"Couples"

"Couples"
Studio album by The Long Blondes
Genre	Indie rock
Label	Rough Trade
Producer	Erol Alkan
The Long Blondes chronology
Someone to Drive You Home (2006) "Couples" (2008) "Singles" (2008)

"Couples" is the second album by Sheffield band The Long Blondes. It was released on 7 April 2008 via Rough Trade Records, with the first single, "Century", released on 24 March 2008.^[1] The quotation marks in the album title were included as a reference to the David Bowie album "Heroes".^[2]

Recording

The album was recorded in October 2007 with Erol Alkan reprising production duties, having already produced many of their b-sides including "Fulwood Babylon", "All Bar One Girls" and "Five Ways to End It".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[3]
Drowned In Sound	(8/10)[4]
The Guardian	[5]
The Independent	positive[6]
Metro	[7]
Mojo	[8]
Music Week	positive[9]
NME	(6/10)[10]
Pitchfork Media	(5.8/10)[11]
Uncut	[12]

The album was generally well received by critics.^[13] The Independent called it "one of the albums of the year from one of the bands of the decade".^[14] The Fly described it as "a dark, sultry and sublime album" and gave it a four out of five stars.^[15] Uncut gave the album four stars and called it a "sleek, sexy affair....Flirtations with a darker sound and Donna Summer-style disco emerge",^[16] Mojo labelled the album "ambitious and close to unique".^[16] Drowned In Sound said that the band had created "an ambitious, forward-thinking pop record that tops their debut by quite some distance",^[17] and Allmusic called the LP an "exciting, challenging, daring listen that's full of brains".^[18]

Despite good reactions from many top music critics in the UK, Pitchfork Media had an average take on the album, writing that "In an attempt to be taken seriously, they've sacrificed too much of their effervescent appeal." The album was rewarded a 5.8/10, compared to the 8.2 score their debut album received.^[19]

Click Music's Andrew Grillo named Couples his 9th best album of 2008.^[20]

Track listing

All tracks written by The Long Blondes.

1. "Century" – 5:36
2. "Guilt" – 4:35
3. "The Couples" – 3:37
4. "I Liked the Boys" – 1:59
5. "Here Comes the Serious Bit" – 2:49
6. "Round the Hairpin" – 5:43
7. "Too Clever by Half" – 4:26
8. "Erin O'Connor" – 3:09
9. "Nostalgia" – 3:12
10. "I'm Going to Hell" – 5:58^[21]

Bonus tracks

11. "Picture of You" (UK iTunes bonus track)
12. "Going Grey" (UK iTunes bonus track)

Personnel

The Long Blondes

• Emma Chaplin – guitars, keyboards, vocals
• Dorian Cox – guitars, keyboards, vocals, lyrics (except on tracks 1 and 4)
• Reenie Hollis – bass guitar, vocals
• Kate Jackson – lead vocals, lyrics (on tracks 1 and 4), artwork
• Screech Louder – drums

Technical personnel

• Erol Alkan – producer, mixer
• Jimmy Robertson – engineer
• Mark 'Elton' Alloway – assistant engineer
• John Sephton – assistant engineer
• Paul Harris – assistant engineer
• Guy Davie – mastering, at the Exchange
• Kate Jackson – artwork
• Steve Harries – photography

References