Review Summary: La Roux: enjoyable electro-pop that just screams "guilty pleasure."
Throw your preconceived notions about pop duos out the window because this isn't your ordinary team. Although Elly Jackson's curvaceous, strawberry-blond faux-hawk and charisma make her look like the mastermind behind La Roux (that and her hair reflects the name), she frequently reminds anyone who asks that it's an equal partnership between her and companion Ben Langmaid. Despite the fact that Jackson takes charge of the microphone with her threadbare, ecstatic vocals while Langmaid is usually left behind numerous electronic apparatuses, free to run back to the days of ‘80 synthpop, the duo's self-titled debut shows a collaborative force. By the end of
La Roux, you become aware of each performer's style, and you also know where their styles overlap into a delectable pop package.
Essentially, the fire crotch and the other Brit have mastered the art of being trendy, but La Roux handles their appeal with such an ease and relaxed attitude that it's nearly impossible to deny its appeal. Tracks such as "Bulletproof" show Jackson's modish puerility and Langmaid's electronic derivations working flawlessly to create a lasting pop gem. Her edgy accessibility transfers over to his manufactured beats, and his electric affinity touches her vocals on occasion, taking them from over-expressive to refreshingly relaxing and melodic. "Tigerlily" is also a great display of this collaboration, warping through Jackson's eerie pop lines and Langmaid's retro electronics. When you separate these two elements and really dissect them, you find that they both are flawed, but again, so damn hard to resist. Sometimes the vocals hit a real scratchy, nails-on-the-chalkboard moment, and sometimes you'll wonder if she's chanting come ons over club beats (I'm sure she is on "Bulletproof"). And though you'll probably have this sensation of doubt throughout, (is this really any good?) it's very hard not to love it. Sure, the chirpy synths and programmed percussion make a little too much like New Order, Ladyhawke., and The Human League; however it's still very memorable and very fun; sometimes that's all you need.
"Quicksand" and "Fascination" are typical La Roux fare for the most part, just far more ecstatic than the other tracks on
La Roux. Here, synthesizers chirp away while Jackson's fluctuating voice goes in and out of refrains. Other tracks like "In For the Kill" represent all of the album's characteristics with a single song that remains as memorable and accessible as any of the others. These lyrics sift through human relationships, girl-meets-boy and otherwise, and they're the only component of
La Roux which isn't profoundly confident and unapologetic. The band's fine with being a throwback, and it's the unrepentant way they go about all the aspects of their sound that makes them so irresistible. Let's say this: they're not hung up on semantics, wondering whether or not they're original enough; they never look back because they're so hung up on delectable melodies, fine pop hooks, and that sort of thing. Maybe they're better for it, too.
