Attended the Ladytron/Faint show last night at the Henry Fonda/Music Box in Hollywood. The Faint was great as they were the last time I saw them. Super-tight, super energetic and had the whole crowd moving. As if they like, practiced all the time and really took what they did seriously. Hmmm. Now, I really want to like Ladytron- I've always really wanted to like them. I live for synthy electronic pop, so so I should love 'em... Aloof dark image? Check. Cool old Korg synths? Check. Exotic and sophisticated female members? Check. They're named after one my fave Roxy Music tracks. That's cool. And they played Electric Light Orchestra's "Living Thing" as they walked on stage. That scored them even more points, because ELO is the greatest band ever. How could love go so very wrong? Well, easy. No songs. Ok, they have a small handful ("Destroy Everything", "Seventeen" "International Dateline"), but watching them live was like watching a junior-high talent show with expensive LED backlights. Neither Helen or Mira had the voice to carry them (not helped by the vocals being buried in the drum-heavy mix), and the verses were indistinguishable from choruses- sort of a meandering wall of beat and neverending triadic synth pads. I am now convinced that Ladytron has a built a career on being 50% female and 100% fashionable. I guess the good news is that my band Celebutante's new keyboard player is female, ironically making us a two-dark-haired-synth-playing-chicks band as well. Maybe we'll blow up too, and I can stop worrying about writing good songs.