MP3 of the Day: Ladytron

After spates behind both microphones (as a band) and turntables (as DJs) over the past couple years, the members of Ladytron have returned with a new album aiming to please both indie club DJs and live music fans. The new record, Velocifero, is stylish as you'd expect from this crew, with Helen Marnie and Mira Aroyo's shoegazer coos mingling with icy electronic beats and pastel synth melodies. The record is too understated for my taste, though, as the band's cool mood turns blasé without the emotional twists of past hits like "Destroy Everything You Touch." On the chance that this one just takes time for listeners to warm to its charms, though, our MP3 of the Day today is the album's opening track, "Black Cat," which comes on like the soundrack to a racy sci-fi thriller. The band performs live at the Fillmore on Tuesday, May 27 with Datarock. -- Jennifer Maerz

Photo: Staphane Gallois