What’s this then? Another Blancmange album? It’s like waiting for two Eighties-themed buses at once as the band follow-up their ‘Blanc Burn’ comeback from 2011, though this time Stephen Luscombe is unfortunately absent due to illness. Neil Arthur it is who takes centre stage, delivering a solid album that occasionally aspires to the heights of the band’s heyday if not fully emulating them. Two of the best songs have a healthy preoccupation with London, the majestic opener ‘The Fall’ being a really strong scene setter. ‘MKS Lover’, a more stark instrumental, and the energetic ‘Like I Do’ are also good, while a well-judged cover of Can’s ‘I Want More’, a risky move that could have gone horribly wrong in the wrong hands, works very well here. With so many bands from the Eighties finding a new lease of life, there is definitely room for Blancmange among the revivalists.
4 out of 5
Reviewed by Ben Hogwood
{http://soundcloud.com/blancmange/the-fall}
