Music: Viva La 80's and La Roux ...

La Roux takes our music editor all the way back to the 1980's.

Ok, I admit it. I am a sucker for 80's synth-pop. It is part of the soundtrack of my youth. "Human", by Human League, never leaves my mp3 player. So when I stumbled out of bed one morning, flipped on Good Morning America, and saw La Roux performing Bulletproof, I fell in love. I watched as this flame haired cross between Tilda Swinton and a young David Bowie resurrected a pop form I thought had been lost to the sands of time.

Visit LaRouxOnline.com ...La Roux is made up of singer, keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Eleanor Jackson and keyboardist, co-writer and co-producer Ben Langmaid.  Elly describes La Roux as "very much a half and half sharing situation... not like a singer producer outfit". It will appear to most that Elly is the face of La Roux, as Ben does not perform live with the band. But with hair that harkens back to Flock of Seagulls and an angelic face Elly is the perfect front woman for a band that reaches backward for inspiration.

While La Roux does reach backward, it does so while remaining forward thinking. While early synth-pop was often accused as being fluff with relatively no backbone, La Roux has created songs with depth. Part of this can be attributed to Elly’s voice. At the top end, she blends perfectly with the synth’s but it’s on the low end where you can hear the emotion that gives these songs a punch that lifts them beyond a simple power pop duo. In particular, check out "In for the Kill" and "Tigerlilly".

La Roux may harken back to the days of my youth when I seriously considered cutting my hair and dying it orange like Annie Lennox, but it fits perfectly in my "now". And for that, La Roux has earned a spot on my playlist.

-AV-

~ Angela Valliere is the music editor for Kung Fu Drafter, as well as a writer, poet, and proud mother. If you have comments or suggestions, please leave a comment below or email her. ~