |
| Sidetracked : Allmusic album Review : La Roux’s volume of Renaissance’s mix album series Sidetracked underscores that Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid have a clear -- but not simplistic -- aesthetic. It’s not a shock that their mix features plenty of ‘80s synth pop. However, La Roux are among the few ‘80s revivalists that understand that decade’s sounds so well that they embody them instead of just rehashing them. Here, they present some synth pop gems that have a few wrinkles underneath their smooth surfaces: Blancmange’s percolating “What’s Your Problem” and Freur’s “Doot Doot” are quintessential without being ubiquitous. Japan’s version of “I Second That Emotion” -- which channels Roxy Music as much as it does Smokey Robinson -- is a particularly inspired choice, since Jackson’s vocals often reveal more soulful influences than the mechanical sounds that dominate La Roux. However, Langmaid and Jackson’s choices aren’t just a template for their music (although Joyce Sims’ “You Are My All and All,” which blends powerful vocals with tinny electronics, is definitely part of their blueprint). The dark, sparkling disco-funk of Dutch group Fox the Fox’s “Precious Little Diamond” and Gerry Rafferty’s smooth “Right Down the Line” are left-field choices that add more personality to the mix, and Doris Troy’s “Just One Look” is such a stone-cold classic that La Roux didn’t bother remixing or otherwise tampering with it. Not every song here is from the past: La Roux include tracks from their contemporaries, even though those artists are fond of the ‘80s too. The D. Lissivik remix of Fever Ray’s “When I Grow Up” retrofits the track with synth pan-pipes and electro toms that recall that decades worldbeat craze and trade otherworldliness for cheeky faux-exoticism. I Blame Coco’s bittersweet “Self-Machine” and Kavinsky’s “Testarossa Autodrive (SebastiAn Remix)” also have a decidedly retro feel (Kavinsky has another single named “1986” for a reason). For their own track, however, Langmaid and Jackson go even further back in time to the Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb,” yet it’s one of the most modern-sounding songs they’ve recorded. A cohesive mix with just enough twists to make it interesting, this volume of Sidetracked will satisfy pop fans and crate-diggers alike. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 5 Title: La Roux (Gold Edition) Released: 2011-02-08 Tracks: 10 Duration: 45:31 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 In for the Kill (04:41) 2 Finally My Saviour (04:19) 3 Under My Thumb (03:46) 4 Im Not Your Toy (Jack Beats remix) (05:37) 5 In for the Kill (Skream’s Let’s Get Ravey remix) (05:04) 6 Quicksand (Boy 8 Bit remix) (05:56) 7 Bulletproof (Zinc remix) (05:50) 8 Tigerlily (demo) (03:49) 9 Bulletproof (Intimate session at Abbey Road, acoustic) (03:01) 10 In for the Kill (Vevo Lounge version) (03:28) |
 | Album: 5 of 5 Title: Trouble in Paradise Released: 2014-07-07 Tracks: 9 Duration: 42:20 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Uptight Downtown (04:21) 2 Kiss and Not Tell (03:53) 3 Cruel Sexuality (04:15) 4 Paradise Is You (05:11) 5 Sexotheque (04:18) 6 Tropical Chancer (03:31) 7 Silent Partner (07:01) 8 Let Me Down Gently (05:40) 9 The Feeling (04:06) |
| Trouble in Paradise : Allmusic album Review : Naming her long-awaited second album Trouble in Paradise might have been tempting fate if La Rouxs Elly Jackson hadnt endured plenty of hardships between 2009s self-titled debut and its follow-up. Writers block, the departure of collaborator Ben Langmaid, panic attacks that left Jackson unable to sing, and extensive recording sessions all delayed her return to the point that "where are they now?" stories seemed more likely than a second album. However, the lasting impact of La Rouxs whip-smart synth pop -- which became a template for countless other 80s-worshiping acts during Jacksons absence -- proved her music could still be relevant five years later. She wastes no time reminding listeners of her charms with Trouble in Paradises opening tracks: "Uptight Downtown" (which borrows starkly echoing guitars from David Bowies "Lets Dance") and "Kiss and Not Tell" offer more of "Quicksand" and "Bulletproof"s cleverly bouncy pop, minus some bite. Elsewhere, Jackson downplays the stiff electronics that made such an intriguing contrast with her emotive singing and lyrics on La Roux. She trades them for a warmer, disco and reggae-inspired sound that shines on "Tropical Chancer"s electro-calypso hybrid (which also evokes Bananaramas similarly sunburnt and heartbroken "Cruel Summer") but often just isnt as distinctive as before; that a song called "Sexotheque" is merely pleasant is a dubious achievement. Jackson also uses this softer sound to explore more vulnerable songwriting territory: much of Trouble in Paradise teeters between independence and codependence, whether its "Cruel Sexuality"s stifled desire or the boundary setting of "Let Me Down Gently." Jacksons feisty side doesnt resurface until "Silent Partner," where the relentless bassline and expansive length seem to nod to the success La Rouxs singles had as dance remixes. At other times, the albums rangy tracks just seem padded, particularly on the lulling ballad "Paradise Is You." While La Roux was so full of hits and should-be hits that almost anything that followed would pale by comparison, Trouble in Paradise might have fared better as an EP of the best songs here. However, the albums standouts also prove Jackson is still better than many of her contemporaries when it comes to making fizzy electro-pop. This may not be a thrilling return, but its still a welcome one. | ||