The past few weeks have felt a little bit like an early Christmas for me–every time I’ve picked up a new disc, I’ve felt like I have hit the summer time soundtrack jackpot. Ladytron’s Velocifero is no exception. This swanky, synth pop sensation is a collection of laid back, futuristic girly pop madness. I’m pretty stoked to say I’ll be up front and center to catch this electro pop quartet rock the Vic Theatre on Tuesday with Datarock. I was lucky enough to track down Helen Marnie to help us out with our continuing 5 Questions with Muzzle of Bees feature.

Could you lend some information on the recording process of Velocifero? Where and how was it recorded, and were there any lessons learned towards future recording sessions?

We’re not the kind of band that can write on tour so whenever we had any time off at home that’s when the demo process would take place. Basically, we all have home studios and we like to get demos to a certain stage before taking them into the studio. We recorded in Paris with some additional production from Vicarious Bliss, and Allesandro Cortini in LA. When it comes to studio time we like to make the most of it and put down as many layers as we can, experimenting with different synth sounds and drum rhythms. I think with Velocifero we learnt that collaboration is the way forward, and that we’re now capable of producing ourselves.

What was the last concert you went to see as a fan?

I haven’t actually been to any gigs in a while as I’ve either been on tour or recording. I think the last band I saw was a friend’s prog psyche folk band called The Laughing Windows.

We’re always looking to uncover new favorite artists, are there any band(s)/record(s) that you could recommend to our readers?

I’m looking forward to catching Bat For Lashes and MGMT at some point but our tour dates keep clashing so I always miss out.

With your upcoming tour are there any particular cities or venues that you’re looking forward to playing? Are there any past tour dates that have been especially enjoyable or memorable?

We’re about half way through our North American tour at the moment, and so far the highlights for me have been LA, Austin, and New Orleans. It was my first time in New Orleans so it was nice to see. For the rest of the year we’re going to be really busy with gigs. In Sept/Oct we go to Australia and I’m really excited about that. The boys Djed there a few years ago but we’ve never gigged. Can’t wait. Some of the best gigs we’ve done have been in places where we didn’t expect there to be such an audience. Places such as Columbia, Argentina, and Mexico, where the albums weren’t even available.

The internet has dramatically altered the way artists can reach an audience. With things like blogs/MySpace/etc, what are your thoughts on the power of the internet in terms of helping (or hurting) your music?

It’s the future for music. MySpace has been such a great portal for getting music out there and making it accessible. So many people are in bands now, and it’s a great way for acts to get noticed. Now, the industry needs to find a way to work it. Obviously a lot of smaller bands need sales to survive. Huge bands such a Radiohead are at a place in their career where they can afford to give away their records for free and it’s a very clever move. I think a happy medium will be found in the end.

Myspace: Ladytron