Welcome Back... Siobhan Donaghy

She was the first member to jump out of the Sugababes car before it crashed, and with a reformation of the original line-up recently confirmed, it's time to welcome Siobhan Donaghy back to the room. 

In 2001 record label London dropped the 'Babes but signed Shiv, and she debuted with the rock-influenced Revolution In Me two years later. First single Overrated, a dig at the original 3-piece's first hit Overload, made the top 20, then further singles bombed. 

She returned in 2007 with a new Parlophone contract under her arm and an experimental flair up her sleeve, standing out amongst Take That's comeback and Rihanna's meteorological reign, and it's her second album, Ghosts, that earns her such a warm welcome back. 

Don’t Give It Up, the lead single, opens the set with a galloping electronic riff that plummets into a swooning chorus, setting the scene for a Cocteau Twins-styled comeback.

The grand ballad So You Say followed, replete with firework sounds and hypnotic harmonies, a sister track perhaps to Patrick Wolf's Bluebells or Frou Frou's Hear Me Out. 

Even Ghost's more straight-forward tracks have a kookier edge, such as the Jem-like breeze of Sometimes, with its non-lyrical chorus made up entirely of whoops and shrieks, and would have made an excellent 3rd cut. 

Admittedly, there are a few throwaway tracks. There's A Place sounds like a One Touch demo whilst the strut and funk of 12-Bar Acid Blues (god only knows what that title means), doesn't quite lift the rhyme-by-numbers number off the ground. 

The more peculiar moments make up for the less inspiring ones - Goldfish, (with hints of Kate Bush and  Felt Mountain era Goldfrapp) highlights Siobhan's vocal power, as the album's producer James Sanger wraps her voice in a celestial breakdown and an almost trance-inducing climax.  

Other songs are more low-key, yet still come with intriguing whispers and sweeping refrains aplenty. Styfling, a track that was left off the album, was later released as a remix by Square 1. Ignore the version with the rap segments and go for this:

The album closer is the title piece, and as a song in reverse, bonkers lines like ‘fuel full fat her glass of milk’ are transformed into a spooky chant, giving Roma Ryan's Loxian language tracks on  Enya's  Amarantine album a run for their money.

Overall, despite being unsuccessful (it peaked at #92), the album is a healthy mix of radio friends and complex tunes. Whether or not the Sugababes 1.0 reunion will showcase Ms Donaghy's esoteric leanings remains to be seen. Until then, this is the go-to album for anyone who thinks that Nicola Roberts was the first girlbander to do Odd 'n' Peculiar solo. 

Ladytron | Gravity The Seducer

Coming just months after their greatest hits collection, Ladytron's 5th album ushers in a wistful, downtempo era, and in a move last seen with Britney Spears's Radar single - Ace Of Hz, a new track made for Best Of 00-10 - has disappointingly crept onto this album's tracklist as well.  

Admittedly, it fits in better here than amongst the gothic bombast found on the compilation, but added to the three instrumentals, one of which is an elevator-esque version of the above, there's a distinct air of filler on Gravity The Seducer. 

Official first single and opener White Elephant sets the tone with its dreamlike quality, wafting through its 4-minute duration like a debutante at a party. It completes the transition from the rock-influenced tones of their last album, making it clear that this release is a gentle tap on the shoulder compared to the winning punch of Velocifero.

Second single Mirage picks up the pace a little, and Ambulances is a captivating mix of trip-hop and melancholia, not too far from Mono's Life In Mono. 

The majority of tracks are sung by de facto frontwoman Helen Marnie, so it's a shame that Bulgarian singer Mira Aroyo (the group's unique selling point), has just a measly 2 tracks here. The set's midpoints are the brooding Moon Palace and Altitude Blues, and prove to be album highlights.

Overall, the tracks are noticeably shorter than on the band's previous efforts - a relief as oftentimes great tracks like Ghosts or Seventeen have suffered from repetition and overly-long instrumental segments. A sci-fi feel prevails - indeed many tracks sound tailor-made for a galactic video game. Even the album cover looks like a snapshot of a faraway planet. 

Basically...

Ladytron's softer approach doesn't quite pay off. The poetic, obscure lyrics and Helen's cool, disaffected vocals keep proceedings familiar, although none of the tracks are as infectious as Blue Jeans or Destroy Everything You Touch. The ethereal harmonies and enigmatic themes are a bit like Enya in space, and whilst the cosmic riffs and twinkles work well, the intricate production somewhat drowns the vocals. A real change of pace would have been a happy, upbeat and accessible piece. As it stands, their 5th album in just over a decade harbours no surprises.