Please destroy me this way

One of the most highly anticipated shows this year is Yo La Tengo at the Phoenix on October 2. Me, I’m seeing Liverpudlian electroclash refugees Ladytron at the Guvernment instead because, dammit, sometimes a girl just wants to dance.

I sampled then bought Witching Hour after it was released to good reviews, but was disappointed; the songwriting is a bit too pop for my tastes. Ladytron makes up for it tenfold in coolness, though. I like to think of them as ABBA gone bad -- a European pop group consisting of two men and two women who craft catchy, danceable tunes -- only their tunes have sinister, menacing arrangements. And their futuristic mod/goth/Communist chic trumps feathered hair and satin bellbottoms any day. Not to mention band member Mira Aroyo has a Ph.D in molecular genetics from Oxford. How cool is that?

Ladytron website
Ladytron on MySpace
“Destroy Everything You Touch” on YouTube