How the 80s should have sounded... (Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke)

Member Name: lonestarsky

Product:	Ladyhawke - Ladyhawke
Date:	10/06/09 (58 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Its really good

Disadvantages: None really

I recently bought Ladyhawke's album on the strength of listening to a couple of her songs on the internet. I'd never actually heard of her but she was going to be performing at a gig I was going to so thought I'd check her music out. And I'm so glad I did! I enjoyed her performance more because I knew all the songs, plus it's a damn good album, to be honest!

Ladyhawke, aka Pip Brown is a young singer from New Zealand and this is her debut album although she has been involved with music from a young age. She played most of the instruments on the album as well as performing the vocals. She is heavily influenced by 80s music and says that she wanted to create music that would give a feeling of nostalgia even if people are hearing it for the first time.

It is very 80s sounding but don't let that put you off! There are a lot of 80s copycat bands around at the moment but Ladyhawke gives the impression she's the real thing; this is the kind of music she actually wants to make, and not just because its trendy. There are hints of Kim Wilde, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry and Cyndi Lauper throughout but not in a rip-off copying way.

Opener "Magic" is one of my favourite tracks, heavily synth-led with an anthemic beat. "My Delerium" is another stand-out track, fast paced with a great "Hey!" hook in the chorus - infact this is probably my favourite track. "Paris is Burning" was apparently quite popular last summer (I never heard it though) but is also a great track. The verses have a riff reminiscent to "Cars" by Gary Numan. The bass-heavy "Back of the Van" is another of my favourites and probably the most "nostalgic sounding" Track of the album. Something about it reminds me of school discos and really believing that an intense young relationship can go somewhere!

"Crazy World" is another favourite, kinda Bangles-esque. "Morning Dreams" is the final track on the album and is a bit more ballad like than some of the others so allows Pip to show of her vocal versatility. "Professional Suicide" is a fun, hate-filled song that slags off reforming bands and has a playful synth beat.

There are a couple of tracks I'm not so keen on. "Manipulating Woman" is quite forgettable, as is "My Oh My." That's not to say they're bad; it's just they're not as stand out as the others.

All in all this is a good album and is fun and easy to listen. It's a shame that it hasn't received the mainstream recognition it deserves but in some ways maybe that's a good thing as it means the radio is less likely to over-play (and therefore kill) her music!

I'm quite old fashioned when it comes to music and I love the thrill of playing a new CD and reading the insert instead of downloading. However in the case of this album (as I notice other reviewers have mentioned) I would recommend you buy this as the artwork is amazing. It's by an artist called Sarah Larnach and is perfectly fitting with the music style. Its cat and bat oriented with some wonderful drawings of Ladyhawke herself.

If you like 80s synth driven music you'll like this. It isn't pure pop; there are rock influences there aswell and Ladyhawke is clearly one talented individual. Her vocal style is soft and sweet but with the hint of a harder edge underneath. I don't know if this album will stand the test of time and outlive all the other 80s copycat crap that's doing the rounds at the moment but I really hope it does. It'll be a favourite on my CD player for some time to come.

CD available for £4.98 on amazon.co.uk

Track listings:
1. Magic
2. Manipulating Woman
3. My Delirium
4. Better Than Sunday
5. Another Runaway
6. Love Don't Live Here
7. Back Of The Van
8. Paris Is Burning
9. Professional Suicide
10. Dusk Till Dawn
11. Oh My
12. Crazy World
13. Morning Dreams

Summary: Better than the 80s