La Roux, Koko

Until this year's spectacular Trouble In Paradise, it had been nearly five years since we'd heard from duo La Roux. Ever since 2009 and their exceptional self-titled, Grammy-winning debut, led by the smash-hit 'Going In For The Kill', there had been radio silence, punctuated only by cancelled shows, and worrying rumours of delays, re-writes and artistic differences.

And so it eventually was that two became one, with non-touring co-writer Ben Langmaid withdrawing from the group. This split, however, seems only to have eventually re-invigorated Elly Jackson, who had always been the superbly-coiffed centrepiece of the band even when they were officially a duo, and she promptly stormed back to the limelight earlier this year with a funk-inflected neo-disco throwback of a record.

That this record is now surfacing at the business end of plenty of publications' Album of the Year lists should be indication enough that Jackson has found her voice again in some style (not to mention literally – she confessed to The Guardian earlier this year that she'd spent two of those five wilderness years recovering from losing her trademark falsetto whilst on-stage in L.A). The record's warm, pulsing dynamic is a far cry from the sparse, scratchy production of their debut, and Jackson's love of both Chic and Tom Tom Club is clear as the record sways between the sparse 80s sounding funk of 'Uptight Downtown' and the tropical new wave shuffle of 'Sexotheque', all filtered through Jackson's soulful, sexy electro-pop lens.

We can only hope Jackson is back to stay, and that this triumphant return marks the start of a long and fruitful second wind. Catch her on the NME Awards Show tour in London early next year to see for yourself!

Tue, Feb 3, 2015