Seventeen (2002)

Seventeen (2002)

This is the most well-known LT track and with a good reason: the myterious whispering of the very short lyrics (which were to be much longer but LT found them out of place and dropped it) and the soft synthetizers result in a mixture which will be liked also by people who are not especially fond of electronic music.

What I like even more is the 2005 extended version, which is pure mind-blowing electropop, a seven-minute time travel back to the eighties.

High Rise (2005)

High Rise (2005)

High Rise was not the song fans expected after the fist two albums. The second LP ended with The Reason Why, a terrific disco track – and then comes High Rise, track no. 1 on Witching Hour… and scores really high with mysterious lyrics, serious-depressing tone and guitar-like sound spiced with live drums. The most mesmerizing part for me comes between 3:57 and 4:23 but the whole 5-minute piece is worth listening to at least thousand times in a lifetime.

Re:agents (2002)

 Re:agents (2002)

What a great electro-track. Multi level computer sounds and Mira’s robot voice lead to a refrain which has only one more synth, as simple and pure as the whole track. One of the best on the second album, with an interesting outro.

The Last One Standing (2005)

 The Last One Standing (2005) - All Time Ladytron's best No. 6

The most guitar-dominated track (besides Sugar) on Witching Hour, The Last One Standing has Helen’s beautiful singing (even in the backing vocals and on stage - surprise - together with Daniel’s) and an interesting structure where the refrain comes at the very end. Are we bored until it comes? Not a bit - this is a superb track, somehow not that Ladytronish but still a classic.

Cracked LCD (2002)

Cracked LCD (2002) 

Absolutely terrific sound with a great melody. Then comes Mira’s non-singing voice and then Helen’s vocals - all of this create a truly unique song, one of the most outstanding on the second album. It’s right up there on the same level with The Reason Why, True Mathematics and Seventeen.

And it is simply amazing how the group performs it and how well Cracked still sounds with its trademark synths changed (and with more guitars):

Another Breakfast With You (2001)

Another Breakfast With You (2001)

Interestingly with the exception of Discotraxx and Playgirl (and perhaps Commodore Rock) there are no really fast tracks on the first album. The speed is mostly on medium level, concentrating on the melodies and structure (a couple of tracks had excellent high energy versions later, most notably He Took Her To A Movie and Commodore Rock). Breakfast is a perfect example of this. Every word is on its right place in Helen’s vocals (surprise: she also has a non-singing part here - usually Mira is responsible for that), which carry the song to a satisfying ending.

The Reason Why (2002)

The Reason Why (2002) - All Time Ladytron's best No. 8

Let’s continue with a track (again from the second album) which is pure Ladytron. Sound and structure of the finest meet here: although it begins like „simple” electro pop, the second half transforms into something totally new. The text and refrain („You're secondhand…” + „That’s the reason why…”) disappear completely and what we hear is sound no. 2 with some female vocals without words (most probably Helen’s). To sum up, a track with lots of surprises, every minute something new and in the second half catharsis pure.

Mu-tron (2001)

Mu-tron (2001)

The very first LT track on an album, Mu-tron reminds me of a machine which starts functioning very slowly. It clearly shows what to expect musically from the following tracks on the album (but overall from LT) and - although no vocals here - it’s as good as the second album’s opening, True Mathematics.

Jet Age (2001)

Jet Age (2001)

Track no. 15 on the first album starts in fast-paced rhythm but Helen’s voice quickly takes over and Jet Age transforms into a conventional pop song - but a great one. The verses do a good job in setting up the refrain which is quite memorable but the real highlight comes at 2:38 where we hear something like a Greek guitar (in a LT track you will never know for sure if you really heard a guitar…).

Discotraxx (2001)

Discotraxx (2001)

One of the best tracks from the debut album 604, Discotraxx relies clearly on the sound, even the refrain is instrumental. Not that the verses are “just there”, they also carry the song to a perfect harmony between music and vocals. And there is also time for Mira’s Bulgarian monologue which is always welcome. The live versions (check for example Sofia, KCRW) are even more complex, richer in the sound - and beautiful.

Light & Magic (2002)

Light & Magic (2002)

This is the title song of the second album and it sounds perfect in the album (track no. 14) - and also in the live version. The latter is a straightforward pop song with the typical LT-sound; for the former one would say “it’s like Jean-Michel Jarre” but I don’t agree with that. It’s a great summary of LT’s first two albums, while for the third one, Velocifero, the sound became more powerful, more Ladytron-esque.