Blancmange, truly, were artists that gave you an interesting visual on things, or if anything, a proper perspective. They had 3 studio albums in the 80s which where: "Happy Families" / "Mange Tout" / "Believe You Me".
They had also released a string of singles - most of which, went nowhere.
Ultimately, their first 2 studio albums were the most commercially successful ones. "Believe You Me" crashed and burned and no hits came from the album. Although, Blancmange tried to release a single from "Believe You Me" with the hopes of hitting the charts. Sadly, they were very wrong. They released a song (from "Believe You Me") called "Lose Your Love". Personally, it's a great song if you ask me, and most likely a fan favorite. Anyway, it commercially failed and did not even reach the charts. Very sad. Not long after the failure of their newest single and album, they disbanded. Stephen Luscombe didn't do much after Blancmange - nothing at all, possibly - while Neil had established his own solo act. That really didn't go anywhere as well.But now Blancmange have returned once again, this time with a new album and a new tour! Maybe this time the world will appreciate them a little more!
So, they have come up with a new album called "Blanc Burn". This new album sounds very much modern. If you ask me, I was very surprised when I heard this new sound of Blancmange. I would've never expected such a great transition from a synthpop duo that hasn't had any material released since 1985!The album has been out for a few months now, and has so far done okay. Not exactly sure where it made it on the charts, though. "Blanc Burn" has currently not been available on the US version of iTunes, but has been released in the UK version. If you'd like to hear it, you can order the CD from consumer sites like eBay and Amazon. I had sent Blancmange a question asking as to when it may be available for digital download; they replied saying simply, "We're working on a copyright contract with the US right now. It should be out soon". This question was answered sometime in April, and yet there is still no sign of Blancmange being on there, so don't hold your breath. The tracks on this album offer a unique blend of music. From house music to pop music, from rock music to dance music. So far my favorite on this entire album has been "Drive Me" which has been released as a digital single in the UK. I like it a lot, and to me it seems it's a retrospective of their old work - sort of like a reflection - but that's just my introspective. I can't say that this album has got a bunch of hits on it, but I'd assume that the fans of Blancmange have enjoyed it thoroughly. Some of the songs on "Blanc Burn" have that odd feeling that you'd normally get listening to Blancmange's material from the 80s. Blancmange is currently touring in the UK (hopefully they make it to the US soon!) but sadly, Stephen Luscombe had suffered some kind of illness. Therefore he will not be on the this tour. Very sad, but at least you still get Neil Arthur, Pandit Dinesh & Graham Henderson.
Here is that song, "Drive Me", my favorite from "Blanc Burn". Hope to see more from them soon...
~ Track Listing ~
01. By The Bus Stop @ The Woolies
02. Drive Me
03. Ultraviolent
04. The Western
05. Radio Therapy
06. Probably Nothing
07. I'm Having A Coffee
08. Don't Let These Days
09. Wdyf
10. Don't Forget Your Teeth
11. Starfucker
12. I'm Seeing Stars
