The Big Pink -‘Future This’ (4AD)

Back in 2009, the duo Robbie Furze and Milo Cordell released their debut album A Brief History Of Love. Though the band had made an album which owed much to the commercially successful end of electronic-cum-goth (think Mary Chain circa 1992, Depeche Mode et al), they did at one stage suggest that this album would have more of a Hip-Hop feel.

They did retract that statement, though, and whilst it would be doing the band a diservice to say that this record was ‘more of the same’ it it’s not a huge departure from their first record as to alienate those who fell in love with their sound. The two opening tracks ‘Stay Gold’ and ‘Hit the Ground (‘Superman’) set an early highpoint, and have already been single releases at the end of last year. Both suck you in quite quickly, and the latter uses a sample of Laurie Anderson’s hit ‘O Superman’ (with its’ synthesised ‘ah ah ahs’).

Whilst the album does play safe on occasions – with the result that your mind tends to wonder just slightly – there are also some other strong tracks like ’13’ and the closing, beautifully brooding ’77’ that make this album worth investigating beyond the singles.

***1/2

Future This is released by 4AD on January 16.

Stream the album at NME.com

The Big Pink – ‘A Brief History Of Love’ (4AD)

So, here it comes, increasingly one of the most anticipated debut albums of the year. Set to drop at the same time as one of the most anticipated full stop -Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3, the acres of coverage that this album is set to receive seem certain.

And the thing is, it’s absolutely deserved. Whilst the risk of the charts clogging up with watered down versions of La Roux, Lady Gaga et al may get higher, Messrs Cordell and Furze, aka The Big Pink wander into town, like two gunslinger men come to take somebody down. Maybe that’s who ‘These girls fall like dominoes’ refers to.

Twenty years ago, this would probably have been called goth, and it totally fits that at any time over the last thirty years this would be on 4AD, a label who have consistently and rightly presented good alternative music as high art. The enduring spirit of the Jesus and Mary Chain (particularly circa Honey’s Dead) hangs over this album, as does that of Spaceman 3 and My Bloody Valentine.

Yet this isn’t just another band in love with gothic shoegaze and feedback. They’ve got their eye on the prize and commercial success (Florence of the Machine sings on the b-side to ‘Dominoes,’ entitled ‘She’s No Sense’) without this being at the cost of their art and muse. I’m not sure why previous single ‘Stop the World’ isn’t on the album, but, no matter, this is an album that firmly makes its’ point, and deserves to clean up in the charts and the end of year best-of lists.

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A Brief History Of Love is released on Monday

The Big Pink -‘Dominoes.’ mp3

The Big Pink website/The Big Pink Myspace

The Big Pink -‘Velvet’

The Big Pink -‘Too Young To Love’