La Roux - La Roux

Elly Jackson is not your typical vocalist. As

In For the Kill

takes over the stereo, her shrill-yet-bouncy voice evokes a similar sensation to nails on a blackboard.

But paired with the playful synthpop production of Ben Langmaid, it becomes strangely addictive. A sort of pleasurable pain. Or painful pleasure.

Nominated last week for the prestigious Mercury Award, La Roux's danceable electronica has been hailed as a new era in pop music in Britain. That might be a step too far - synthesised dance pop has been on the rise for some time now - but the British duo certainly makes electropop more accessible than ever.

Every track descends on you like an aural assault you can't resist. Its hook-laden melodies and tinny, rapid-fire beats will get you, whether you like it or not.

Tigerlilly

is an aggressive, stomping march of a song, accompanied by the theatrical trill of a harpsichord and a particularly eerie voiceover.

As the album progresses and Jackson moves into a lower register, her voice becomes seductive and intriguing and the record altogether, more bearable. But it's still that high-register - the squeal of

I'm Not Your Toy

and

Fascination

- that will penetrate your mind the most.

With a strong potential to polarise, La Roux may yet win you over. Strangely appealing.

Joanna Hunkin