Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10

Even in the act of the upbeat and positively engaging, there is always the beauty of the sudden and dramatic turn which leads the voyeur of art to appreciate the darker aspects of the performer’s work, an undertaking in which the sculpted metaphor of rhythm and rhyme cultivates a need to express itself in a way that is strangely familiar, but at the same time different, an altered perception of the reality that many would have been used to.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with changing tack, of embracing a new wisdom, of exploration, by keeping yourself alive and with an anchor to pull back upon should the scenery not be of your taste, for the habit of Wanderlust is a terrific way to spend Time, never being confined to a situation, or to a particular place; the desire to travel in your own space is one that few are afforded the pleasure of having deep in their D.N.A.

This Wanderlust is perhaps a surprise when it comes to Neil Arthur and Blancmange but then the creativity, the wonderful insight to musical poetry has always been at the forefront of the band’s almost unique vision, one that has probably its closest ally in that of the work of Alan Bennett or the poetry of Simon Armitage, it is in the microscopic look at ordinary life that makes the sound so remarkable.

A different way of looking at the world but still with that delicate touch of Neil Arthur’s home-grown philosophy very much attached to it, an expansion perhaps brought on by the continuing collaboration with Benge, and one that works in bringing out a darker, more happy in the shade of human emotions, effect; certainly in this latest album that effect is riven with the pulse of the sense of searching for a particular truth, one that discards the obvious but applauds the once unseen.

In tracks such as In Your Room, I Smashed Your Phone, Talking To Machines, TV Debate and White Circle, Black Hole, Blancmange have moved forward, the poetic leaning giving way to a more detailed narrative, the music almost orientating unexpectedly into the field of Noir, it is a seismic shift but one that will forever hold the roots in place of what made Blancmange one of the seminal acts of their generation, under-rated in the eyes of many perhaps, but nevertheless a group that has remained of the highest quality throughout.

Ian D. Hall