La Roux is an electropop and synthpop duo out of England, made up of singer and co-producer Eleanor Jackson (pictured right) and co-producer Ben Langmaid. To learn more about the duo, check out their myspace page, http://www.myspace.com/larouxuk, - wow, myspace pages, amazing that people still have those - or you could do what I did: Google them and randomly click links until you find something interesting.
The first song I heard was Bulletproof, catching a rare moment of radio play. On first listen, I wasn't entirely sure whether I liked it or not. But it was catchy and I wanted to hear it again so I could at least say definitively that I loved/hated it. On to the Youtube!
Bulletproof Video (oooh shiny!)
Where I found some of her other videos:
I'm Not Your Toy (Hurray for androgyny!)
In For The Kill (The 80's called; they want their car back)
Tigerlily (My new stalker theme song)
IMO: I love La Roux with the understanding that this is not music everyone will enjoy. Hell, I was surprised when I realized I liked it. But why do I like it?
La Roux is a complete nostalgia trip for me. It hearkens back to the days of my childhood, in those distant years of the early 90's, when my brother and I would watch awesome/terrible/hilarious movies from the even more distant years of the 80's and I'd rewind the credits over and over and over again to listen to the ending song. The music is bouncy with a bite and the lyrics are a little more clever than most of what I find from young female musicians - not good, but clever.
Eleanor Jackson's voice isn't my favorite, but it suits her songs, and in the meanwhile, she's crafted an image that's a refreshing change from the over sexed themes of sexy rocker chick, sexy R&B singer, sexy poptart, etc. that I see everywhere. Instead, she showcases an unconventional look, making androgyny more appealing than it's ever been since David Bowie started cross-dressing.*
Overall: I like the music, I like the front-woman, I get that it's not something the whole family may enjoy. Give it a shot and see how you feel. Honestly, you're bombarded with enough crappy music on the radio, in movie and TV soundtracks, in elevators: what are one or two more songs on Youtube in the grand scheme of things? And how knows, you might even find something you like.
*No, I don't count Marilyn Mason's woman suit as attractive androgyny. You do? That's very nice for you. I'm going to be sitting way over here now, kthxbai.
No comments:
Post a Comment