Ladyhawke-(Self titled)

By Conan the Destroyhhher







Yes it feels good to be back in the reviewers seat after taking a long hiatus from ever bitching or moaning about anything music. And what a good way to return into cynical discourse than to review Ladyhawke's Debut self titled album.


Ladyhawke is the musical side project of one Pip Brown, a Wellingtonian musician who prior to that was in Hard rock band, Two lane Blacktop (named after the cult film) and a side project with Pnau's own Nick Littlemore called Teenager, but then again why the hell am I telling you this!? You already know it!



Now I'll be honest with you, I seriously didn't want to do this review because ladyhawke has been hype to death from not only us bloggers in the blogging community, but mainstream media.....I mean how am I suppose to compete against that?!!! She was featured on Campbell Live, C4, she got a exclusive blog entry with The Wire (Ka-bullshit!) she has interviews up the ass in every chic magazine you can fathom, and it just makes it impossible to find something unique about Ladyhawke to floss about. And don't get me started about her live shows.........because I barely remember it!


Her live shows was something else........more like somewhere else I rather be than at her forgettable concert last August at The Kings Arms (nice choice of venue guys!) It felt disorientating, fuzzy, and I just don't remember what she'd played on the night, I really don't. Oh and it doesn't help to have toilet paper in your ears to act as a makeshift ear plug to shield you from the feedback and noise wailing from her guitar. Also I would like to mention that if her debut album would have coincide with her tour to Auckland (and Wellington), then I would've wrote something a little bit more redeeming and forgiving about her live show. But I digress.



Now with that aside lets rip into her album shall we?..........I like it! No, seriously I like it. It's well thought out, lovely and well produced , and it does give you a sense of simpler times when music didn't feel as complex and confusing as all hell by todays standards. In other words this album would give you a nostalgic kick in the backside (circa 1986) to whoever listens to it, but don't mistake for a throwback album of 80s hits.


"Magic" is your typical love ballet of a New Romantic persuasion, while "Manipulating Woman" talks about the complexities of....well womanhood. Its a very empowering to take in, and when you listen to it, it feels like a perfect feminist anthem for a 1980s womens movement



"My Delirium" is a tremendous track with a ripping guitar riff and retro style synth bleeps. Among others favorites from Ladyhawke include "Another runaway" and "Love don't live here", it feels very complementary in my view and it just gels perfectly one after the other.Now granted that those comparisons from other media outlets of Stevie Nicks could be somewhat questionable, I would agree with a more minority consensus that her voice could also be compared to local icons Shona Laing and Sharon O'Neil who in the past did have similar song structures and tempos which is reflected back to Pip Brown retrospective music style.



"Professional Suicide" feels like a Elastica track, the way its sung. There is an irony behind the song especially when Pip utters such memorable words like "Do what you want, play what you want, it shit what you do, and it sucks what you play......its Professional Suicide, Professional Suicide". Thats a heart of a poet, I mean songwriter!


Now for the cons. I didn't like "Back of the van", "Paris is Burning" or "Dusk till Dawn" because it was just a give in. If I even mentioned it in the same breath as to what I've covered three paragraphs ago, then it would've been typical and clichéd like most reviews out there. Beside this is when hype becomes a bit of a killjoy when you're trying your best to find something about a songwriter that is not been unearthed by the mainstream, and the tracks aforementioned were the reasons why I didn't want to go into greater detail or depth, especially having it played sooo much on Kiwi FM, Cheese on Toast and I guess her myspace page....it does become quite boring and I tend to just skip it. Oh and having remixes sure didn't make me hunger for a decent listen of the originals (Damm you Van She Tech!).



Overall this album is a keeper, and you would be a fool not to added this gem to your collection. Besides you should grant her credit where credit is due. At least her success story didn't involve something boring or cliche like her moving to Portland, Oregon like The Brunettes or The Mint Chicks in order to become something of a success from New Zealand.......or better yet, not have licensed her music out to adverts like those idiot desperadoes Elemeno P and that god awful Op shop! I mean get the fricken album for Christ sakes!!!