We’re all about the legit here at Analogue, but Sergeant McGuirk will have to forgive me this one breach of code. I can barely contain my excitement about the new Long Blondes’ album “Couples” to wait until its release to wax lyrical about. In fact, I haven’t even finished listening to the album.

I first fell into infatuation with the LBs two years ago, and have begun a downward descent into fanboyishness since the release of debut album “Somebody To Drive You Home”. Admittedly opening salvo of the new release, “Century”, took a while to unveil it’s synthy charms to me. Usually all about the promienent trebly guitars and confessional (well, lyricist Dorian Cox has the tendency to adopt female personas in his songs, but those female personas are confessional) lyrics warbled by Oxfam-chic goddess Kate Jackson, the band have taken on a new, decidedly more experimental direction since entering Erol Alkan’s studio. Last year’s B-side “Fulwood Babylon” was probably the best they’ve written to date- controlled, clever, and catchy in equal measures.

Kate tells off 15,000 fans for not waiting til the release date

But my first listen to the album is now officially over. On first reactions, which I will no doubt soon retract in a flurry of revisionism (Lester Bangs made a career of it), it is quite brilliant. Far more varied than their first offering, it shies away from out-and-out poppiness, hiding hooks and often leaving Kate Jackson’s voice against a bare background. The lyrics are in the same vein (”I could be a shoulder to cry on, I could be a body to lie on, but don’t ask me for more than that”), and familiar drumbeats keeping a sense of continuity, but it’s obvious the Blondes are branching out. There’s an 80’s anthem (Here Comes The Serious Bit), a disco hit (Guilt), a minimalist soul song (Too Clever By Half) and a Germanic no-wave opus (Round the Hairpin), and, most noticably there’s a lot more synths and a lot more spoken-word samples. And there’s one song that nicks the bassline from Jesus and Mary Chain’s “The Living End”, which has already been ripped off by Autolux. Erol Alkan’s contributions are manifold, cleaning up the sound and sellotaping on some age-old effects like backwards vocals to augment that Vintage First attitude the Long Blondes wear so proudly.

Here’s hoping they’ve rethought the artwork too…

Daniel Gray From the moment he put the first Steps album into his stereo he knew he'd found his calling.
Email this author | All posts by Dan

Similar Posts