604 [2011 Bonus Tracks]

Recording information: Bryn Derwen Studios (05/16/2003); Central Army Club, Sofia, Bulgaria (05/16/2003); The Motor Museum (05/16/2003).
Released in 2001, 604 marks the full-length debut by the Liverpool, England, electro-pop ensemble Ladytron. While the band--consisting of vocalist Mira Aroyo, vocalist/keyboardist Helen Marnie, and multi-instrumentalists Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu--takes it name from an early-1970s Roxy Music song, its sound is rooted in synth-heavy '80s New Wave. Although the group knowingly nods to acts such as the Human League and Depeche Mode, Ladytron reveals enough energy and creativity to set it apart from its influences, placing the band in the revered company of Air and Broadcast. In fact, the breezy single "Playgirl" is a kissing cousin to the former group's "Sexy Boy," but other tracks on 604 find Ladytron stretching out, particularly on the beat-driven "Mu-Tron" and the icy "Commodore Rock." An album that showcases the more minimal and experimental sides of the quartet, 604 lays down Ladytron's techno-rooted foundation with inventiveness and style.