''604'' is the debut studio album by English

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroa ...

band

Ladytron Ladytron are a largely British electronic band formed in Liverpool in 1999. The group consists of Helen Marnie (lead vocals, synthesizers), Mira Aroyo (vocals, synthesizers), Daniel Hunt (synthesizers, guitar, vocals), and Reuben Wu (synth ...

, released in the United States on 6 February 2001 by

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. Additio ...

and in the United Kingdom on 12 March 2001 by Invicta Hi-Fi. 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), ''

Mu-Tron EP ''Mu-Tron EP'' is the third extended play (EP) by English electronic band Ladytron. It was released in the United Kingdom in October 2000 by Invicta Hi-Fi Records on CD and 12" formats. The title "Mu-Tron" is a reference to the manufacturer of ...

'' (2000) and ''

Commodore Rock ''Commodore Rock'' is the second EP by English electronic band Ladytron. It was released in June 2000 by Invicta Hi-Fi Records (UK) and Emperor Norton (US) on CD and 12" formats. A 10" vinyl special edition was released by French label Tricad ...

'' (2000). On 20 July 2004, ''604'' was reissued in the US with four bonus tracks, the first three being live recordings made on 16 May 2003 at the

Central Military Club The Central Military Club ( bg, Централен военен клуб, ''Tsentralen voenen klub'') is a multi-purpose monument of culture building in the centre of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, located on Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard and Georgi ...

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and h ...

, Bulgaria. The January 2011 re-release of the album on

Nettwerk Nettwerk Music Group is the umbrella company for Nettwerk Records, Nettwerk Management, and Nettwerk One Publishing. Established in 1984, the Vancouver-based company was created by Nettwerk principals Terry McBride and Mark Jowett as a record ...

also features these same bonus tracks. In a 2002 interview with online magazine Chaos Control,

Daniel Hunt Daniel Hunt (born 25 July 1974) is an English musician, songwriter and producer. He is a founding member, principal songwriter and producer of the electronic band Ladytron. Biography Hunt met Reuben Wu in Liverpool in 1995 and formed Ladyt ...

stated that the album was named after the area code for

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Reuben Wu Reuben Wu (born 1975) is a British artist, photographer, musician, and industrial designer. He is also known as a keyboardist, songwriter, and producer for the electronic band Ladytron. Biography Reuben Wu was born in Liverpool in 1975, the so ...

drew the cover of the European edition of ''604''.

Critical reception

''604'' received general acclaim from music critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

score of 81, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". In March 2001, ''604'' was selected as Album of the Month by '' Muzik'' magazine. As of July 2002, the album had sold 20,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Singles

"He Took Her to a Movie" was released as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

. The song was recorded for £50, and features guest vocals from Lisa Eriksson of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

-based electronic duo Techno Squirrels. Upon its release, it was named the "Single of the Week" by ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' magazine. The track was inspired by Kraftwerk's 1978 song " The Model". "

Playgirl ''Playgirl'' was an American magazine that featured general interest articles, lifestyle and celebrity news, in addition to nude or semi-nude men. In the 1970s and 1980s, the magazine printed monthly and was marketed mainly to women, although ...

" was released as the album's second single. It peaked at number 89 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. "The Way That I Found You" was released as the album's third and final single. It reached number 88 on the UK Singles Chart. The single's B-side, "Holiday 601", was included on Ladytron's second studio album, ''

Light & Magic ''Light & Magic'' is the second studio album by English electronic music band Ladytron. It was released in the United States on 17 September 2002 by Emperor Norton and in the United Kingdom on 2 December 2002 by Telstar Records. The album has ...

'', retitled "NuHorizons".

Track listing

''604 (Remixed & Rare)''

On 1 September 2009, Redbird Records and Cobraside Distribution released a compilation of remixes, B-sides and rarities titled ''604 (Remixed & Rare)''. The cover is the negative of the US cover for ''604''.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''604''. *

– production, design * Lance Thomas – additional production, engineering * Eddy Schreyer – mastering * Lisa Eriksson – guest vocals on "He Took Her to a Movie" * Tom Dolan – design * Sebastian Meyer – cover photography (US edition)

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:604 (Album) 2001 debut albums Emperor Norton Records albums Ladytron albums