604 (album)
Encyclopedia
604 is the debut studio album
by English electronic
band Ladytron
, released in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2001 by Invicta Hi-Fi Records. It was co-produced, engineered and mixed by Lance Thomas. Some of the tracks had been previously released on their EPs Miss Black and Her Friends
(1999) and Mu-Tron EP
(2000).
On 20 July 2004, 604 was re-released in the US with four bonus tracks, the first three being live recordings made on 16 May 2003 at the Central Military Club
in Sofia
, Bulgaria. The January 2011 re-release of the album on Ladytron's current label, Nettwerk
, also features these same bonus tracks.
, which assigns a normalised
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 81, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".
. The song was recorded for £
50, and features guest vocals from Lisa Eriksson of San Francisco-based electronic duo Techno Squirrels
. Upon its release, it was named the "Single of the Week" by NME
magazine. The track was inspired by Kraftwerk
's 1978 song "The Model
".
"Playgirl" was released as the album's second single. Upon re-release in 2001, it peaked at number eighty-nine on the UK Singles Chart
.
"Commodore Rock" was released as the album's third single.
"The Way That I Found You" was released as the album's fourth and final single. It reached number 102 on the UK Singles Chart. The single's B-side
, "Holiday 601", was included on Ladytron's second album Light & Magic
, retitled "NuHorizons".
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by English electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
band Ladytron
Ladytron
Ladytron are an English electronic band formed in 1999 in Liverpool, Merseyside. The group consists of Helen Marnie , Mira Aroyo , Daniel Hunt and Reuben Wu .Their sound blends electropop with New Wave and shoegazing elements. Ladytron described their sound as "electronic pop"...
, released in the United Kingdom on 2 April 2001 by Invicta Hi-Fi Records. It was co-produced, engineered and mixed by Lance Thomas. Some of the tracks had been previously released on their EPs Miss Black and Her Friends
Miss Black and Her Friends
Miss Black and Her Friends is the debut EP by English electronic band Ladytron. It was released in 1999 exclusively in Japan. All tracks but "Miss Black" would be later released on their 2001 debut album, 604.-Track listing:#"Miss Black" – 1:53...
(1999) and Mu-Tron EP
Mu-Tron EP
Mu-Tron EP is the second EP by English electronic band Ladytron. It was released in the United Kingdom in 2000 by Invicta Hi-Fi Records on CD and 12" formats.-Track listing:CD#"Another Breakfast with You"#"Paco!"#"USA vs. White Noise"...
(2000).
On 20 July 2004, 604 was re-released in the US with four bonus tracks, the first three being live recordings made on 16 May 2003 at the Central Military Club
Central Military Club
The Central Military Club is a multi-purpose monument of culture building in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, located on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard and Georgi Rakovski Street. It serves the Bulgarian Army and is administered by the Executive Agency of Military Clubs and...
in Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Bulgaria. The January 2011 re-release of the album on Ladytron's current label, Nettwerk
Nettwerk
The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg...
, also features these same bonus tracks.
Critical reception
604 was well-received by music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalised
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 81, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".
Singles
"He Took Her to a Movie" was released as the album's lead singleLead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
. The song was recorded for £
Pound (currency)
The pound is a unit of currency in some nations. The term originated in England as the value of a pound of silver.The word pound is the English translation of the Latin word libra, which was the unit of account of the Roman Empire...
50, and features guest vocals from Lisa Eriksson of San Francisco-based electronic duo Techno Squirrels
Techno Squirrels
Formed in 2005, Techno Squirrels is a band made up of Ryan Harlin and Lisa Eriksson . Both Eriksson and Harlin are sound engineers and producers for Techno Squirrels. Their music has been used in MTV's The Real World , The Real World , The Real World vs...
. Upon its release, it was named the "Single of the Week" by NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine. The track was inspired by Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk
Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...
's 1978 song "The Model
Das Model
"Das Model" is a song recorded by the electro-pop group Kraftwerk in 1978; written by musicians Ralf Hütter and Karl Bartos, with artist Emil Schult collaborating on the lyrics. It is featured on the album, Die Mensch-Maschine; English version title: The Man-Machine...
".
"Playgirl" was released as the album's second single. Upon re-release in 2001, it peaked at number eighty-nine on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
"Commodore Rock" was released as the album's third single.
"The Way That I Found You" was released as the album's fourth and final single. It reached number 102 on the UK Singles Chart. The single's B-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
, "Holiday 601", was included on Ladytron's second album Light & Magic
Light & Magic
Light & Magic is the second studio album by English electronic band Ladytron. It was released on 17 September 2002 by Telstar Records in the United Kingdom and by Emperor Norton in the USA. The album was reissued by Nettwerk in January 2011...
, retitled "NuHorizons".
Track listing
Personnel
- Ladytron – productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, designGraphic designGraphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience... - Tom Dolan – design
- Lisa Eriksson – guest vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
(track 12) - Sebastian Meyer – US cover photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Lance Thomas – additional production, engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
Release history
| Country | Date | Label | Edition |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 6 February 2001 | Emperor Norton Emperor Norton Records Emperor Norton Records, was a Los Angeles-based electronica, hip-hop, and dance-music record label. Among the artists featured on the label were Ladytron, Arling & Cameron, Money Mark, Ugly Duckling, and Fantastic Plastic Machine... |
Standard |
| Germany | 26 March 2001 | Labels | |
| United Kingdom | 2 April 2001 | Invicta Hi-Fi | |
| United States | 20 July 2004 | Emperor Norton | Re-release |
| Germany | 1 September 2009 | Redbird Redbird Records Redbird Records is an independent record label founded by the pop punk band Ludo. In October 2006, Ludo signed a five-album deal with Island Records that turned Redbird Records into an Island Records imprint... , Cobraside |
604 (Remixed & Rare) (digital only) |
| United Kingdom | |||
| United States | |||
| Germany | 14 January 2011 | Nettwerk Nettwerk The Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Management, Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk One Publishing, Nutone Records, and Artwerk. With over 150 employees, the Vancouver-based company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, Boston, Nashville, and Hamburg... |
Re-release |
| United States | 18 January 2011 | ||
| United Kingdom | 24 January 2011 |