La Roux - 'La Roux'

To call La Roux "poppy" would be both insanely true and extremely unfair. The British pair (Elly Jackson and Ben Langmaid) do indeed create pop music, that much is true, but to pigeonhole this fantastic musical pairing would be a detriment not only to the talented duo but to the listeners who enjoy them. Like recent collaborations (Frou Frou and Lovers Electric, for example), La Roux isn't the combination of a singer and a producer. The efforts are equally split between both members, making La Roux a more comprehensive listen than a singer singing someone else's lyrics over someone else's music. There is passion in Elly's voice, conviction in the electronic beats, and true musical purpose behind the joining of two minds. And in the grand tradition of those mentioned groups, La Roux is hard to peg, stylistically.

As I said, La Roux is definitely pop. To ignore that would be to ignore most of their appeal. However, the music is also far too intelligent to leave the description at just that. La Roux embodies a pop steamroller, painted in happy day-glo colors, operated by a young David Bowie a la Ziggy Stardust, and surrounded by a troupe of hipster dancers. Yes, it is that fun and that hard to ignore. Take lead single "Quicksand," grabbing you harshly and immediately with a catchy beat and launching you right into the fray. You can't deny how fun this is. Second single "In It For The Kill" has a different sort of appeal to it, borrowing heavily from early synthpop acts that yields a bouncy ball of retropop goodness. Perfect summer fun, like playing in an emo sprinkler. Third single, and inarguably their most solid and enjoyable release to date, "Bulletproof" features Jackson utilizing her instrument with more control, the chorus lacking the confidence that the statement might need. "This time maybe I'll be bulletproof." Then again, if you're hoping the bullet will bounce this time, confidence may be foolhardy. Her simple vocal delivery really makes this track shine, the doubt and uncertainty plainly tearing her apart but hope has her trying to remain strong. A much more memorable track, something that will last for a while in people's mp3 players.

As both a negative and positive aspect to the album, those three singles sum up what La Roux has to offer. This is a negative aspect due to the lack of variety among the album's 12 tracks. But with music this good, it is perfectly ok to have 12 tracks of quirky and sleek electropop. Small variations help define the rest of tracks so that at least it isn't "Quicksand," "In It For The Kill," and "Bulletproof" twelve times. A deep synth beat on "I'm Not Your Toy" has me bopping along, and a Vincent Price "Thriller"-esque creepy spoken vocal accompanies the attitude of "Tigerlily." Jackson's voice oozes emotion in the slow pop ballad "Cover My Eyes," complete with "Papa Don't Preach" choir backing vocals. More tracks round out the rest of the album, but I'll leave something for you to discover. You'll enjoy the process.

This album is a fantastic release from Cherrytree in the US, and a definite necessity to anyone's collection. La Roux has a great future, and they've hit the ground running. Be sure to check out the stellar club mixes of "Bulletproof" by Dave Aude and Morgan Page.