New Zealand native Pip Brown, aka Ladyhawke, presents her third album, Wild Things, the follow-up to 2012's Anxiety. In the interim an entire album was supposedly scrapped, with Brown claiming "The material didn't feel like me," adding "It felt too dark or something." So it would seem Ladyhawke has stuck to her buoyant electro-pop roots, this time with producer Tommy English (Tiesto, Dark Wave) working with the singer and multi-instrumentalist in his L.A. studio. Wild Things features the lead single "A Love Song." ~ Liam Martin|
Rovi
After breaking through with her 2012 album Anxiety, which melded electronic pop sheen with '90 alt-rock crunch and spawned the ubiquitous hit "Blue Eyes," Ladyhawke's next album presented her with a challenge. Pip Brown initially wrote and began recording a batch of darker, more personal songs, but soon decided they didn't really reflect her state of mind. She ditched the recordings and went back with producer Tommy English to try again. Arriving in 2016, Wild Things is the result and it is certainly very sunny and very poppy. It forgoes most of the guitar-driven electro crunch of Anxiety in favor of a modern pop sound built around slick synths and big choruses. Mixing fun uptempo tracks like "Money to Burn" and "The River," which harks back to "Blues Eyes," with more reflective ballads ("Hillside Avenue," the title track) that show the influence of Chvrches, the album sounds made for the radio. ~ Tim Sendra
Rovi
モデュラーが勢力を拡大していた頃にレーベルの看板娘として颯爽と登場するも、その後はアルコール依存などの問題を抱え、表舞台へ出る機会も減っていたレディーホーク。しかし諸々を克服して完成させたこの3作目は、ポジティヴなヴァイブで溢れている。マドンナとかELOとか好きなものを丸ごと詰め込んだ80sライクなエレポップに、思わず〈おかえり!〉なんて言いたくなる。プロデュースはLAのトミー・イングリッシュ。
bounce (C)保坂隆純
タワーレコード(vol.395(2016年9月25日発行号)掲載)