Long Blondes album in 2006

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Will be? It should be! If yes, than I'm looking forward to it very much.

― zeus (zeus), Monday, 19 December 2005 12:00 (twenty years ago)

I heard the single the other day.

What's the deal?

― mei (mei), Monday, 19 December 2005 12:58 (twenty years ago)

new sleeper (except probably better)

― jim p. irrelevant (electricsound), Monday, 19 December 2005 21:51 (twenty years ago)

i kinda like them.

― Christopher Costello (CGC), Monday, 19 December 2005 21:59 (twenty years ago)

Excellent band, very good live.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Monday, 19 December 2005 22:03 (twenty years ago)

im still really mad that i missed the nyc show to stay home and watch that male exotic dancer reality show on vh1.

― phil-two (phil-two), Monday, 19 December 2005 22:09 (twenty years ago)

two weeks pass...

They're like a non-shit Kills.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Wednesday, 4 January 2006 18:43 (twenty years ago)

Whoa, "one of the best bands currently in the world" alert!

― Tim Ellison (Tim Ellison), Saturday, 7 January 2006 06:37 (twenty years ago)

"Once and Never Again" is amazing.

― telephone thing, Saturday, 7 January 2006 07:25 (twenty years ago)

And while it doesn't have any bearing on the music the singer is amazingly cute.

― telephone thing, Saturday, 7 January 2006 07:26 (twenty years ago)

So, uh...lots of...amaze. Ment. Yeah. I AM EXPERIENCE VOCABULARY FAIL. ABORT. ABORT.

― telephone thing, Saturday, 7 January 2006 07:29 (twenty years ago)

"Giddy Stratospheres" is great

― splates (splates), Saturday, 7 January 2006 08:34 (twenty years ago)

If the album has at least three songs as good as "Autonomy Boy", you're probably looking at an AOTY contender.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Saturday, 7 January 2006 12:04 (twenty years ago)

I bet I end up thinking the album is just OK, but god dammit do I ever love "Separated By Motorways".

― James.Cobo (jamescobo), Saturday, 7 January 2006 22:15 (twenty years ago)

I've heard tons of good songs by them. No reason the album shouldn't be really strong.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Saturday, 7 January 2006 22:31 (twenty years ago)

Strong like bull!

― nancyboy (nancyboy), Sunday, 8 January 2006 00:37 (twenty years ago)

not too bad - the tension between the trashiness & the sort've strident female post-punk/punk-funk thing is interesting. any idea if an album's scheduled?

― etc, Monday, 16 January 2006 02:41 (twenty years ago)

four months pass...

The new single's leaked. "Weekend Without Make Up". I'd hit it.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 25 May 2006 14:23 (twenty years ago)

I read that as "4 non blondes album in 2006"

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 25 May 2006 14:28 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

Out of curiosity, anyone heard the Erol Alkan-produced b-side to their latest single?

― James.Cobo (jamescobo), Tuesday, 27 June 2006 03:48 (nineteen years ago)

two months pass...

From http://www.thisisfakediy.co.uk/articles/2876.html:

"The Sheffield band will release 'Once And Never Again' through Rough Trade on 23rd October, with first play on Radio 1's Lamacq Live tonight (4th September).

Meanwhile the quintet's debut album will be called 'Someone To Drive You Home', produced by Steve Mackey, and released on 6th November."

AWESOME. V. geeked for this one. The only downside is that Erol Alkan didn't produce every single second of it, as "Fulwood Babylon" is REALLY good - hopefully his tracks at least show up on here.

― James.Cobo (jamescobo), Monday, 4 September 2006 21:35 (nineteen years ago)

album on my mom's birthday, she'll be very excited.

― keyth (keyth), Monday, 4 September 2006 22:58 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Someone to Drive You Home

1. Lust in the Movies
2. Once and Never Again
3. Only Lovers Left Alive
4. Giddy Stratospheres
5. In the Company of Women
6. Heaven Help the New Girl
7. Separated by Motorways
8. You Could Have Both
9. Swallow Tattoo
10. Weekend Without Makeup
11. Madame Ray
12. A Knife For The Girls

________________________

no 'appropriation' ! no 'fulwood babylon'!!

surely acts of madness?

― pisces (piscesx), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:25 (nineteen years ago)

So far, I'm disappointed. (and yes, no "Appropriation" - what were they thinking?) The Steve Mackey (ex-Pulp) production needs more zing and sparkle - it's all a bit generic indie-dour, and generally more Sleeper than Blondie. I wanted more art-rock, dammit!

But that's only after two listens, so I'll reserve final judgement for now.

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:37 (nineteen years ago)

is it d0wnl04dabl£ mike?

― pisces (piscesx), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 12:53 (nineteen years ago)

I wouldn't know about such things! Mine's a legit promo CD, 'cos I'm reviewing it in a couple of weeks. Which should hopefully give me time to learn to love it, as I approve of the LBs on principle. Also seeing them live next week, which might help nudge things in a more positive direction...

― mike t-diva (mike t-diva), Wednesday, 11 October 2006 13:01 (nineteen years ago)

fantastic. very 'franz' in parts.

i wonder what the symbolism of the 'swallow tattoo' is on that track with the same name. is it rude i wonder..

― pisces (piscesx), Monday, 23 October 2006 11:49 (nineteen years ago)

fantastic. very 'franz' in parts.

these sentences make no sense together.

(the second is correct though.)

― The Lex (The Lex), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 09:30 (nineteen years ago)

I'm well into this, my fave of the year. They've been v. good when I've seen them on their tour as well.

A swallow tattoo is a tattoo of a bird. Fairly trad. surely?

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 09:54 (nineteen years ago)

She's got a good voice but the band are holding her back. Obviously the next Sophie Ellix-Bextor.

― Marcello Carlin (nostudium), Tuesday, 24 October 2006 10:03 (nineteen years ago)

Where is "Appropriaton", really?
Otherwise, I don't like the new version of "Giddy Stratospheres" as much as I did the original, though this was on first listening... I really want to like this record after all those singles, but I need a few more listenings.

― zeus (zeus), Saturday, 4 November 2006 20:37 (nineteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

FANTASTIC interview and photos in POP mag this month.

― pisces (piscesx), Thursday, 23 November 2006 19:53 (nineteen years ago)

In the UK, doesn't a swallow tattoo (generally on the hands) mean you've been in prison? I can't really see how that fits with the rest of the lyrics which are strikingly Jarvis-esque. I don't really care for the theft of "You fill me with inertia" either.

― everything (everything), Thursday, 23 November 2006 20:40 (nineteen years ago)

one month passes...

Why can't this band be any good?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:11 (nineteen years ago)

Seriously, Long Blondes must be the most fucking aggrevating band around today. They've got a decent schtick, a decent mythology, a frontwoman who has some minor degree of charisma, a studied look, two or three great songs, and yet they still suck. Like, The Rakes level degree of sucking.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:12 (nineteen years ago)

how so, exactly? "suck" is a fun word to say, i admit.

― marc h. (marc h.), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:17 (nineteen years ago)

mythology? eh?

i think they're pretty bad but people i know love them. the singer does have style i'll admit.

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:20 (nineteen years ago)

I dunno... I mean Long Blondes were legitimately exciting because they had such an old style slowburn rise to prominence, it was like the CYHSY rise to fame except it took place over two years instead of two weekends, and that's the kinda thing anyone who's ever been an indie kid at any point in their life flocks to, we like the slowburn and the band fighting their way out of the boondocks to become heavyweight champion (or, I dunno, Junior flyweight in the LBs case).

Long Blondes just seem like a band who realised that their style and sound were only good enough to get to number 37 in the charts, and they wanted to get to 18. It's not a "sellout" or even a compromise, it's just that... I know this is such a played complain, but if the world wanted to listen to theaudience, Sophie EB would have reformed them for a lucrative 50 date world tour. I don't believe she has any plans to do that.

Plus Kate Jackson has the neck of a 50 year old.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:21 (nineteen years ago)

mythology? eh?

Mythology is perhaps a strong word... backstory at least (the band are two couples and a fifth wheel, like someone wandering into the recording of "Super Trouper" at the wrong point)

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:22 (nineteen years ago)

Wait, I'm confused, do people like them because they're indie up-and-comers or because they're sell-outs?

They're a pop band. With guitars, for the kids.

― marc h. (marc h.), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:23 (nineteen years ago)

They're no studied or cutesy (or, y'know, successful) enough to be pop.

I'm just pissed off because I thought I could finally like a succesful modern indie band and stop having to be so fucking contrarian all the time. Perhaps I should just move onto the Wombats.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:24 (nineteen years ago)

NME hype aside, i'm surprised you don't like them at least a little bit, Dom; one song even sounds like Letters to Cleo!

― marc h. (marc h.), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:25 (nineteen years ago)

I really like "Giddy Stratospheres" (original recording) and "Autonomy Boy" (which was the source of my innacurate "Non-shit The Kills" comment up thread).

This is the thing, I really like the Sheffield scene at the moment, there's a whole bunch of bands doing twee indie without sounding like Tesco Value B&S, I just think it's a fucker that their standard bearers dropped the ball as soon as they were asked to run with it.

Screaming Mimi are like the LBs except with surf guitars. They got next.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:27 (nineteen years ago)

Why can't this band be any good?

Only got a couple of decent tunes ennit

― Michael Philip Philip Philip Philip Annoyman (Ferg), Thursday, 11 January 2007 15:34 (nineteen years ago)

Well, "Appropriation by Any Other Means" and "Separated by Motorways" were awesome, too, but I wasn't super into the two songs for which they had videos from the album (meaning that "You're only nineteen for God's sake" one and "Weekend Without Makeup" - although "Weekend Without Makeup" is actually pretty good!).

But if this is another "Oh noes, they didn't make a Great Debut Album!" complaint, I think we've been over it before! Is that what this is all about?

― Tim Ellison = NUMBER ONE ADVOCATE OF YOU-KNOW-WHAT ON NU-ILX!!! (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:25 (nineteen years ago)

the band are two couples and a fifth wheel

There's only one couple in the band.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:39 (nineteen years ago)

I always assumed that it was otherwise, hence this photo:

http://www.gigwise.com/artists/00006980_blondes376.jpg

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:41 (nineteen years ago)

You can see what I mean about the neck there, she needs a thicker scarf.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:41 (nineteen years ago)

But if this is another "Oh noes, they didn't make a Great Debut Album!" complaint, I think we've been over it before! Is that what this is all about?

It's not even that! It's a "They didn't even make a decent, let alone good, debut album, and if they'd have just done what they'd been doing for the 18 months prior they could have knocked out a passable album with two good to really good singles on it"

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:43 (nineteen years ago)

i've just remembered The Faders.

― reverto levidensis (blueski), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:46 (nineteen years ago)

Two of the Faders making out while one of the other one pouts into the camera = book it.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:47 (nineteen years ago)

I'm not sure why people would even WANT a whole album from this group, and assume they only made one because it was the thing they were supposed to do. But as I said, "Weekend Without Makeup" is decent enough, so, not having bothered with the Album, it's easy enough for me to feel that I still like them.

― Tim Ellison = NUMBER ONE ADVOCATE OF YOU-KNOW-WHAT ON NU-ILX!!! (Tim Ellison), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:58 (nineteen years ago)

The couple on the left split. One of 'em goes out w/me now.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Thursday, 11 January 2007 17:58 (nineteen years ago)

The songs I've heard have all struck me as having shitty lyrics. But I like them okay - better than almost any other "new" English band thant I've heard lately. However, I don't really think they're going anywhere after this. What Marcello said about the rest of the band holding the singer back makes sense to me. They are dolts.

― everything (everything), Thursday, 11 January 2007 18:08 (nineteen years ago)

I missed all the hype about them and I do kinda like the full album, but I think they should have stuck to releasing only EPs.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Thursday, 11 January 2007 18:24 (nineteen years ago)

The singer doesn't write most of the songs, so hold your horses, there, band-firers.

― marc h. (marc h.), Thursday, 11 January 2007 18:36 (nineteen years ago)

They should've stuck to releasing only "Separated By Motorways". If they'd dropped off the face of the planet at that point, they'd be gods.

― Adam Beales (Pye Poudre), Thursday, 11 January 2007 18:41 (nineteen years ago)

i don't know that i really get thw LB thing anymore. the first three singles were nice enough. i still feel the sleeper comparison is apt, except they're a sleeper who prefers television to blondie

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Thursday, 11 January 2007 22:27 (nineteen years ago)

Boomkat called them Kenickie-lite :/

― fandango (fandango), Thursday, 11 January 2007 22:36 (nineteen years ago)

How're they doing in the UK charts? Actually getting anywhere, or their pop rhetoric falling flat?

"5 Ways To End It" is fairly nice - six minutes of Erol Alkan burbling, 's their "Robot Song"x"Geek Love", heh. Wish the album production hadn't been so middling - either "Autonomy Boy" or Xenomania wld have been nice statements of intent.
"Fulwood Babylon"'s pretty good, too.

― etc (esskay), Friday, 12 January 2007 01:20 (nineteen years ago)

perhaps Steve Mackie just isn't that great a producer

― electric sound of jim [and why not] (electricsound), Friday, 12 January 2007 01:37 (nineteen years ago)

How're they doing in the UK charts? Actually getting anywhere, or their pop rhetoric falling flat?

Last single underperformed, album way underperformed.

― Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Friday, 12 January 2007 08:32 (nineteen years ago)

how have they 'dropped the ball' just cause maybe not as many people bought the album as maybe some people thought they might do?

i think that's a load of old bollocks to be honest.

― pisces (piscesx), Friday, 12 January 2007 15:07 (nineteen years ago)

Maybe it's the indie-rock Hell Hath No Fury? And I say that as someone who genuinely loves both those albums.

also, I'm still getting a ton of mileage out of the Erol-produced "Platitudes" - maybe even more than "Fulwood Babylon" at this point now that "You Could Have Both" topped that song like OJ did Nicole.

― James.Cobo (jamescobo), Friday, 12 January 2007 16:57 (nineteen years ago)

dammit I didn't want Dom to be right :|

perhaps it'll grow on me, not a terrible album but definitely enough averageness to take the shine off. Their smartness begins to feel like another variety of schtick pretty quick too, however sincere they may be about it. Which is to say the more I listen the more the songs appear to have an illusion of depth, instead of a heart, there's less feeling to them than I thought was there on first encounter. The best stuff is pretty dynamic and spacious (and danceable!) for classical indie pop-rock tho'. Certainly more fire than bloody Sleeper ever had.

also, she's a fairly amazing singer/frontwoman but really quite wearing over 12 tracks, it would suit the music a lot better if they were more 'art rock' unfortunately.

Still quite excited to check them out live (Hull in Feb apparently) though.

― fandango (fandango), Saturday, 13 January 2007 15:26 (nineteen years ago)

Their "pop rhetoric" (w/guitars) falls flat on it's own terms here somehow. You get the feeling they could be a new femme Smiths if they'd only they could ramp it up a ~~bit~~lot creatively...

― fandango (fandango), Saturday, 13 January 2007 15:31 (nineteen years ago)

I also think that the album's 'not-so-greatness' is down to Steve Mackie, hearing the old and the new versions of the earlier singles. Not a blockbuster, but surely a decent album, and they can be much better in the future.

― zeus (zeus), Saturday, 13 January 2007 19:23 (nineteen years ago)

I haven't heard the previous versions the singles, but they still feel head & shoulders above the rest of the album, new production or not...

― fandango (fandango), Saturday, 13 January 2007 19:30 (nineteen years ago)

That's why they choosed those as singles, ha-ha.

― zeus (zeus), Saturday, 13 January 2007 19:48 (nineteen years ago)

I've been playing the hell out of this, but I'm not going to blame Steve Mackey for it's (considerable) faults, reading interviews like this gives me the impression they have no-one to blame but themselves.

The album closer where they suddenly start mouthing cliches that don't seem to bear any actual connection to the rest of the song like some kind of Razorlight tribute band "ooh don't go to London" etc (the end of Weekend without Make Up too) drives me absolutely nuts. I just don't have the tolerance for it.

I do really hope they put out another album, or another string of killer singles soon. Prove me wrong you bastards.

I still hear far more Smiths in this than most of the other reference points weirdly (and more than in the f***** Arctic Monkeys)... there's no blinding obvious parallel I can point to, but plenty of little fragments in there.

― fandango (fandango), Wednesday, 17 January 2007 16:26 (nineteen years ago)

Smiths? um - I hear Heavenly and Elastica

I'll have to check out the prior recordings since the LP sounds good to me.

― geekears (geekears), Thursday, 18 January 2007 01:50 (nineteen years ago)

art student in shock 'above working' claim

― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 10:47 (nineteen years ago)

it's a better debut than THE SMITHS.

― pisces (piscesx), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 11:29 (nineteen years ago)

like fuck.

but it's better than Elastica jesus... (I do not subscribe to the "band were ever any good" club soz)

― fandango (fandango), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 11:59 (nineteen years ago)

seriously, are you for real with that Smiths comment? that's mentalism... is there a vacancy going at the NME or something?

― fandango (fandango), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:01 (nineteen years ago)

it's a better debut than THE SMITHS.

so, to be fair, are most things

― lex pretend (lex pretend), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:01 (nineteen years ago)

oh ffs

― the original hauntology blogging crew (Enrique), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:05 (nineteen years ago)

except this. Lex in 'not helping' shocka.

― fandango (fandango), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:14 (nineteen years ago)

Has Kate Jackson's neck got its own thread? Was she in a house fire localised between her chin and collar or something?

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:18 (nineteen years ago)

hey at least she has one

― fandango (fandango), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:19 (nineteen years ago)

y u hate?

― Sandi Toksvig (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:20 (nineteen years ago)

Kate thinks she invented wearing a scarf. She thinks everyone else wearing a scarf is copying her.

― Berets as well (Raw Patrick), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:24 (nineteen years ago)

She needs John Noel Management to get the public to believe such a lie.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:26 (nineteen years ago)

i'm serious. the smiths are my 3rd favourite ever band and i've never liked the debut much.

― pisces (piscesx), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:42 (nineteen years ago)

Kudos.

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:43 (nineteen years ago)

You're still wrong, tho,

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 23 January 2007 12:43 (nineteen years ago)

http://www.metacritic.com/music/artists/longblondes/someonetodriveyouhome

surprising. good on 'em.

― pisces (piscesx), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 00:43 (nineteen years ago)

Meh. I've gone off this...

― about:coffee (fandango), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 01:47 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4s76oLcPTo

― bear say hi to me (ENBB), Sunday, 6 December 2009 03:35 (sixteen years ago)

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