La Roux - La Roux
Polydor/Universal
By Andrew P Street
Your feelings about La Roux will depend on exactly two things: one, how much you like the thin soprano of Elly Jackson; and two, whether you've been eagerly waiting for the Yazoo revival to kick in. La Roux is filled with Linn drums, monophonic synths and the sort of plinkity-plonkity sounds that characterised most of Vince Clarke's 80s output, but Jackson lacks the soulful bellow of Alison Moyet and as a result the album lacks the human passion that would throw the processed music into relief.
Sometimes the elements come together perfectly, as on the single ‘Bulletproof', the Human League-circa-Dare-ish ‘As If By Magic' or the near- ‘Thriller' spoken break in the middle of ‘Tigerlily', but too often the lyrics sound half written ("I'm going in for the kill/I'm doing it for the thrill") and after a while you'll find yourself yearning for something a bit more organic.
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