Blancmange -‘Blanc Burn’ (Proper)
I was really looking forward to reviewing the comeback album from Blancmange. Stephen Luscombe abd Neil Arthur produced some excellent hits in the first part of Eighties, even getting two entries in John Peel’s hallowed Festive Fifty with ‘Feel Me’ and ‘Living On The Ceiling.’
However, the first three tracks on this album are so awful that they do remind you why comeback albums can have such a terrible reputation. It is particularly the lyrics which let this album down. ‘By The Bus Stop @ Woolies’ (and yes, the ‘@’ is actually in the title!) has lyrics which may hark back to awkward teenage relationships but just sound silly.
As for ‘I’m Having A Coffee’… I can honestly say I wrote better lyrics as a thirteen year old. Certainly better than ‘I’m having a coffee/it’s in the pot/the kettle is boiling/I want it so hot’ is up there with Def Leppard’s execrable ‘I suppose a rock’s out of the question?’ for sheer naffness.
It’s not all bad. Tracks like ‘Don’t Let these Days’ and ‘the western’ work well. However, they are not strong enough to redeem the album, leaving the whole work feeling like a massive let down, especially to someone who was looking forward to it.
Shame. A Missed opportunity.
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Blanc Burn is released on Proper on March 7.