Couples

If The Long Blondes’ 2006 debut effort Someone To Drive You Home was all loose and sexy like a go-go dancer, then the follow-up is cold, hard and electrical, like a construction worker. Last year the Sheffield stunners announced that they had decided to ditch their classic indie-pop roots in favour of a more musically diverse and disco-influenced new sound, but judging by the material on offer here, the gamble has delivered mixed results.
Opening track ‘Century’ sums up their new outlook perfectly. Sonically it's a spiritual successor to Blondie’s ‘Rapture’ and although Long Blondes’ resident uber-vixen Kate Jackson’s falsetto falls slightly off the mark, it’s a brave attempt all the same. Much of the five-piece’s renewed musical vision can be attributed to their producer, the undisputed king of the mash-up Erol Alkan, whose knob-twiddling skills are as impressive as always. Quite tellingly though, the spookily titled ‘Too Clever By Half’ could also be an apt description of this record. There’s a lot of sheen hiding the substance and that’s a real shame as The Long Blondes are a great pop band.
Couples is by no means a terrible record, I just preferred The Long Blondes when they were young, free and single.
Key Track: ‘I Liked the Boys’