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Ladyhawke
by Ladyhawke
The debut album for the New Zealander Pip Brown.
| LABEL: |
Modular |
| RELEASE DATE: |
22 September 2008 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Rock, Indie |
NOTES: Original Australia release 20 Sep 2008. Original Uk release 22 Sep 2008.
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
88
The Phoenix
New Zealand multi-instrumentalist Pip Brown a/k/a Ladyhawke presents us with a treasure trove of found blips, as if the 1980s had been nothing but a gigantic mirror ball to smash and paste back together.
82
Filter
Brown has an unlikely knack for putting quality into cliched, classic disco and rock. [Holiday 2008, p.106]
80
Prefix Magazine
We can quibble about intent and expression, but in the end you will have to succumb to the heart, body and soul, and your brain might be left behind.
80
Spin
Plundering the 1980s for inspiration (shock!), 27-year- old New Zealander Pip Brown emerges with a confection of synth-infused, mammoth-chorused tunes that sound surprisingly and thrillingly fresh.
80
All Music Guide
Ladyhawke is unlikely to win any awards for originality but you'd be hard pressed to find a more consistent and hook-laden debut all year.
80
musicOMH.com
We'll settle for saying it's a great record. Full stop.
80
New Musical Express
Ladyhawke’s louche synthetic pop is brazenly Bananarama, ridiculously ‘Rio’, and wonderfully Waterman, but the lack of posing – her sheer scruffiness – makes it the first credible ’80s pop record since ABC’s ‘The Lexicon Of Love’
80
Observer Music Monthly
Ladyhawke is an accessible but immensely rewarding listen, and while some of this singer's influences may be middle of the road, her album isn't even on the road.
80
The Guardian
Smarts to her, too, for making her pop sound so good that it never sounds like pastiche.
70
Urb
Her eponymous debut is the closest thing to “Betty Davis Eyes” or “Stand Back” recorded for our generation, and yet it isn’t nauseatingly retro.
70
cokemachineglow
Substantive lyrics aren’t part of Pip Brown’s forte but, then again, they’re totally unnecessary in the genre to which she peddles.
66
Pitchfork
Ladyhawke is brimming with ideas whose worst moments quantify this past and whose best build upon it.
60
Q Magazine
One nostalgia trip worth taking. [Oct 2008, p.147]
60
Uncut
It's all craftily entertaining, but loopy lead single 'Paris Is Burning' is the one track that escapes pastiche. [Oct 2008, p.94]
50
Under The Radar
Rotating guest producers help enhance her arrangements, and when she nails one, you'll revisit it. Other tracks, though, have a tiresome, hook-by-committee vibe that's entirely disposable. [Winter 2009, p.78]
50
Rolling Stone
As with so much Eighties revivalism, there is a chilly emptiness to the exercise; most of the songs feel like fashion statements.
30
Dot Music
People will tell you Ladyhawke is fresh and exciting. They're wrong. It's horrendous.
The average user rating for this album is 7.8 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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