Just when I think I have heard all the best stuff from 2008, my friend Brandi tells me about this gem. All she said to me was, "I know you love 80's music, so just go buy this album, Ladyhawke. I guarantee you will love the whole album. Please just go out and buy it." Well, I couldn't cause its a rule that during December no one in the family gets their selves gifts. So I told her I'd have to wait and see if Santa brings it to me. My sister gave me the cd for x-mas and all I can say is WOW!
First off I have to say it again with previous albums I've reviewed, my own words won't fully give the best description but I DO try. If you love 80's tunes and the memories/feelings it invokes, this is a must have. Some songs invoke different 80's artists and I will tell you which songs I think have a similar feeling. Phillipa Brown/ Pip Brown (aka Ladyhawke) is a bit of everything you can imagine. Another cool aspect of Ladyhawke, she plays just about every instrument on the album from guitar, bass drums and synths. So without further ado, onto the album.
Magic, the opening track makes me think of lots of different 80's things. To me it makes me think of riding on the back of Falcor from The Neverending Story and the next I feel like I am Sarah running through the Labyrinth.
Manipulating Woman reminds me of a 'Til Tuesday song, Ladyhawke sounds a lot like Aimee Mann with the chorus of "ooh ooh's" in the background. I love the beat as its eerily cheerful as well as those 'oh oh's' being sung.
My Delirium is my absolute favorite as i feel as its Pat Benatar inspired, I love Pat Benatar and I can easily see her singing this song. I can also picture Missing Persons doing this as well, when Dale Bozzio isn't doing so much of her 'poppy voice' like in the song "Words" . I see it in a similar vein as "Noticeable One" It's the drums and the bass that places the song into my Driving Music playlist on my ipod and way before I saw the music video for the song. The music video features a water colored Ladyhawke in a car driving down a desert highway, which I think was inspired by a-ha's "Take On Me" video. This song was also chosen to be a single.
Better Than Sunday is another Aimee Mann sound alike. Her voice sounds a bit synthesized during the verses and the lyrics for the chorus makes me think of "Everyday Is Like Sunday" by Morrissey.
Another Runaway is a bit of all sorts of 80's artists. "Oh Oh Oh I don't believe it" makes me think of the Buggles 'Video Killed the Radio Star" while the rest of the chorus makes me think of Chrissy Hynde. I know you're thinking what kind of combo is that, but you just have to go and listen for yourself and figure out which songs remind you of 80's people/bands.
Love Don't Live Here Anymore sounds like the early eighties in this song, ranging from Quarterflash to Pat Benatar to Loverboy's "Turn Me Loose". It's the quality of the sound. Like it was recorded back then.
Back Of The Van is another favorite and so reminds me of Kim Carnes's "You Make My Heart Beat Faster" I also think of this song being a counterpart to Icehouse's song "Not My Kind". The video to this song is so neat as its dedicated to stylized 80's videos: Her hair, the back drops, the dancers, all of it is pure 80's in its best form. Some might think its cheesy, but I love it. Also I like the little things of songs like when Ladyhawke is singing the "You set me on" during the chorus and she goes up a note on the word 'You' make the song better in my opinion.
Paris Is Burning reminds me of Bananarama with the verse's percussion and Gary Newman's song "Cars". Easy to sing along to and it's her main single from the album.
Professional Suicide, another Gary Numan sounding song. With all the synths I also think of Human League and other heavy synth bands during the early eighties.
Dusk Till Dawn is a great dance song with feelings of Survivor's drum beat of "Eye Of The Tiger" and sounds like it could have made the cut on Duran Duran's first album, the tone of the album and a side song to "Friends Of Mine" I could also see Laura Branigan making this song a classic hit for her self.
Crazy World is something Cyndi Lauper or Belinda Carlisle would have splashed on either their first or second albums. The thing about Ladyhawk's singing is that you hear her but you can't help but picture all these amazing artists who inspired her to make this and other songs. It's like putting together a puzzle of your past.
and last but not least the album closes with a song to wind down with Morning Dreams. This makes me think of Eric Clapton's "Never Meant to Make You Cry" and "It All Depends" from his 'Behind the Sun' album.
So as you can see, Ladyhawke is just about anything you can remember from your childhood in the eighties. Writing all her music and playing it is a hard thing to do but she goes out of the way to make her songs her own. All of the eighties wasn't bad. She reminds us of that.
