Ladyhawke: Ladyhawke (Island Records)

By Ben Liew  •  16 Jan 2009 in Review

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Phillipa “Pip” Brown, the soaring multi-instrumentalist from New Zealand known as Ladyhawke, packs a glitter-blinding blast from the past with her eponymous debut album. In the wake of recent grrl power soloists like of Santogold, Lykke Li and Ida Maria, Ladyhawke deconstructs the 80s, churning out modern melodies and supercatchy choruses, underscored by big beats that come thundering down as funky guitars and synths make way for Brown’s sultry vocals. On ‘Love Don’t Live Here’, she takes notes from Fleetwood Mac and proves that cheesy love songs can make for wondrous club anthems just by adding some groove. But while Brown may sound dangerously close to Starship at times (intro to ‘Back of the Van’), her simple yet attention-grabbing lyrics bring us back to noughties reality. And she balances this playful irony with quasi rock-dance tunes and nu-rave-ish spunk (‘Paris Is Burning’). Time to dust off the old eight-track, clubland’s got a new super-heroine. BL