Album Review : La Roux - Sidetracked
- Written by Rosie Duffield
Elly Jackson, the front woman of La Roux, is the epitome of the 1980s. Not only is she famous for her shock of red hair, but her androgynous style mirrors that of her contemporaries from the era. So it’s no surprise then, that La Roux’s latest album kicks off with Japan. Sidetracked is a ‘mixtape’ of songs that Jackson and her bandmate Ben Langmaid claim are ‘a snapshot’ of their musical influences, and the album includes bands such as Heaven 17 and Tears For Fears, as well as more recent artists, with nods to I Blame Coco and of course themselves.
I was slightly disappointed to find that track seven, which starts with what I thought were cricket sounds, was not in fact Wham’s ‘Club Tropicana’, but ‘Doot Doot’ by Freur. It is of the same era though, with its electro-pop laziness and abundance of echo effect vocals. It’s easy to see where inspiration has come from when La Roux are creating their own music. With a whole host of ‘80s give-aways (synths, electric drums, etc) throughout the compilation, the pop duo have made their own sound a slightly edgier – certainly more contemporary - version of the majority of this album. Jackson’s remix of I Blame Coco’s ‘Self Machine’ was lost on me as an ‘80s track until I looked at the tracklisting.
Of course, there are a few surprises thrown in for good measure. Doris Troy, for one, seems a little out of place amongst all the ‘80s stuff with her ‘60s soul track ‘Just One Look’. Likewise, Kavinsky makes an appearance at the end of the album, although electro house drumbeats do go a little better with the surrounding tracks than soul. And no album curated and mixed by a band would be complete without them getting their own mention - La Roux include a cover of the Rolling Stones’ ‘Under My Thumb’, which is slightly less interesting than the original.
Sidetracked, sadly, seems to have taken itself a bit too literally. Although a nicely mixed album, it’s very dull if, like me, you have no interest in ‘80s music. Obviously, fans of La Roux will expect a nod to the 1980s, given that their music wouldn’t be amiss in the decade itself. A whole album however, is a bit much. Surely the band must like other music? I listened to this on a long drive, and after about the fourth song realised that I had actually stopped listening to it, which is disappointing really. Firstly, because I think La Roux are alright as a band (well, I enjoyed ‘In For The Kill’, anyway). And secondly, because what could have been a really interesting album turned out to be extremely boring and repetitive.