Ladytron
Commodore Rock
Emperor Norton
It’s a safe bet that if a band has the word “tron” in its name, then you’re in for some electro-dance-able concoction. Sure enough, Ladytron’s new EP, Commodore Rock, will not disappoint on this account. Once described as what Britney Spears might have sounded like if she were a heroin addict from the GDR, Ladytron takes its icy, krautronic rock seriously. They might be adequately compared to Add N to (X), Console, Kraftwerk, Wendy Carlos, and the Human League. There’s definitely something pan-European about their sound. And like their euro-trash contemporaries, Stereo Total, Ladytron’s members come from all over the map, speaking a babel of tongues to frantic bleeps and blurps. Unlike Stereo Total, however, Ladytron is as humorless as a robot. It would be nice to hear them add a dash of irony and maybe some more British new wave into their bitter Teutonic stew (like Floraline has done). But overall this record is an exciting preview of things to come.
Emperor Norton Records, 102 Robinson St., Los Angeles, CA 90026; http://www.emperornorton.com
