Wednesday 9 December 2009

21: La Roux - In For The Kill




One of my favourite Bloc Party lyrics is "live the dream like the Eighties never happened" and that's precisely how Elly Jackson, daughter of DCI June Ackland from TV's 'The Bill', has been conducting the past twelve months of her life. From being tipped for big things by the BBC at the start of the year, Elly and producer Ben Langmaid went on to release a gold-certified self-titled debut album, and saw their first two singles enter the charts at #2 and #1 respectively. As career launches go, this one's right on the money.

I was torn about whether or not to include 'In For The Kill' in my countdown. On the one hand, Jackson's Annie Lennox-inspired vocal style seems a bit forced, a bit too manufactured. But on the other hand, it's a great pop song with an infectious synth hook. I think it's a great example of how UK pop music has developed (been forced to develop?) in the post-Xenomania, post-Britney world. British acts have found it necessary to come up with alternative sounds in order to compete with the American megastars. And the Eighties revival is the clearest manifestation of that - there aren't any American acts doing what La Roux do. In the end, the brilliance of the song shines through.

Stupid haircut though.

3 comments:

  1. Love the ending to that post.

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  2. IMO, this is like Brimful of Asha in that it is remix driving the recognition and acclaim. Personally, I think the original is a bit weak

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  3. Mature Sporty Personal,
    More Innovation More Adult, A Man In Dandism,
    Powered Midship Speciality...

    ...good old first-gen MR2s.

    Stupid haircut though.

    ReplyDelete