La Roux

The unusual duet from the United Kingdom

The band La Roux, which is often taken for the female solo project – which is no wonder, as only the female member of the collective takes the scene – consists of producer and composer Ben Langmaid and singer-performer and producer Elly Jackson, the daughter of Trudy Goldwin, a well-known in her native United Kingdom actress. The girl got interested in music in her early age and at first she was fascinated by folk music. However, later Elly fell in love with rave, and consequently got involved in electro pop. This love for the electro pop music of 80s united her with Langmaid under the umbrella of their duet La Roux. The title of the band means “The Red-Haired One” in French and the singer states that once she saw it in some book of names for the babies. While Jackson performs at the stage, Langmaid prefers to stay in the shadows, but in the interviews both artists actively agree that their roles in the band and chores are equal and of the same importance. In 2008, the musicians got down to the record of their debut album, which was centered over the fiery relations of Elly and her boyfriend. Such wonderful singles as In For The Kill and Quicksand should be already familiar for the British listeners. As for the album itself, La Roux saw light in summer 2009 and has yielded much popularity for the band, having opened them many ways. Thus, this year, the artists are planning to take part in such significant events as festivals at Lollapalooza, Glastonbury, Reading, and Leeds

The soul-grasping personal affairs chronicles on La Roux

The red-haired, pale Elly Jackson differs from her pop music colleagues not only due to her appearance, but also with the originality of her lyrics. It seems hard to meet such a tornado of emotions within one disc, as it happens on La Roux. The disc starts with the dynamic electro pop single In For The Kill, which has already hit the chart and the dance floors. The unusual track Tigerlily is sure to be remembered both for its tune and the interlude, featuring the voice of Elly’s father. The thick synthesized sound of the single Quicksand is followed by the fiery and passionate melody of no less popular track Bulletproof. The album continues with the electro pop composition Colourless Colour, which can boast of the arrangement, perfectly labored in the airs of 90s of the twentieth century. The following furious track with the speaking title I'm Not Your Toy lets us get deeper into the relations between Elly and her boyfriend. Surely, this track deserves to be chosen by Jackson and Langmaid as the forth single for the disc. The next experimental number is a beautiful ballad Cover My Eyes, recorded with the association with the London Community Gospel Choir. It strikes with its emotional tension and delicateness. The electronica-driven track in the moods of 80s Fascination is valuable due to the clear high-pitched vocals by Elly, while one of the closing tunes Reflections Are Protection became one of the strongest motifs of La Roux.

The fresh sound in the world of pop music

Well, nowadays it is hard to find a feeling or an event, which was not described in the songs. The majority of the compositions are devoted to the most thrilling feeling for the people – love. But it is no secret that different persons write about love in various manners, especially if these people are talented, as love comes on our life in different images. Thus, the band La Roux on its self-titled debut album narrated the listeners about the all-absorbing, but collapsing passion, which ended in a logical, but nevertheless painful break up. The chronicles of Elly Jackson from her love battle field sound in a fresh, thrilling and sincere manner. Not only her peculiar appearance makes her prolific among the colleagues – by the way, you can see it on the cover of La Roux – but also the memorable vocals. Of course, the voice of the artist is not the one universal to be liked by everyone, but it is unique and will not let you mix her up with some of the other sweet-voiced singers. In a tandem with composer and producer Ben Langmaid, the artist recorded the wonderful disc in electro pop stylistics. Although this genre is popular nowadays, the music on La Roux sounds freshly, energetically and originally. No doubt, the year 2009 has brought us a handful of new performers, who have not only the strong charisma, but also their own handwrite. The British duet La Roux with their debut record definitely belongs to this circle.