The Tracks
I Can’t Clarify
Because the needle drops, it’s straight to motion with a sprightly, jittery electro beat with synthesized handclaps, a rhythmic synth bassline, and guitar stabs used sparingly – not taking part in melodic strains, however designed to create percussive pulses. Instrumentalist Stephen Luscombe makes his presence felt with an industrial, sinister vibe, as saw-wave synths bleep in like sirens signalling the apocalypse. The result’s one thing inherently ominous and unnerving. A promising begin, Neil Arthur then arrives with angular vocals harking back to David Byrne’s manic preacher, delivering the sermon, with gospel-like feminine backing vocals providing a rousing counterpoint. In the meantime, the guitars improve in depth. On the midway level of the observe, the temper takes a sudden downturn, turning into more and more unnerving in a melodic part; descending chord transitions carry a way of foreboding dread. To cap it off,a manic Arthur shouts, “I can’t clarify, no, I don’t understand how I really feel!” An unsettling and charismatic opening, and there’s one thing of The Treatment’s claustrophobic depth.
Really feel Me
A real masterclass in manufacturing, Really feel Me opens with a barely slower, menacing, skulking groove courtesy of Luscombe, that nonetheless skips together with regular intent. This time, Arthur opens extra like Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan within the vocals, showcasing a wealthy and mesmerising baritone. However then within the second verse, he’s again to David Byrne with the unhinged, screaming vocal tics, and extra surrealist lyrics about “a banister flying via a plate-glass window”. It bubbles over with a nervous, twitchy vitality all through, that’s irresistible. Regardless of carrying its influences flagrantly, it’s undoubtedly one of many best cuts on the file. Launched as a single in July 1982, previous the album, it simply missed the UK Prime 40, reaching No.46.
I’ve Seen The Phrase
After the preliminary one-two punch of I Can’t Clarify and Really feel Me, the duo pull issues again a bit on I’ve Seen The Phrase, which provides a extra subdued sound. It’s equally intense, although occupying a unique headspace. This time, the vocal muse seems to be Pleasure Division, as Arthur channels Ian Curtis’ deep timbre and elongated melodic phrasing. “I’ve seen folks laughing in churchyards,” he croons mournfully, over a skittish LinnDrum rhythm, as plaintive chiming synth melody strains rise as much as the heavens.
Wasted
Wasted opens with atmospheric atmosphere and mysterious snatched samples of speech, invoking a newsreader or political commentator, together with the protestation that the topic in query “ought to have the suitable to find out their very own future”. Regardless of the weighty scene-setting, it’s instrumentally one of many extra light-weight songs as soon as the primary observe will get going, with bouncy synth sounds taking part in an ordinary pop chord development, virtually doo-wop-like. It’s like very early Vince Clarke-era Depeche Mode, earlier than the band went darkish. Once more, the deep baritone vocals sit someplace between Curtis and Gahan, although lyrically its easy rhyming scheme feels a bit naïve and underdeveloped, “Who’s responsible? We’re all the identical.” A whistled melody within the fade-out provides a sense of caprice.
Dwelling On The Ceiling
From the immediately accessible opening bars, it’s insanely infectious, with an idiosyncratic beat. Arthur has famous how the off-kilter hi-hat groove was achieved by chance of their drum-machine programming naivety, but that it introduced a definite character they couldn’t have achieved from a pure human participant. The rhythm and vocal stylings, are harking back to these on Speaking Heads’ Talking In Tongues launched the next 12 months. Whereas the Byrne inspiration is clear, Arthur’s native Lancashire accent comes out in his comedically egged-up enunciation (“I’m up the bluddy tree!”). The key weapon is the killer major hook performed on the sitar, infusing an impressed Japanese affect. Their greatest hit, the one bought over 1 / 4 of 1,000,000 items within the UK, made No.7 within the charts, and in addition resonated abroad, going Prime 5 in Australia and South Africa.
Waves
Smash Hits might have derided it as “rotten”, however, clearly, they missed the purpose. Whereas clearly extra refined than the previous single (Dwelling On The Ceiling), that’s its energy. Waves is fantastically understated; a refreshing instance of Blancmange’s brilliance when merely taking part in it straight – a touch of what they may have explored additional. “I wrote the thought in an previous caravan on a council street restore depot at Rayners Lance,” Arthur instructed The Unusual Brew in 2020. “The Younger Marble Giants and Scott Walker had been my inspiration.” On the unique urgent of the file, Waves got here with out strings hooked up. However by the point of the one launch, it featured fluttering, shimmering orchestration, which provides a smothering of natural heat over the chilly, steely synths deployed elsewhere.
Type
A change of tempo, Type opens sounding like one thing straight off the Prime Gun soundtrack with crashing synth tom-toms, a drivetime rhythm and clanging, chorus-laden guitar chords (which have now dated its sound). It then morphs into one thing a bit nearer to OMD. There’s a ‘soul practice’ really feel, chugging together with some powerhouse “save me!” diva backing vocals and the strolling bassline. Type is one thing of an outlier on the file, not instantly sitting comfortably subsequent to different songs stylistically. Not a foul album observe by any means, however neither is it the one most followers will probably be calling out for on the encore.
Unhappy Day
The observe that basically began all of it, when it appeared (in an earlier kind) on the Some Bizzare Album in 1981. Unhappy Day, as its title suggests, presents a extra reflective tone and comparatively sedate tempo, a a lot sparser association than the previous observe. An instrumental, constructing round a revolving guitar line, that’s enhanced because the beat kicks in. It looks like an intermission of types – both mid-album filler, or a much-needed refresher, relying on one’s tastes. Arthur’s voice is so intense elsewhere, a short instrumental reprieve isn’t such a foul factor.
Merciless
A slowburner with a minimalist backing observe and sweeping synth prospers for added drama. Vocally, it’s one other DM-style ballad, with Arthur as soon as once more sounding rather a lot like Dave Gahan, however with a touch of Martin Fry’s ABC glamour and a contact of Philip Oakey – significantly within the lyrics, which cope with relationships extra straight than a number of the summary songs.
God’s Kitchen
Opening with a incredible synth riff that smacks the listener within the face adopted by the short slaps of the handclap. Arthur is again to sounding like David Byrne once more, with the uncaged, stream-of-consciousness supply. These distinction with the marginally creepy spoken-word sections, like Barry White on a foul day. Luscombe provides extra minimalist manufacturing, that includes a skeletal guitar half from Arthur caked in refrain, harking back to The Treatment’s sound, circa A Forest. It ends, considerably abruptly and enigmatically, with the exclamation: “I believe we’re protected.” Launched as a primary single earlier than the file got here out, as a double A-side with I’ve Seen The Phrase, in March 1982, it missed the UK Prime 40, reaching No.65.
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