Release Date: September 12, 2011
English synth-pop quartet Ladytron has done it again: They have produced yet another album that sends chills up the spine with creepy violin treatments and hollow organs. Although Gravity the Seducer sticks to the synth/electro-pop sounds consistent with their past works, the lyrics and settings of the songs are what make this album stand out.
The first single, “White Elephant,” opens with a soft melody and vocals. It doesn’t have the sticking power of past hits such as “Ghosts” (from Velocifero and the Sorority Row soundtrack) or “Destroy Everything You Touch” (Witching Hour). The beat is more gentle and airy, and “White Elephant” sets the tone for the rest of the album—movement, obscurity, mystery.
On their website, band members made comments about the direction and essence of the album: “There is a strong lyrical thread of playful illusionary imagery of dreamlike scenarios and surreal landscapes that runs through the new album,” vocalist Mira Aroyo said. Keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter, producer and founding member Daniel Hunt added that this album is more consistent throughout than those of the past: “I think it’s our most coherent work, in terms of moods and themes.”
The songs on Gravity the Seducer are held together with abstract, fantastic settings. The tracks transport listeners to various dreamlike landscapes.
The lyrics of “Moon Palace” provide listeners with rich imagery: “As city canyons fade into the night/a jagged landscape in a sodium haze/Breaks away from the sky.” The theme in “The Mirage” takes you to the desert, and “Altitude Blues” brings you 37,000 feet above ground.
Gravity the Seducer isn’t one of those albums where you can quickly divide the “good” songs from the “not-so-good” songs. Alone, the tracks sound isolated and incomplete. But when listened to together and in sequence, they have progression and reason. The songs are unique in that they contribute to the overall theme. Even the Salvador Dalí-esque album art is consistent with the movement of the album: abstract, mysterious, omniscient.
Overall, it’s lighter than past albums—the synthesizers and malleable beats orchestrate an ethereal sound that’s less raw and callous. The descriptive lyrics highlight the songs and take listeners on a futuristic journey.
Ladytron – Gravity the Seducer tracklist:
- “White Elephant”
- “Mirage”
- “White Gold”
- “Ace of Hz”
- “Ritual”
- “Moon Palace”
- “Altitude Blues”
- “Ambulances”
- “Melting Ice”
- “Transparent Days”
- “90 Degrees”
- “Aces High”
