Ladytron will probably have to tolerate being saddled with the "eighties" retro tag for as long as they exist (hopefully they will exist for a very long time) but to see them as just some sort of nostalgia band is to do them a great disservice. Apart from the fact that they write excellent pop songs, they have struck on as sound as unique as, say, Stereolab with their astute use of clever electronics, passionless and unique vocal sound and lyrics that help construct their individual futuristic landscape.

They plunder the electronic heritage with a magpie-like selection of shiny objects, everything from Visage to Moroder and beyond, then add their individual touches and make the contributions of yesterday sound very new, very now and also very tomorrow.

Seventeen is an infectious and great single (and I'm thrilled it is getting consdierable airplay here in Australia, all the less air time for Avril Lavigne - someone please stop her!) but it's only the start. This album sparkles with pop hits, crazy roboticism ("Cracked LCD") and the totally luscious ("The Reason Why") and there's so much more. Listen to with their first album "604" for extended enjoyment. If you love electronica, this will be for you.

Ladytron consists of five members: two guys, two girls, and a room full of 1980's era drum machines and synthesizers. Electro with spoken word vocals (and occasional melodies) is perhaps the easiest way to describe their style. '604', their first album, despite some instrumental head bangers, was a fairly poppy affair. 'Light & Magic' has taken a harder approach, and that's for the better. More sound effects, harder beats, and distorted melodies add up to a stronger second effort. Don't let the first two mediocre songs fool you. "Flicking Your Switch" pairs a funky retro 4/4 beat with droning vocals and simple background chords. "Turn It On" sounds like Mantronix or even Afrika Bambaataa going crazy on a synthesizer. "Black Plastic" has the feel of the first single (if there is one), with synth strings bouncing off staccato basslines and surprisingly musical vocals. "Startup Noise" is loud, classic, end of the world techno. This album also has a more consistent feel than its predecessor. So if you like video game soundtracks, early dance music, or just the idea of hopping back in time twenty years, 'Light & Magic' is the album for you.

I have to admit that I'm somewhat taken aback by all of the negative commentary this, their second album, seems to have attracted. Yes, it does sound markedly different to _604_, but I'd go against the apparent concensus that they've all but dropped the early 80s influences.

I personally was rather disappointed with the first album. There was nothing wrong with the music, but it didn't hang together particularly well - hardly surprising given how much of it had previously appeared elsewhere, and spanned several years of the group's existence. I'd long since grown tired of the likes of "Playgirl" and "Paco" by the time the album appeared, and a lot of the new material was weak and seemed like filler.

_Light & Magic_, by contrast, has a much more consistent sound. It's an album, not some singles with padding. That this isn't the sound of "Playgirl" is doubtless a contributing factor to some of the poor reviews, but given how the band's sound has varied so much in the past, it's hardly a surprise.

I'll admit there are some aspects of the album's sound that I'm not too fond of myself - the bass is muddy and too heavy in places, and it *does* sound as though they're using 1983-1984 era digital equipment (although fortunately the ghastly synth brass that was evident in so many songs back then doesn't appear).

Yes, there's evidence of Detroit and acid house in some of the tracks, but if this means less of that cheesy Hammond sound they seem to like, I'm all in favor of it. The strategic use of electric guitar in tracks like "True Mathematics" and "Fire" is also surprisingly effective.

However, there are also strong hints of both pre- and post-Vince Clarke Depeche Mode in places (try the intro to "Cracked LCD"), while "Re:Agents" finds them channeling certain aspects of early OMD, so it's not as if the synthpop aspect of the band's sound has been abandoned. Like their earlier material, it's a blend of the old and the new, it's just that the ingredients have shifted around a bit.

Negative aspects? While the average song quality is higher, and there's almost no filler (almost - "Nuhorizons" is a rehash of "Holiday 601"), there's nothing that screams "single" here. For some, that'll be disappointing, but I'll personally take a dozen above average tracks over a couple of killer tracks and a bunch of filler.

Favorite songs? Difficult to say, really, there's a lot of good material here, and I'm finding myself listening to the album right through rather than skipping around. Almost everything hits the spot for me at some point or other. "True Mathematics", "Cracked LCD" and "Re:Agents", if I absolutely had to choose.

In short, I like it. Others don't. Tastes differ, I guess.

Ladytron's 2002 release, "Light&Magic" offers up a solid helping of 80's new wave with harder-edge 90's synth beats, and a touch of detached female vocals. I quite liked it.

This is the first album by Ladytron that I have had the pleasure of listening to. While not groundbreaking, or indeed hugely memorable, it does provide some nice new wave-style tunes to satisfy the 80's hungry music fan in all of us. The group is comprised of two men and two women. The women are the lead vocalists, and quite good at sounding rather dis-affected -- almost robot-line on a few tracks.

Two of my favorite songs are "Flicking Your Switch" and the title track "light&magic", for I feel that they have the best melodies. The overall production is good, however the vocals have a tendency to take a backseat to the music itself, at times almost being drowned-out. The album needs a few listens before it can be more fully appreciated.

"Light&Magic" is a solid, if not stellar, music release for 2002. It makes me want to listen to their previous album, "604". If it is anything like "Light&Magic", then that will be good enough.

I stumbled upon this album and this band by complete accident. I fell in love with almost immediately. I purchased the album made a copy (as I do with all my CD's as to not damage the original) and I listen to it at least once a week.

The sound is mesmerizing, the vocals passionate yet solid, and the songs beyond catchy. I just the love the synth-pop sound. Blue Jeans, the title track Light&Magic and Cracked LCD are awesome, and Seventeen is great...of course not to discredit the other 9 tracks on the album.

I did not care for their first album 604, maybe it will grow on me. I think this album really shows growth in the bands musical exploration and invention. As I said in the title, this is definitely an accident worth having again.