Normally in music terms people are reunited with other band members, but for Blancmange – effectively Neil Arthur and friends now – the homecoming after forty years is with the London label that released their 1982 debut Happy Families.
Partnering at the time with Neil Luscombe, the duo took their introverted synth-pop (more Thomas Dolby than Depeche Mode) to the upper reaches of the charts with Living On The Ceiling and Waves, before seperating in the middle of the decade. The pair worked together again on 2011’s comeback Blanc Burn, but everything since has featured work written by Arthur only.
Wisely – despite how many modern-day artists have cited Happy Families as an influence – Arthur doesn’t opt to recapture former glories, although his pitch-shifted vocals on opener What’s Your Name show an admirable openness to fresh ideas. Elsewhere Private View navigates it’s way skillfully through a largely retro palette of moods and tones but rarely generates the emotional connection that gives machine music it’s humanity.
You can read a full review here.
The Voice Of Unreason 