Blame it on the new wave of the new wave of the new wave of…! I mean, is it a coincidence that this English band has the word “Blondes” in its name and its sound is so reminiscent of Blondie that it is borderline plagiarism? Don’t get me wrong, I find the album immensely listenable. Short, sharp, edgy, catchy songs that fit in with the grand scheme of things in UK pop right now. And of course, the Long Blondes have the glam punk image down pat with lead singer Kate Jackson looking the part.
And that’s the problem; the purist in me feels strongly that the Long Blondes are all about form without substance whatsoever. Highly derivative of music forged thirty years ago with nothing new to say. That said, the music fan in me just wants to pogo along to energetic tracks like “Lust in the Movies,” “Once and Never Again,” “Giddy Stratosphere,” “Swallow Tattoo,” “Weekend Without Make Up” and so on. So definite mixed feelings about the Long Blondes, but if this 16-track debut album is all about nostalgia, about re-living a heady rock n roll epoch, then hey ho, let’s go…
--Kevin Mathews
