Band Propaganda
Want a little more detail about The Long Blondes? Looking for a bit of background for an article / gig listing, here's the official word on the band.
Please note the photographs used here have been used with the kind permission of the photographers, plese do not copy or re-use them without seeking their permission.
Please note the photographs used here have been used with the kind permission of the photographers, plese do not copy or re-use them without seeking their permission.
The Long Blondes still mix the extravagant and the everyday as only they can; the illicit thoughts that let a chink of excitement into the ennui of suburban life. But this is no longer a sepia-tinted picture postcard of a past era, instead it is the aural equivalent of people watching the moon landings on a newly-acquired colour tv or Futurists painting cityscapes of dizzying shapes and violent colours. It is the SHOCK of the NEW.
First of all, that album title. "Couples". Note that the quotation marks are imperative, not only highlighting the Long Blondes' penchant for self-referencing (see track three on the album) but also tipping a hat towards Bowie's "Heroes" and Adam and the Ants' "Antmusic". Although many may pass this off as mere triviality, it is just such an EYE FOR DETAIL that defines the 'Blondes worldview. And is it possible that tongues were tucked firmly in cheeks when choosing the title? Questions as to whether this is the next great break-up album in the lineage of Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' and Abba's 'The Visitors' are sidestepped by the band but the comparison is not impertinent. You, dear listener, are free to make your own mind up.
Legend has it that the recording of the album took place under the watchful gaze of the 'couples wall', constructed in the studio by the band and featuring images of dynamic duos throughout history; The Two Ronnies, Gilbert and George, Ron and Russel Mael of Sparks and Basil and Sybil Fawlty to name but a few. More prosaically, most of the songs relate to the relationships between couples, or at least ex-couples. Even album opener 'Century', a song expanding the Blondes' traditional subject matter, is still an ode from one century to its predecessor.
The Long Blondes were aided and abetted on this new musical journey by visionary dj / producer Erol Alkan. Already recognised as one of the most revered and respected DJs in the world (He is the provider of stadium size remixes for the likes of Klaxons, Hot Chip and Daft Punk amongst many others), he has a burgeoning reputation as a producer that is sure to be sealed with "Couples".
Musically, "Couples" sees The Long Blondes stepping, dancing, falling and laughing into BRAVE NEW WORLDS; the crystalline 'Century' fuses the lyrical collages of Bryan Ferry and the musical cut-and-paste of Saint Etienne. The glacial, minimal 'Too Clever By Half' contrasts with the dark murmurs of 'Round The Hairpin', essentially a 1950s teen death-disc taking an unsettling turn via drummer Screech's Krautrock rhythms and Kate's backwards singing. 'The Couples' and 'Guilt', meanwhile, take furtive dances with Stereolab's charm and the Pet Shop Boys' HIGH ART/CAMP midpoint respectively. Then there's the poignant maturity of 'Nostalgia', the heavy lidded piano and Kate's smoky vocals reaffirming what, by now, you'll already know, " that was then, and this is now… that's all in the past... "
First of all, that album title. "Couples". Note that the quotation marks are imperative, not only highlighting the Long Blondes' penchant for self-referencing (see track three on the album) but also tipping a hat towards Bowie's "Heroes" and Adam and the Ants' "Antmusic". Although many may pass this off as mere triviality, it is just such an EYE FOR DETAIL that defines the 'Blondes worldview. And is it possible that tongues were tucked firmly in cheeks when choosing the title? Questions as to whether this is the next great break-up album in the lineage of Fleetwood Mac's 'Rumours' and Abba's 'The Visitors' are sidestepped by the band but the comparison is not impertinent. You, dear listener, are free to make your own mind up.Legend has it that the recording of the album took place under the watchful gaze of the 'couples wall', constructed in the studio by the band and featuring images of dynamic duos throughout history; The Two Ronnies, Gilbert and George, Ron and Russel Mael of Sparks and Basil and Sybil Fawlty to name but a few. More prosaically, most of the songs relate to the relationships between couples, or at least ex-couples. Even album opener 'Century', a song expanding the Blondes' traditional subject matter, is still an ode from one century to its predecessor. The Long Blondes were aided and abetted on this new musical journey by visionary dj / producer Erol Alkan. Already recognised as one of the most revered and respected DJs in the world (He is the provider of stadium size remixes for the likes of Klaxons, Hot Chip and Daft Punk amongst many others), he has a burgeoning reputation as a producer that is sure to be sealed with "Couples".
Musically, "Couples" sees The Long Blondes stepping, dancing, falling and laughing into BRAVE NEW WORLDS; the crystalline 'Century' fuses the lyrical collages of Bryan Ferry and the musical cut-and-paste of Saint Etienne. The glacial, minimal 'Too Clever By Half' contrasts with the dark murmurs of 'Round The Hairpin', essentially a 1950s teen death-disc taking an unsettling turn via drummer Screech's Krautrock rhythms and Kate's backwards singing. 'The Couples' and 'Guilt', meanwhile, take furtive dances with Stereolab's charm and the Pet Shop Boys' HIGH ART/CAMP midpoint respectively. Then there's the poignant maturity of 'Nostalgia', the heavy lidded piano and Kate's smoky vocals reaffirming what, by now, you'll already know, " that was then, and this is now… that's all in the past... "
