View Larger
Rate it!
Avg: 4.0 (802 ratings)
- Date Released: September 22, 2008
- Genre: Electronic
- Label: Modular
Nervy New Zealander offers a dozen-plus rewrites of "Bette Davis Eyes." And, yes, that's a good thing
-
We Say...
Some artists are content to merely evoke the '80s, but Pip Brown opts instead to mimic it outright. The opening of her debut as Ladyhawke — name taken from, you guessed it, an '80s movie — sounds like "Heart of Glass," ('78, but you get the point) and the remainder plays like a freewheeling shuffle through the back catalogs of Cyndi Lauper and Belinda Carlisle.
If you read this as a bad thing, you're being too harsh. Brown's not just a good stylist but a gifted songwriter — it's just that any one of those songs could have been written twenty or so years go. "My Delirium" is all pulse and snap, toothy Gang of Four guitar sinking deep into sugary synths. "Another Runaway" has the best pre-chorus since "The Lady in Red," a string of cascading "oh, oh, oh"s gliding into a supremely pouty refrain. Keyboards provide the backbone of these songs — bright, glimmering synths that blink and blurt and provide the perfect backdrop for Brown's husky voice. And even if at times it seems like Brown's main aim is to spin off a dozen or so rewrites of "Bette Davis Eyes," she does it with such vigor and determination that it's hard to fault her.
At times it's tempting to play spot-the-reference. The silvery synths streaking up the back of "Professional Suicide" are so similar to Gary Numan they could coax greedy grins from the lawyers at Beggar's. But just when the whole enterprise threatens to topple across the line from homage into Xerox, Brown leans into the microphone and sings, "I see you had a hit in '89/ Too bad we all don't age as good as wine." Her intent, then, is obvious: she has come not to honor her forefathers, but to replace them. -
They Say...
Unlike her indie-disco counterparts CSS, the Gossip and Ting Tings, New Zealand one-woman show Ladyhawke has yet to break through to the mainstream, despite possessing a much more polished sound that seems tailor-made for the upper reaches of the charts. Her self-titled debut album, co-written with the likes of Pascal Gabriel (Dido) and Hannah Robinson (Girls Aloud) suggests that commercial success will surely only be a matter of time. Not afraid to plunder both her cool and distinctly uncool record collection, Ladyhawke, aka Pip Brown, has crafted 13 instantly accessible songs, each of which sounds like a potential hit single. Heavily influenced by synth pop, new wave, and AOR in equal measures, Ladyhawke, sounds like a who's who of '80s pop. "Back of the Van" is the Pretenders meets Van Halen's "Jump"; "Professional Suicide" sounds like a lost classic Gary Numan single; while the storming chorus of "My Delirium" echoes the power pop of the Bangles and the Go Go's. Best of all is "Crazy World," whose chugging basslines and dreamy synths would perfectly fit the closing scenes of a Brat Pack movie. But despite its blatant retro vibe, it still manages to sound fresh thanks to its clever production and Brown's fiery and vibrant vocals. She may be a rather awkward live performer, but on record she's full of charisma and personality, and never more so than on the thumping "From Dusk Til Dawn" and the highly infectious "Paris Is Burning," arguably two of the finest pop singles to miss the Top 40 in recent times. Ladyhawke is unlikely to win any awards for originality but you'd be hard pressed to find a more consistent and hook-laden debut all year.
“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”
Rolling Stone
eMusic Tip
Paid downloads are counted towards an album discount but free downloads are not.
COMPLETE FOR FREE!
You can download the rest of the tracks from this album for free! Just click the Complete Album button.
We’re sorry this album can only be downloaded using paid subscription download credits.
We recommend you Save it for Later by clicking the Save for Later button shown just above this message. For a list of related albums you can download right now, check out these recommendations.
We'll give you 12 additional free credits to download this album and start your paid subscription.
Get 12 bonus credits on us if you download this album. Sweet!
| 01. |  |
Magic |
3:29 |
|
| 02. | |
Manipulating Woman |
3:37 |
|
| 03. | |
My Delirium |
4:17 |
|
| 04. | |
Better Than Sunday |
3:30 |
|
| 05. | |
Another Runaway |
3:18 |
|
| 06. | |
Love Don’t Live Here |
4:04 |
|
| 07. | |
Back of The Van |
3:44 |
|
| 08. | |
Paris Is Burning |
3:53 |
|
| 09. | |
Professional Suicide |
3:45 |
|
| 10. | |
Dusk Til' Dawn |
2:38 |
|
| 11. | |
Crazy World |
3:37 |
|
| 12. | |
Morning Dreams |
4:00 |
|
12 Total Tracks, 43:52 Total Length
Loading...
Playlists If you like Ladyhawke, check out these member playlists
Explore music recommended by Ladyhawke fans
Choose from over 7 million
music downloadseMusic features legendary and emerging artists in every genre: classic rock to classical,indie to international, soundtracks to spiritual, jazz to country and many more.
MP3 downloads work on any digital media player
With eMusic, you OWN your music without any restrictions. Burn music to a CD, play it on your computer, mobile phone or any digital media player - including iPod®, Zune® and Walkman®.
Songs available for 50¢ or less
eMusic subscriptions start at just $11.99 a month for 24 downloads - that's just 50¢ per song! And it gets better from there - our plans go as low as 42¢ per song!
Music Discovery
eMusic is about discovery. We make finding new music fun again with music recommendations from our award-winning team of music experts, member playlists and new music features.
Cancel anytime
With all the great music and site features we're pretty sure you will love eMusic. If not, no problem. You can cancel at any time and keep the music you have downloaded.
© 1992 - 2010 All Media Guide, LLC