Supervision - La Roux: Review
are a British synth pop group that initially consisted of singer Elly Jackson and producer Ben Langmaid. They initially blew up in the lat 2000's off the back of their mega-hit single Bulletproof and after a long wait due to conflict between the two, Elly released a second record for the group in 2014. Now after another long gap she is back with the much anticipated third La Roux record.
Review By Lavender:
I've always had a soft spot for La Roux, starting with their simple but incredibly catchy debut record that first caught my attention on the back of some huge singles way back in 2009. I was just a touch late to being able to review the second La Roux album Trouble In Paradise in 2014 but it was a great natural progression that featured longer more detailed compositions that brought just as catchy synth pop sounds to the fray. I was hoping that Supervision would be the continuation of that trend as at over 40 minutes long these 8 tracks last about an average of 5 minutes, but ultimately the records most defining quality is its boredom.
There isn't really a single song on this record that stays fresh for its entire runtime. They range from songs I would cut just a piece or two off of, to tracks that I would have kept off the record all together. He Rides is the best example of my boredom as the track expresses some cool themes but beyond that there is almost nothing to make any of its runtime worthwhile, and the track comes very deep into the record. Do You Feel and Automatic Driver come back to back for the records least interesting series as the songs have some smooth instrumental parts but beat them to death very quickly and allow them to WAY overstay their welcome. Otherside suffers in the same way which is a shame as the almost funk sounding riff and slick guitar plucking on the song sound really cool together but the track just goes nowhere for way too long.
Gullible Fool is the longest track of the bunch and it at least makes a much clearer attempt at having a tangible progression. It doesn't work perfectly but just the attempt makes the song a lot more interesting than some of the others here.
Thankfully there are a few tracks here that I really enjoyed, although they far from make up for all the wasted time. The opening track 21st Century is by far my favorite as it kicks off the record with an incredibly smooth piano riff and some heavily Madonna inspired falsetto vocals. The hook is incredibly slick and goes perfectly with the tune for a great first tune. The records lead single International Woman Of Leisure has grown on me as well and I like the song even more than I did at first. The slick percussion is incredibly catchy and it is very clear to me why this track was a single as one of the records catchiest moments. Finally Everything I Live for was a nice treat deep into the record that has a cloudy bridge that helps kick off one of the records highest soaring hooks. The keys are bouncy and crisp and the song drives it all home with some excellent refrains.
Supervision isn't the record its predecessor was. It has moments that remind me why I have always enjoyed La Roux's music but so much of this record is spent beating already mundane refrains absolutely to death, and the good doesn't nearly make up for the bad. I hope it won't be such a long time before we hear from La Roux again, but if it is hopefully they are able to come back with something more consistent and well thought out. 4.5/10
